Sweden Votes In Magdalena Andersson As First Female Prime Minister

Magdalena Andersson has been voted by Sweden’s parliament as the country’s first female prime minister, replacing Stefan Lofven as leader of the centre-left Social Democrats.

Sweden is the only Nordic country that has never elected a woman as national leader before.

Andersson, who’s at the moment, finance minister, lost Wednesday’s vote.

However, she was elected because under Swedish law she only needed a majority of MPs not to vote against her.

The 54-year-old Social Democrat leader was given a standing ovation by sections of the parliament.

Her election followed an 11th-hour exchange with the opposition Left party, in exchange for bigger pensions for many Swedes.

Of the 349 members of the Riksdag, 174 voted against her. But of all the 117 MPs who backed Ms Andersson, a further 57 abstained.

Andersson, who is a former junior swimming champion from the university city of Uppsala, began her political career in 1996 as political adviser to Prime Minister Goran Persson.