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POLITICS

Sweden’s first female premier lasts just seven hours

By Duncan Mil

November 29, 2021 - Swedish Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson will get a second shot at becoming the country's first woman prime minister next Monday (November 29), after her first attempt lasted just seven hours.

Andersson resigned after her budget, drafted when she was finance minister, was rejected by parliament, meaning she would have to govern with opposition spending plans until September national elections.

“This maybe is not the best image of Swedish politics,” Andersson said.

Sweden’s parliament had approved Magdalena Andersson as the country’s first-ever female prime minister after replacing Stefan Lofven as leader of the centre-left Social Democrats.

Andersson, 54, began her political career in 1996 as political adviser to then-Prime Minister Goran Persson. She has spent the past seven years as finance minister.

However, she faced a tough job from the outset, with the challenge of uniting disparate parties -- ranging from the ex-communist Left to the nominally centre-right Centre.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 24/11/2021; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press, Getty Images
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