Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Sweden's prime minister said on Thursday that if the centre-right opposition wins a vote of no-confi...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Sweden's prime minister said on Thursday that if the centre-right opposition wins a vote of no-confidence against the interior minister over his handling of gang crime, he will resign just three months before a general election.
The Moderates, Liberals, and Christian Democrats all stated they would back a no-confidence vote against Justice and Interior Minister Morgan Johansson, which the populist Sweden Democrats have requested for next week.
According to them, Johansson should bear responsibility for failing to combat gang criminality, which has resulted in a recent wave of killings and deaths.
For the vote to pass, the four parties plus one more member of parliament would be required.
If Johansson is voted out, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said at a press conference that she would "definitely" resign and that the cabinet will follow suit.
"There will be a government crisis," she predicted, "and that is not what Sweden needs."
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last month, citing security concerns in the Nordic region as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey's objections, however, have put the process on hold, putting Sweden and Finland's dreams of a speedy accession in jeopardy.
Sweden heads to the elections on September 11, and Ulf Kristersson, the leader of the opposition's largest party, said Andersson was attempting to intimidate other parties into supporting her.
"We want to replace this entire government - at the very least at the next election, but the sooner the better," he wrote on Facebook.
