Sweden's Centre Party leader to explore forming government

STOCKHOLM, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Sweden's ‌parliament speaker ​said ​on Monday he has asked Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist to explore the grounds for the formation ‌of a new government, giving her one week to meet ⁠with other parties.

Last month's election gave the centre-left a narrow majority ‌in parliament, but while all ‌four opposition parties favour Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson as prime minister, they do not agree on who should be ​part of a new government.

Thand Ringqvist will now explore a centrist alternative, Riksdag Speaker Andreas Norlen told a press ⁠conference, while adding that it was not clear who would become prime minister if ​the talks succeed.

"Different government options are also under discussion, though none appears to be making any ​clear progress, as far as I ‌can tell," Norlen said.

Thand Ringqvist, whose party was fifth-biggest in the election, said she would invite all party leaders ⁠for talks.

"My ambition is to contribute to a solution to the matter of government, not to become prime minister myself," she said ⁠in a post on X.

Lawmakers on Thursday rejected Andersson's bid to form ​a minority cabinet, as widely expected, in the first of up to four votes before a fresh election must be called. Sweden last ‌held an early election in 1958.

Thand Ringqvist has earlier raised the possibility of a "middle" government that ‌would exclude both the Left Party and the far-right Sweden ⁠Democrats.

Norlen said she is ‌due to report back ​to him on October 26 at the latest.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Simon Johnson, editing by Terje ‌Solsvik)

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