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| Sweden heads for polls after Lofven's parliament defeat | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Sweden's left-of-centre Prime Minister Stefan Lofven says he will call snap elections after his minority government lost a budget vote less than three months after coming to power. | |
| He said a new poll would take place on 22 March. | He said a new poll would take place on 22 March. |
| The government failed to push its budget through parliament, when the far-right Sweden Democrats sided with the opposition. | The government failed to push its budget through parliament, when the far-right Sweden Democrats sided with the opposition. |
| The Sweden Democrats emerged as a power broker after September's elections. | The Sweden Democrats emerged as a power broker after September's elections. |
| The party now holds 49 seats and, voting with the centre-right opposition on Wednesday, defeated the government's budget by a margin of 182 to 153. | The party now holds 49 seats and, voting with the centre-right opposition on Wednesday, defeated the government's budget by a margin of 182 to 153. |
| At a hastily called news conference after the vote, Mr Lofven told reporters that new elections would enable voters to "make a choice in the face of this new political landscape". | At a hastily called news conference after the vote, Mr Lofven told reporters that new elections would enable voters to "make a choice in the face of this new political landscape". |
| Under the constitution he cannot officially call a national poll until 29 December. | |
| Accusing the centre-right parties of failing to engage constructively over the budget, Mr Lofven complained that the opposition had allowed the far right to dictate terms. | |
| "We have formed a government, we have a budget, and we will go into the elections with that," he said, standing alongside a spokesman from his coalition partner, the Greens. | |
| The Sweden Democrats became the country's third largest party, with 13% of the vote, and is demanding a reversal in Sweden's liberal immigration laws, which party spokesman Mattias Karlsson has condemned as an "extreme immigration policy". | The Sweden Democrats became the country's third largest party, with 13% of the vote, and is demanding a reversal in Sweden's liberal immigration laws, which party spokesman Mattias Karlsson has condemned as an "extreme immigration policy". |
| Sweden has offered permanent residence to all Syrians fleeing the conflict and has the highest rate of asylum applications per capita of any EU country. | Sweden has offered permanent residence to all Syrians fleeing the conflict and has the highest rate of asylum applications per capita of any EU country. |
| Sweden's Migration Board said this year that as many as 2,000 people were applying every week. Most were from Syria, although there had also been an increase from Eritrea. | Sweden's Migration Board said this year that as many as 2,000 people were applying every week. Most were from Syria, although there had also been an increase from Eritrea. |
| Asylum applications to Sweden | Asylum applications to Sweden |
| 2012: 44,000 | 2012: 44,000 |
| 2013: 55,000 | 2013: 55,000 |
| 2014: 83,000 (projected) | 2014: 83,000 (projected) |
| 2015: 95,000 (projected) | 2015: 95,000 (projected) |
| Mr Lofven's Social Democrats formed a minority government with the Greens but between them they have only 138 seats in the 349-seat parliament. | |
| Mr Lofven spent hours late on Tuesday trying to reach a budget deal with the centre-right opposition but the talks fell apart without a compromise. | Mr Lofven spent hours late on Tuesday trying to reach a budget deal with the centre-right opposition but the talks fell apart without a compromise. |