L. K. Advani The rise of the BJP What was the BJP? the BJP under Vajpayee initially took a more moderate approach to Hindutva, to gain a wider appeal. What is Hindutva? I don't know. What else did you find interesting? Advani embarked on a "Rath Yatra," or chariot journey, to mobilise karsevaks, or volunteers, to converge upon the Babri Masjid to offer prayers. Was he successful in this mission? Despite the Congress winning a plurality in the election, it declined to form a government, and so the National Front government of VP Singh was sworn in.
Why did they decide against forming a government?
Why did the Congress decide against forming a government?
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was appointed the first president of the new party. Historian Ramachandra Guha writes that despite the factional wars within the Janata government, its period in power had seen a rise in support for the RSS, marked by a wave of communal violence in the early 1980s. Despite this, the BJP under Vajpayee initially took a more moderate approach to Hindutva, to gain a wider appeal. This strategy was unsuccessful, as the BJP won only two Lok Sabha seats in the elections of 1984. A few months prior to the election, Indira Gandhi was assassinated, creating a sympathy wave for the Congress that also contributed to the BJP's low tally, as the Congress won a record number of seats. This failure led to a shift in the party's stance; Advani was appointed party president, and the BJP returned to the hardline Hindutva of its predecessor.  Under Advani, the BJP became the political face of the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign. In the early 1980s, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had begun a movement for the construction of a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Rama at the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The agitation was on the basis of the belief that the site was the birthplace of Rama, and that a temple once stood there that had been demolished by the Mughal emperor Babur when he constructed the Babri mosque. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has supported the claim that a Hindu structure once stood at the site, without commenting on a possible demolition. The BJP threw its support behind this campaign, and made it a part of their election manifesto, which provided rich dividends in the general elections of 1989. Despite the Congress winning a plurality in the election, it declined to form a government, and so the National Front government of VP Singh was sworn in. The support of the BJP, with its tally of 86 seats, was crucial to the new government.  Advani embarked on a "Rath Yatra," or chariot journey, to mobilise karsevaks, or volunteers, to converge upon the Babri Masjid to offer prayers. This Rath Yatra, undertaken in an air-conditioned van decorated to look like a chariot, began from Somnath in Gujarat and covered a large portion of Northern India until it was stopped by the Chief Minister of Bihar, Laloo Prasad Yadav, on the grounds that it was leading to communal violence. In the 1991 general elections, the BJP won the second largest number of seats, after the Congress.  In 1992, two years after Advani ended his yatra, despite assurances given by the Kalyan Singh led BJP Government to the Supreme Court, the Babri Masjid was demolished by the communal forces alleged complicity of the Kalyan Singh government. Advani is one of the main accused in the Babri Masjid case. CANNOTANSWER
so the National Front government of VP Singh was sworn in. The support of the BJP, with its tally of 86 seats, was crucial to the new government.
Lal Krishna Advani (  ; born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a volunteer organisation. He also served as Minister of Home Affairs in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government from 1998 to 2004. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the 10th Lok Sabha and 14th Lok Sabha. He was the National Democratic Alliance's Prime Ministerial candidate in the 1989, 1991, and 2009 general elections, failing to win a majority on all three occasions. He is one of the few oldest politicians in India who had witnessed Indian freedom struggle with his own eyes. He is 94.

Advani began his political career as a volunteer of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a nationalist organisation. In
2015 he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour. He has held numerous positions in his career.

Early and personal life
L. K. Advani was born in Karachi in a Sindhi Hindu family of businessmen to parents Kishanchand D. Advani and Gyani Devi. He completed his early schooling from Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi, Sindh and then enrolled in Government College Hyderabad, Sindh. His family migrated to India during Partition and settled down in Bombay, where he graduated in Law from the Government Law College of the Bombay University, where he became friends with Deewan Parmanand Gangwani, and considered him, Ram Jethmalani and A.K Brohi the best lawyers produced by Government Law College.

L. K. Advani married Kamla Advani (1932–2016) in February 1965. He has a son, Jayant, and a daughter, Pratibha. Pratibha Advani produces TV serial shows, and also supports her father in his political activities.  His wife died on 6 April 2016 due to old age. Despite no longer being an MP, Advani lives in an official bungalow in Delhi due to security considerations, as of June 2019.

