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Sweden's first female prime minister quits hours after appointment

Magdalena Andersson told a news conference that she did not want to lead a government "where there may be grounds to question its legitimacy"

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Hours after being tapped as Sweden’s prime minister, Magdalena Andersson resigned Wednesday after suffering a budget defeat in parliament and coalition partner the Greens left the two-party minority government.

”For me, it is about respect, but I also do not want to lead a government where there may be grounds to question its legitimacy,” Andersson told a news conference.

Andersson has informed parliamentary Speaker Anderas Norlen that she is still interested in leading a Social Democratic one-party government.

She said that “a coalition government should resign if a party chooses to leave the government. Despite the fact that the parliamentary situation is unchanged, it needs to be tried again.”

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The speaker of Sweden’s 349-seat parliament Andreas Norlen said he had received Andersson's resignation and will contact the party leaders ”to discuss the situation,” the Swedish news agency TT said.

On Thursday, he will announce the road ahead.

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