Swedish Parliament conservative elects prime minister

Swedish Parliament elects conservative as prime minister at head of coalition supported by immigration hardliners, reports AP.

Stockholm:The Swedish parliament on Monday elected Ulf Kristersson the conservative Moderate Party leader as prime minister at the head of a coalition that is being supported by a once radical far-right party. Kristersson, 59, was elected by 176-173 votes.

His government is expected to be presented Tuesday. His three-party coalition does not have a majority, but in Sweden, prime ministers can govern as long as there is no parliamentary majority against them.

After a month of talks with the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, Kristersson presented an agreement that gave them an unprecedented position of influence in Swedish politics. They took over 20% of the vote at the Sept. 11 election. (AP)