Political career

Early career
Advani joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1941 as a 14-year-old boy. He became a pracharak (full-time worker) of the Karachi branch and developed several shakhas there. After Partition, Advani was sent as a pracharak to Matsya-Alwar in Rajasthan, which had witnessed communal violence following Partition. He worked in Alwar, Bharatpur, Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar districts until 1952.

Bharatiya Jana Sangh
Advani became a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, also known simply as the Jana Sangh, a political party founded in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mookerjee in collaboration with the RSS. He was appointed as the secretary to S. S. Bhandari, then General Secretary of the Jana Sangh in Rajasthan. In 1957, he was moved to Delhi to look after the Parliamentary affairs. He soon became the general secretary and, later, President of the Delhi unit of the Jana Sangh. During 1966 to 1967 he served as the leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in the Interim Delhi Metropolitan Council. After the 1967 elections, he was elected as the Chairman of the First Delhi Metropolitan Council and served till 1970. He also assisted K. R. Malkani in editing the RSS weekly Organiser, and became a member of the national executive in 1966.

He became a member of the Rajya Sabha from Delhi for the six-year tenure from 1970. After serving various positions in the Jana Sangh, he became its President in 1973 at the Kanpur session of the party working committee meeting. His first act as president of the BJS was to expel founder member and veteran leader Balraj Madhok from primary membership of the party for supposedly violating the party directives and acting against the interests of the party. He was a Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat from 1976 to 1982. After the Indira Gandhi's Emergency, the Jana Sangh and many other opposition parties merged into the Janata Party. Advani and colleague Atal Bihari Vajpayee fought the Lok Sabha Elections of 1977 as members of the Janata Party.

Janata Party to Bharatiya Janata Party
The Janata Party was formed by political leaders and activists of various political parties who had been united in opposing the state of Emergency imposed in 1975 by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. After elections were called in 1977, the Janata Party was formed from the union of the Congress (O), the Swatantra Party, the Socialist Party of India, the Jana Sangh and the Lok Dal. Jagjivan Ram split from the Indian National Congress, bringing a small faction known as the Congress for Democracy with him, and joined the Janata alliance. The widespread unpopularity of Emergency rule gave the Janata Party and its allies a landslide victory in the election. Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister of India, Advani became the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Vajpayee became the Foreign Minister.

The erstwhile members of the Jana Sangh quit the Janata Party and formed the new Bharatiya Janata Party. Advani became a prominent leader of the newly founded BJP and represented the party in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian Parliament) from Madhya Pradesh for two terms beginning in 1982.

The rise of the BJP

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was appointed the first president of the new party. Ramachandra Guha writes that despite the factional wars within the Janata government, its period in power had seen a rise in support for the RSS, marked by a wave of communal violence in the early 1980s. Despite this, the BJP under Vajpayee initially took a more moderate approach to Hindutva, to gain a wider appeal. This strategy was unsuccessful, as the BJP won only two Lok Sabha seats in the elections of 1984. A few months prior to the election, Indira Gandhi was assassinated, creating a sympathy wave for the Congress that also contributed to the BJP's low tally, as the Congress won a record number of seats. This failure led to a shift in the party's stance; Advani was appointed party president, and the BJP returned to the hardline Hindutva of its predecessor.

Under Advani, the BJP became the political face of the Ayodhya dispute over the Ram Janmabhoomi. In the early 1980s, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had begun a movement for the construction of a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Rama at the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The agitation was on the basis of the belief that the site was the birthplace of Rama, and that a temple once stood there that had been demolished by the Mughal emperor Babur when he constructed the Babri mosque. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has supported the claim that a Hindu structure once stood at the site, without commenting on a possible demolition. The BJP threw its support behind this campaign, and made it a part of their election manifesto, which provided rich dividends in the general elections of 1989. Despite the Congress winning a plurality in the election, it declined to form a government, and so the National Front government of VP Singh was sworn in. The support of the BJP, with its tally of 86 seats, was crucial to the new government.

