Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven won support from lawmakers on Wednesday to form new government after leading the country in a caretaking capacity since late last month.
Lofven received 117 votes in the 349-seat Riksdagen in favor of giving him the mandate, with 58 abstentions. In Sweden, prime ministers can govern as long as there is no parliamentary majority against them.
Lawmakers from the Center Party and the Left Party abstained from voting, paving the way for his victory, while Lofvens Social Democratic Party, the Greens and one independent lawmaker voted for him. All together, they accounted for 175 seats in parliament, the minimum number needed for a majority. The Social Democrats hold 100 seats.
Lofven has said he will form a two-party Cabinet with the Greens.
The 63-year-old Lofven lost a June 21 no-confidence vote called by the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats party. The move succeeded because the Left Party, a government ally, had withdrawn its support for Lofvens…