Magdalena Andersson is likely to be Sweden’s new prime minister. It differs from its predecessor in several respects.

This is an important obstacle in the way of Magdalena Anderson taking over the position from Stefan Lofven.

Two weeks ago, Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson (54) was elected the new leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party.

Now there is still a hurdle for her to become the new Prime Minister of Sweden after Stefan Lofven. You must have support from SV’s Swedish sister party, Vänstern. On Tuesday morning, she had to ask for more time to talk to Vänstern. They were not able to agree.

There is only one year left until the elections and no one wants additional elections. So most expect her to be Sweden’s first female prime minister.

So who is she really?

Comes from elite school

For seven years as Minister of Finance, she was one of Stefan Lofven’s most important employees. But Magdalena Anderson, Magda among friends, has a different background than her predecessor.

Stefan Lofven came from a traditional working-class background. Raised with a foster family in Sollefteå, he trained as a welder and worked in the union movement.

Anderson grew up in the university town of Uppsala. The parents were teachers in high school and university. As a teenager, she was an elite level swimmer. She has a strong academic background, she graduated with a master’s degree in economics from «Handels», the prestigious Stockholm School of Economics. There she also met her husband, Richard Frieberg, who is a professor of economics at the school. Anderson also has Harvard Studies on his resume. When she was 17 years old, she joined the party.

However, her ancestors throughout the party’s history came from different backgrounds. Ulf Perild, a professor at the University of Gothenburg who is himself an active social democrat, says that Anderson’s coming from academia doesn’t mean anything in and of itself.

As finance minister, you have to limit yourself a little bit. So it’s hard to say how you’ll differentiate yourself from Leuven, says Ulf Perild.

– but it’s better rhetoric and better discussion. She wants to make a stronger impression, I think.

It is described as more temperamental and difficult in public speaking than its predecessor. It is seen as more straightforward than Leuven, More relentless And less efficient in “small talk”. Perild says she has a keen sense of humor. But she is like Leuven, a pragmatist.

– She can turn a little to the left and a little to the right, depending on the circumstances, he says.

inherits a lot of problems

When she was elected party leader, Anderson said that “every stone must be turned” in the fight against gang crime and apartheid. SVT commentator Mats Ericsson said she appeared as one “Baby Gray Sauce”.

But Perild says no one expects her to end crime overnight if she is now prime minister. On the other hand, he believes there are high expectations in her party that she should talk more about social issues, such as a better healthcare system. Another major issue is the fight against private schools being allowed to make a profit.

Political scientist Therese Reitan at Söderthorn University College notes that Anderson inherits a very difficult political situation if she becomes head of government.

She must find her contacts and the buttons she can press in contact with the other ends to avoid stepping on their toes. Words should weigh more than gold, says Raytan.

The 2018 elections did not give any of the traditional blocs in Parliament a majority. So Stefan Lofven entered into an agreement with the Center Party and the bourgeois and liberal parties to retain power. Many Social Democrats think politics has gone too blue. At the same time, the Center Party demanded that the far left Vannsteren party have no influence.

Now Vansterne is tired and says he does not want to be possessed by the Social Democrats. This summer led to a government crisis. So the left demands some concessions before backing Anderson. They want a higher pension for those who come out at their worst. But it is important to be seen and heard. If and when Anderson gets the blessing of the left, there will be a vote in the Swedish parliament.

important obstacle

However, Reitan states that it will take very little to spoil the majority needed when the Swedish parliament votes on a new prime minister.

—But if someone gets stuck in an elevator or gets sick, the sum of the votes can be true or false, says Raytan.

After that, there will also be a fight over the budget, which must have the support of the majority.

party and party

Additionally, both Reitan and Bjereld indicated that Andersson should try to gather his party. Bjereld thinks it will be her biggest challenge. It has, for example Develop strong subgroups In the party that became very powerful.

The reformist subgroup will draw the party to the left more. Some think that the group has grown too big and has become a kind of party inside the party. Raytan says these are the things she has to deal with.

In Sweden, there are many who are impatient after the country, which considers itself the most equal in the world, gets a female prime minister. Next year is elections. The big test will be for Magdalena Anderson.