Advani embarked on a "Rath Yatra", or chariot journey, to mobilise karsevaks, or volunteers, to converge upon the Babri Masjid to offer prayers. This Rath Yatra, undertaken in an air-conditioned van decorated to look like a chariot, began from Somnath in Gujarat and covered a large portion of Northern India until it was stopped by the Chief Minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, on the grounds that it was leading to communal violence. In the 1991 general elections, the BJP won the second largest number of seats, after the Congress. While on the Yatra, Advani carried symbols of the Hindu religion and made multiple speeches regarding the "Hindu society's alleged failure to protect its shrines from desecration by Muslim conquerors".

In 1992, two years after Advani ended his yatra, despite assurances given by the Kalyan Singh-led BJP Government to the Supreme Court, the Babri Masjid was demolished by communal forces, with alleged complicity of the Kalyan Singh government. IPS Officer Anju Gupta reported that Advani delivered a provocative speech prior to the Masjid's demolition. Advani was among the accused in the Babri Masjid case.

On 30 September 2020, the CBI's special court acquitted Advani and released him from all charges. The CBI judge while acquitting Advani mentioned that the demolition was not pre-planned and that the accused were "trying to stop the mob and not incite them".

1996 General Elections
After the 1996 general elections, the BJP became the single largest party and was consequently invited by the President to form the Government. However, Advani himself did not contest the 1996 elections from any constituency over allegations of involvement in the Hawala scandal. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in as Prime Minister in May 1996. However, the Government did not last long and Vajpayee resigned after thirteen days.

Second term (1998–99)
After two years in the political wilderness, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), came to power with Vajpayee returning as Prime Minister in March 1998, when elections were called after India saw two unstable Governments headed by H. D. Deve Gowda and I. K. Gujral respectively.

After the fall of two United Front government between 1996 and 1998 (H. D. Deve Gowda and I. K. Gujral), the Lok Sabha, (lower house) of India's Parliament was dissolved and new elections were held. Now, a coalition of political parties signed up with BJP to form the Nationwide Democratic Alliance (NDA), headed by A. B. Vajpayee. The NDA won a majority of seats in parliament. However, the govt survived only 13 several months until mid-1999 when All Indian Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) under J. Jayalalitha withdrew its assistance to the government. With the NDA no longer having a majority, the Parliament was again dissolved and new elections were organised. Vajpayee remained the Prime Minister until elections were organised.

Deputy Prime minister
Advani assumed the office of Home Minister and was later elevated to the position of Deputy Prime Minister. As Union Minister, Advani had a tough time with India facing a string of internal disturbances in the form of rebel attacks allegedly supported by Pakistan. The NDA government lasted for its full term of five years till 2004, the first non-Congress government to do so.

Advani was charged in a scandal where he allegedly received payments through hawala brokers. He and others were later discharged by the Supreme Court of India, because there was no additional evidence that could be used to charge them. According to the judicial inquiry by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) they could not find any substantive evidence; the Supreme Court ruling stated that no statement even mentioned Advani's name and that evidence against him was limited to the mention of his name on a few loose sheets of paper.

However, the failure of this prosecution by the CBI was widely criticised. While some believe the CBI probe catapulted his rise through the BJP on his newfound "moral authority", others have claimed the inquiry was a political stunt.

As elections approached in 2004, Advani was supremely confident and conducted an aggressive campaign. The BJP suffered a defeat in the general elections held in 2004, and was forced to sit in the opposition. Another coalition, the United Progressive Alliance led by the resurgent Congress came to power, with Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. The NDA disintegrated with the Telugu Desam Party, which had supported the NDA government from the outside, deserting the alliance.

Vajpayee retired from active politics after the 2004 defeat, putting Advani to the forefront of the BJP. Advani became Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009. During this period, Advani had to deal with rebellion from within the party. His two close associates, Uma Bharati, and Madan Lal Khurana, and longtime rival Murali Manohar Joshi publicly spoke out against him. In June 2005, he drew much criticism when he, while on a visit to the Jinnah Mausoleum at Karachi – his town of birth, endorsed Mohammad Ali Jinnah and described him a "secular" leader. This did not sit well with the RSS either and Advani was forced to relinquish his post as BJP president. However, he withdrew the resignation a few days later.

