Social Democrat leader slams speaker's surprise decision to call PM vote on Centre Party leader
Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson hit out at the speaker of parliament's decision to put forward Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist for a parliamentary vote to become Sweden's next prime minister.
"It is remarkable that the speaker wants to hold a vote on a person who has not carried out formal exploratory talks to become prime minister herself, and with a coalition base that several parties do not wish to be part of. At this stage, the reasonable step would have been to allow Ulf Kristersson to explore his right-wing alternative," Andersson wrote in a statement.
Speaker Andreas Norlén announced that the vote will take place on Tuesday, adding that he and Thand Ringqvist are in agreement on the move.
However, Thand Ringqvist herself believes Norlén should have nominated Andersson for prime minister instead, or given Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson the mandate to explore forming a government.
"Following our discussions, the speaker has assessed that the next step in the government formation process is to put me forward as prime minister. At the same time, I have made clear that there are other viable paths forward," she said in a statement.
Thand Ringqvist is set to be tested as prime minister for a "centrist government" made up of the Green Party, the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats.
However, both the Christian Democrats and the Liberals are expected to vote no.
"The conditions for such a government simply do not exist, and for the Christian Democrats, Ulf Kristersson remains our candidate for prime minister," Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch posted on X.
Within the Liberals, the speaker's announcement was met with surprise, sources told the TT news agency. The party has not agreed to be put forward as part of a centrist option, a source said.
Kristersson, however, said it was natural to hold a vote on a centrist coalition.
"This failure is entirely Magdalena Andersson's responsibility. For four years, she chose to keep things under wraps and avoid any groundwork. Now it has backfired," he said. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: remarkable – anmärkningsvärt (an excellent passive aggressive Swedish word)
Plastic bag usage surges in Sweden after controversial tax scrapped
Plastic bag usage in Sweden is on the increase again after the country's plastic bag tax was abolished in November 2024.
In 2025, consumers used 248 million carrier bags covered by the national reduction target – a 45 percent increase compared to 2023, according to a press release from the environmental foundation Håll Sverige Rent ("Keep Sweden Clean").
Consumption of ultra-thin plastic bags, typically used for fruit and vegetables, rose by 65 percent compared to 2024. In total, more than 400 million single-use plastic bags were used during 2025.
"We need to use less single-use plastic and cut down on items that easily end up as litter. More policy tools are also needed to nudge things in the right direction. Businesses and consumers alike must step up and take responsibility now," said Joakim Brodahl, deputy CEO of Håll Sverige Rent. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: a plastic bag – en plastpåse
Swedish consumers brace for tougher times even as industry rebounds
Swedish household economic confidence plummeted significantly in October.
"Households' views of their own financial situation twelve months from now are now clearly below normal," the National Institute of Economic Research (NIER) stated in its monthly Economic Tendency Survey.
The drop in how households view both their own finances and Sweden's broader economy was steep. Compared with September, the consumer confidence index dropped by 8 points to 94.3.
For the business sector, however, the outlook is considerably brighter. The overall economic tendency indicator, measured monthly by NIER, climbed further in October and currently sits above historic averages, boosted in particular by the manufacturing sector.
"The Manufacturing Confidence Indicator increased sharply in October and is now at its highest level since August 2022. The increase is explained by stronger production plans compared with September, as well as improved assessments of current order books and the fact that stocks of finished goods are now considered excessively large to a lesser extent than normal," said NIER. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: National Institute of Economic Research (NIER) – Konjunkturinstitutet (KI)
Stockholm stock exchange defies Wall Street tech slump
The Stockholm stock exchange's broad OMXS index closed on Thursday up 0.4 percent – defying sharp losses among tech shares on Wall Street.
Heavyweights leading the market higher included defence group Saab and mining group Boliden, which reported its earnings during the day, closing up 3.2 percent and 2.0 percent, respectively.
Across the Atlantic on Wall Street, Google parent company Alphabet tumbled 12 percent in early trading following its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday evening, stoking fresh uncertainty over tech stock valuations.
At the same time, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index fell 1.3 percent.
In the commodities market, crude oil prices stabilised after US media reports suggested that peace talks between the Trump administration and Iran could resume.
The price of North Sea Brent crude dropped 1.2 percent to 114 dollars a barrel.
Since the turn of the year, the OMXS index has risen 8.7 percent.
But early on Friday morning, futures trading on IG Markets indicated that the Stockholm stock exchange looked set to open lower. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: the commodities market – råvarumarknaden