Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven resigns after losing no-confidence vote

Stefan Lofven, Sweden's prime minister, has resigned a week after becoming the country's first leader to lose a no-confidence vote.

Instead of calling a snap election, the Social Democrat leader requested the country's parliament speaker to begin the search for a replacement.

He told a press conference a snap election was "not what is best for Sweden," pointing to the difficult situation the Covid-19 pandemic posed, coupled with the fact that the next general election is a year away.

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"With that starting point, I have requested the speaker to relieve me as prime minister," Lofven said.

In parliament, the center-left and center-right blocs are presently evenly balanced, and opinion polls suggest that a general election would not change the situation.

Given the challenging Covid-19 position and the fact that the next general election is only a year away, Lofven said a snapelection was "not what is best for Sweden."

Lofven, a 63-year-old former welder and union leader with a boxer's square build and nose, led the Swedish left back to power in 2014 and then stuck to power by bringing his party closer to the centre following the 2018 elections.

(With inputs from agencies)