The relationship between Advani and the RSS reached a low point when the latter's chief K. S. Sudarshan opined in April 2005 that both Advani and Vajpayee give way to new leaders. At the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the BJP in Mumbai in December 2005, Advani stepped down as party president and Rajnath Singh, a relatively junior politician from the state of Uttar Pradesh was elected in his place. In March 2006, following a bomb blast at a Hindu shrine at Varanasi, Advani undertook a "Bharat Suraksha Yatra" (Sojourn for National Security), to highlight the alleged failure of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in combating terrorism.

Prime Minister candidacy

In an interview with a news channel in December 2006, Advani stated that as the Leader of the Opposition in a parliamentary democracy, he considered himself the Prime Ministerial candidate for the general elections, ending on 16 May 2009. Some of his colleagues were not supportive of his candidacy.

A major factor in favour of Advani was that he had always been the most powerful leader in the BJP with the exception of Vajpayee, who endorsed Advani's candidacy. On 2 May 2007, BJP President Rajnath Singh stated that: "After Atal there is only Advani. Advani is the natural choice. It is he who should be PM". On 10 December 2007, the Parliamentary Board of BJP formally announced that L. K. Advani would be its prime ministerial candidate for the general elections due in 2009.

However, Indian National Congress and its allies won the 2009 general elections, allowing incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to continue in office. Following the defeat in the elections, L. K. Advani paved the way for Sushma Swaraj to become the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. However later he was elected Working Chairman of the National Democratic Alliance in 2010.

Advani unexpectedly resigned from all his posts in the BJP on 10 June 2013 following the appointment of Narendra Modi as the head of the electoral campaign of BJP for the 2014 elections on 9 June 2013. In a short terse letter addressed to BJP President Rajnath Singh, he said, "I no longer have the feeling that this is the same idealistic party created by Dr Mookerji, Deen Dayalji, Nanaji and Vajpayeeji whose sole concern was the country, and its people. Most leaders of ours are now concerned just with their personal agendas." Ultimately, Advani withdrew his resignation on 11 June 2013.

Marg Darshak Mandal
In 2014, Advani joined the Marg Darshak Mandal (vision committee) of the BJP along with Murli Manohar Joshi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Rath Yatras
In a bid to boost the popularity of the BJP and unify the Hindutva ideology, Advani organised 6 long distance rath yatras or processions across the country, starting in 1987.

Ram Rath Yatra: Advani started his first Rath Yatra from Somnath, Gujarat on 25 September 1990 to finally reach Ayodhya on 30 October 1990. The yatra has been linked to the Mandir-Masjid dispute centred around Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site at Ayodhya. The BJP and Advani, however, focused the yatra on the secularism–communalism debate. The yatra was stopped in Bihar by Lalu Prasad Yadav, then Chief Minister of Bihar and was arrested on the orders of Vishwanath Pratap Singh, then Prime Minister of India.
Janadesh Yatra: Four Yatras named Janadesh Yatra started on 11 September 1993 from four corners of country. Advani led this yatra from Mysore. Travelling through 14 States and two Union Territories, the yatris congregated at Bhopal on 25 September in a massive rally. The purpose of Janadesh Yatrawas to seek the people's mandate against the two Bills, the Constitution 80th Amendment Bill and the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill.
Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra: The Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra by Mr. Advani travelled across India between May and July 1997. According to Mr.Advani, the yatra was conducted in celebration of 50 years of Indian Independence and also to project the BJP as a party committed to good governance.
Bharat Uday Yatra: The Bharat Uday Yatra took place in the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections.
Bharat Suraksha Yatra: The BJP launched a nationwide mass political campaign in the form of the Bharat Suraksha Yatra from 6 April to 10 May 2006. It consisted of two yatras – one led by Advani, Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha), from Dwaraka in Gujarat to Delhi; and the other led by Rajnath Singh, then the President of the BJP, from Jagannath Puri in Orissa to Delhi. The yatra was focused on left wing terrorism, minority politics, corruption, protection of democracy and price rise.
Jan Chetna Yatra: The Jan Chetna Yatra was launched on 11 October 2011 from Sitab Diara, Bihar. The BJP states the purpose of Jan Chetna Yatra is to mobilise public opinion against corruption of the UPA government and put BJP agenda of good governance and clean politics before the people of India.

