Stefan Lofven becomes the first Swedish PM to lose a no-confidence vote
But the Social Democrat will get a last chance to fend off the “bourgeois bloc”
HOUSING IS A sensitive political issue everywhere, but in Sweden it is especially touchy. Over two-thirds of the country’s municipalities say they have housing shortages. Authorities estimated the total shortfall at 160,000 units in 2018, in a country with 5m dwellings. The price of a villa in Stockholm has risen 19% in the past year. All the country’s rental units, whether public or private, are subject to rent control, making everyone’s rent a matter of government policy.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The nine lives of Lofven”
From the June 26th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
Russian pilots appear to be hunting Ukrainian civilians
Residents of Kherson are dodging murderous drones
Can the good ship Europe weather the Trumpnado?
Tossed by political storms, the continent must dodge a new threat
Spain’s proposed house tax on foreigners will not fix its shortage
Pedro Sánchez will need the opposition’s help to increase supply
A French-sponsored Ukrainian army brigade has been badly botched
The scandal reveals serious weaknesses in Ukraine’s military command
A TV dramatisation of Mussolini’s life inflames Italy
With Giorgia Meloni in power, the fascist past is more relevant than ever
France’s new prime minister is trying to court the left
François Bayrou gambles with Emmanuel Macron’s economic legacy