Writings
My Country My Life is an autobiographical book by L. K. Advani. The book was released on 19 March 2008 by Abdul Kalam, the eleventh President of India. The book has 1,040 pages and narrates autobiographical accounts and events in the life of Advani. The book became a best seller in the non-fiction category. The book includes mentions of events in Indian politics and India's history from 1900 till 2007.
 As I See It: LK Advani's Blog Posts (2011). .
 My Country My Life (2008). .
 New Approaches to Security and Development (2003). (Paperback) .
 A Prisoner's Scrap-Book (2002). (Hardcover) .
 Nazarband Loktantra (2016).(Hardcover)  . 
 Drishtikon (2016).(Hardcover)
 Rashtra Sarvopari. (2014).(Hardcover)

Opinions 

 In 2005, while visiting Pakistan, he praised Muhammad Ali Jinnah  and his speech of 11 August 1947 for promoting a secular state.

Positions
 1967–70: Chairman, Metropolitan Council, Delhi 
 1970–72: President, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Delhi
 1970–89: Member, Rajya Sabha (four terms)
 1973–77: President, Jana Sangh
 1977: General-Secretary, Janata Party
 1977–79: Union Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
 1977–79: Leader of the House, Rajya Sabha
 1980–86: General Secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
 1980-86: Leader, BJP, Rajya Sabha
 1986–91: President, BJP
 1989: Elected to 9th Lok Sabha (1st term as Lok Sabha member), New Delhi constituency
 1989–91: Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha
 1991: Elected to 10th Lok Sabha (2nd term), from Gandhinagar
 1991–93: Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha
 1993–98: President, Bharatiya Janata Party
 Did not contest 1996 election, and did not join the 13-day Vajpayee govt as hawala case was pending against him. 
 1998: Elected to 12th Lok Sabha (3rd term)
 1998–99: Union Cabinet Minister, Home Affairs
 1999: Elected to 13th Lok Sabha (4th term)
 1999–2004: Union Cabinet Minister, Home Affairs
 2002–2004: Deputy Prime Minister of India (he held the role of Prime Minister at that time)
 2004: Elected to 14th Lok Sabha (5th term)
 2009: Elected to 15th Lok Sabha (6th term)
 2014: Elected to 16th Lok Sabha (7th term)

See also
 Electoral history of L. K. Advani
Ayodhya dispute
Hawala scandal

References

Further reading
 
 Atmaram Kulkarni. The Advent of Advani: An Authentic Critical Biography (1995). (Hardcover) .
 Sudheendra Kulkarni. Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra: The story of Lal Krishna Advani's patriotic pilgrimage (1997). ASIN: B0000CPBO7.
 Pentagon Press. Lal Krishna Advani: Today's Patel (2002). (Paperback) .
 Gulab Vazirani: Lal Advani, the Man and his Mission (1991)
 G. Katyal, K. Bhushan. Lal Krishna Advani: Deputy Prime Minister. (Hardcover) ASIN: B001G6MAZA
 Pentagon Press. Lala Krishna Advani (2007). (Paperback) .

External links

 Official site
 Profile at Lok Sabha, Parliament of India 
 Profile on website of BJP
 Profile at BBC News
 Official Blog of Lal Krishna Advani

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Solidarity unionism is a model of labour organizing in which the workers themselves formulate strategy and take action against the company directly without mediation from government or paid union representatives.  It is a key pillar of anarcho-syndicalism. Organizations which use the model of solidarity unionism, such as the Industrial Workers of the World, state that putting power directly into the hands of the workers prevents an otherwise inevitable crust of bureaucrats from forming within the organization.  This is why organizations which use the solidarity unionism model often refer to other sorts of labour organizing as bureaucratic unionism.

Notes

See also

Anarcho-syndicalism

Industrial Workers of the World
Employee relations
Trade unions in the United States
Syndicalism In the 2018 Swedish general election, no political group or party won an outright majority, resulting in a hung parliament. On 9 September, the Red-Greens, led by Stefan Löfven's Social Democrats (S), emerged as the main political force in the Riksdag, while the centre-right Alliance led by Ulf Kristersson's Moderate Party only got one seat less. The right-wing populist party Sweden Democrats, led by Jimmie Åkesson, came third. As a result, protracted negotiations were required before a new government formation.  On 18 January 2019, Löfven was re-elected as prime minister.

Parties and number of seats 
The table below lists parties' 2018 representation in the Riksdag.

Groups

Under the principle of negative parliamentarism, a government needs at least 175 members of parliament to not vote against it (such members should either vote 'yes' or abstain).

Potential governments 
The Swedish constitution creates a system known as "negative parliamentarianism", wherein "a prime ministerial candidate does not need to have the support of a majority, they only need to show that they do not have a majority of parliament against them." In other words, the vote of confidence in Sweden is in practice a vote of no confidence, wherein the burden of proof is on the opposition. Political parties can symbolically "abstain" from the vote, which in practice acts as a yes vote and shows that the party tolerates, or tacitly approves, a government formation without the associated baggage that comes with outright support. Thus, the status quo is to seek a government agreement that is tolerable by a majority of the parties, rather than a polarizing agreement that is liked by one side and hated by the other.

With no political group or party having an outright majority, as well as a tangled web of conflicting interests among the parties, speculations were made around a number of possible compromises:

 A centre-left minority government of the Social Democrats and Green Party (116 seats) with support by the Left party (total 144 seats, still a minority). This was the government model 2014–2018.
 After the election, this government was voted out of confidence, and neither the Alliance nor the Sweden Democrats were willing to allow this government to return.
 In the end, this became the government. This was after that the Centre party and the Liberals decided to allow it despite their previous Alliance leaning.
 A centre-right minority government of the Alliance parties (143 seats) with support by the Sweden Democrats (total 205 seats, a majority)
 Centre and Liberal party leaders have ruled out participating in any government that depends on the Sweden Democrats.
 A centre-right minority government with only the Moderates and the KD (92 seats), with support from C, L and Sweden Democrats (total 205 seats).
 The Sweden Democrats have stated that they will only back a government which they have political sway in. In response to this, the Center and Liberal parties stated that they would break the Alliance if the Moderates attempted a government needing support from the Sweden Democrats, making this setup politically unfeasible.
 The second option (M+KD) was attempted in a Riksdag vote on 14 November, but failed as C and L voted against it.
 A centre-right Alliance minority government with support from the Social Democrats.
 This is the preferred government for the Centre Party. The Social Democrats however proved unwilling to work towards this setup, believing that they should lead a government they are part of, as they have the most seats of any party.
 A national unity government or grand coalition, including the Social Democrats and all other Alliance parties (243 seats, a supermajority). Annie Lööf (C), Stefan Löfven (S) and Ulf Kristersson (M) have been mentioned as potential leaders, but there was disagreement about who would be Prime Minister, and Kristersson rejected the idea of Löfven serving another term as Prime Minister.
 The Centre Party has mentioned this as an alternative preferred government, claiming that the popularity of SD is a national crisis which can be handled together by all other parties (except V)
 Regardless of leader, the Social Democrats, Left party and Moderates do not support this, and neither do the Sweden Democrats unless given influence (total 260 seats against). The Social Democrats and Moderates do not want to be in the same government and there cannot be two prime ministers. Also, the Moderates rejected the proposition of Löfven remaining as Prime Minister, despite the Social Democrats remaining the largest party.
 A centre-left government including the Social Democrats (as leader), Green Party, Liberals and the Centre Party (167 seats) with support from the Left Party.
 This would disrupt the Alliance, which, while fragile, is still considered preferable to the Centre and Liberals than relying on the Left. But the Centre and Liberals refuse to break down with Moderates and Christian Democrats.
 A centrist minority government of L and C under Annie Lööf (C) with support from other parties.
 Lööf said that the government would not be supported by parliament.
 A centre-right minority government of Alliance and Green Party (159 seats).
 Although this solution is currently in place in the Stockholm city council, such a government does not have a majority on the national level and needs support from other parties. The Green Party doesn't accept this.

Formation process

Ousting of Löfven 
Norlén was elected the Speaker of the Riksdag on 24 September 2018, following the first sitting of the Riksdag since the elections with 203 to 145 votes against Åsa Lindestam, who became First Deputy Speaker.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven lost the motion of no confidence against him and his cabinet on 25 September 2018, with 142 members of parliament voting to retain Löfven's cabinet and 204 voting against. Löfven stated in a subsequent press conference that he would not step down as Social Democratic party leader and that he was willing to partake in talks regarding the formation of a new government, but insisted that it was ultimately up to the Speaker of the Riksdag. Löfven also stated that he found it completely unbelievable that the Alliance could ever form a government if they keep their promise of not co-operating with the Sweden Democrats.

2 days later party negotiations for forming a new government commenced. and on 2 October the Speaker of the House, Andreas Norlén, announced that he had tasked Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson with forming a government.

On 14 October, Ulf Kristersson held a press conference, stating that he had notified the Speaker of the Riksdag that he is giving up his attempt at forming a government. Kristersson maintained that he still has the intention of becoming Prime Minister and leading a government consisting of "the entire Alliance, solely the Moderates or those Alliance parties that would be willing to enter into an Alliance government led by myself." He informed the Speaker of the Riksdag that "there is currently no basis for any of these options at this time". The reason for the failure was that the Alliance had fewer seats than the red-greens, so the Sweden Democrats (or the Social Democrats) must support government propositions or they would fail: such need for Sweden Democrat support was not tolerated by the Centre and Liberal parties. They proposed a government including the Social Democrats, which the Moderates rule out.

Stefan Löfven was tasked with forming a government on 15 October 2018, giving him two weeks to construct a stable government coalition. On 29 October, Löfven announced that he too had failed to create a stable government. Norlén then took over the process of government formation directly, though he did not announce a deadline. As the budget must be renewed by 15 November, Swedish Government's finance ministry has been working on a "politically neutral" emergency bill that would avert a second budget crisis if the government is not formed by then.

First Riksdag vote 
On 5 November, Norlén nominated Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson to lead the government. A nomination, in this case, means that the Riksdag will have a confidence vote, rather than merely continuing talks. Centre leader Annie Lööf was critical of the decision, as she had expected to become the third person tasked with forming a stable government coalition. Lööf was also critical of the Moderates as well as the Christian Democrats, accusing them of taking her opportunity of forming a government away (the Speaker is a Moderate), thus disrupting an already fragile Alliance. The vote was set to take place during the week of 12 November, before the budget debate on 15 November.

On 14 November, Kristersson's proposed minority government of Moderates + Christian Democrats supported by Sweden Democrats failed the Riskdag confidence vote 195–154. The Center and Liberal parties broke their alliance, as they refused to accept a government that relied on the Sweden Democrats. The vote was marked the first time a candidate for Prime Minister was rejected by the Riksdag since the abolition of the bicameral legislature in 1971. The Swedish constitution stipulates that the Riksdag will have four chances to pass a confidence vote, after which a new election will be mandatory.

Second Riksdag vote and budget vote 
On 15 November, Norlén tasked Lööf with forming a government, and gave her a one-week extendable deadline. Norlén did not announce a date for a second Riksdag vote, stating only that there would be "one or more votes this autumn."
Lööf stated that she wanted to construct a centrist government, and that she wanted the centre-right (M, KD, and L) and the centre-left (S and MP) to agree to negotiate with her about the possibility of forming a new government, excluding the parties that are far-left (V) and far-right (SD).

Lööf announced on 22 November that she would concede her attempt to form a government, blaming the Moderates and Social Democrats for being unwilling to compromise. The next day, Norlén nominated Löfven to be the prime minister, without a formally-set date for the vote. He also set the budget vote to occur on 12 December. The Centre Party stated that they may back Löfven (and thus give the red-greens 31 seats, exactly enough for a majority) if Löfven's cabinet agrees to some economic compromises. Soon after, the Liberal Party head Jan Björklund made a similar statement, although the party was internally divided on the matter.

On 12 December, Norlén formally nominated Löfven. As the Centre and Liberals had stated earlier in the week that they were not satisfied with Löfven's negotiations, the outcome of the vote remained uncertain. On the same day, the provisional budget was submitted by the caretaker government, but was defeated by an alternative budget created by the Moderates and Christian Democrats, as the Sweden Democrats supported it, and the Centre and Liberal parties decided to abstain from the final vote. On 14 December, Löfven lost the confidence vote.

Third Riksdag vote and re-election of Löfven 
Norlén stated after the vote that he would restart negotiations between the parties, while at the same time preparing for the possibility of a snap election. Norlén then created a finalized timeline for forming a government, and urged Kristersson and Löfven to find a compromise. Without nominating a new candidate, he set the next vote for a Prime Minister on 16 January, and a final vote on 23 January if the first vote fails. If neither vote succeeds, a snap election will be called immediately, and would likely take place on 7 April according to the Swedish Election Authority.

On 11 January 2019, it was reported that the Social Democrats, Greens, Centre and Liberals had reached a deal to support Löfven as Prime Minister in order to end the deadlock.  These cooperating parties have only 167 members of Riksdag, and need support from one more party. It was assumed that the Left party would back a Social Democrat coalition by default, but the agreement text specifically excluded the Left party from participation on matters covered by the agreement, and left the party out of future coalition negotiations. The Left party criticized being expected to back a government which would leave them without a voice, and on 14 January, Left Party leader Jonas Sjöstedt stated that they would not back the agreement as it stood, calling for further negotiations. Consequently, the speaker deferred the third prime ministerial vote scheduled for 16 January to instead take place on 18 January to allow Löfven and Sjöstedt to reach their own compromise.

On 16 January, Sjöstedt told reporters his party would abstain from voting against Löfven but threatens to initiate a no-confidence vote against him in the future if he supports policies that threaten worker's rights or if he puts forward proposals that further deregulate the rental market. 
That same day, the Speaker again formally nominated Löfven as a Prime Ministerial candidate, scheduling a vote in the Riksdag for 18 January.  During the vote, Löfven was elected Prime Minister with 115 Riksdag members voting for him and 77 members who abstained (total of 192 votes).  Due to the low number of yes votes Löfven received, he has the third weakest government since the end of World War II as at the time of his election.

The speaker of the Riksdag, Norlén, declared he would nominate Ulf Kristersson for prime minister had the investiture vote failed. This forced the Centre party and the Left party to choose between Löfven, Kristersson (with Åkesson support), and a snap election. The Left party did not want to risk Kristersson becoming the prime minister, and the Centre and Liberal parties did not want a snap election, which, according to polls, could send the Liberals out of the Riksdag and give M+KD+SD a majority.

On 21 January 2019, Löfven unveiled the members of his cabinet and presented his statement of government () to parliament. As was the case with his first government, the second one consisted of Social Democrats and Greens. They include the following ministers:

Prime Minister's Office:
Stefan Löfven (S) – Prime Minister of Sweden
Hans Dahlgren (S) – EU Minister

Ministry of Justice:
Morgan Johansson (S) – Justice Minister
Mikael Damberg (S) – Interior Minister

Foreign Ministry:
Margot Wallström (S) – Foreign Minister
Peter Eriksson (MP) – Minister for Development Cooperation 
Ann Linde (S) – Minister for Foreign Trade and Minister for Nordic Cooperation

Ministry of Labor:
Ylva Johansson (S) – Labour Minister
Åsa Lindhagen (MP) – Gender Equality Minister

Ministry of Infrastructure (new department):
Tomas Eneroth (S) – Infrastructure Minister
Anders Ygeman (S) – Energy and Digitalisation Minister (new position)

Ministry of Finance:
Magdalena Andersson (S) – Finance Minister
Per Bolund (MP) – Housing Minister and Deputy Minister for Finance
Ardalan Shekarabi (S) – Consumer Affairs Minister

Ministry of Defense:
Peter Hultqvist (S) – Defence Minister

Ministry of Culture:
Amanda Lind (MP) – Culture Minister

Ministry of the Environment:
Isabella Lövin (MP) – Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister

Ministry of Industry:
Ibrahim Baylan (S) – Industry Minister
Jennie Nilsson (S) – Rural Affairs Minister

Ministry of Health:
Lena Hallengren (S) – Minister of Health and Social Affairs
Annika Strandhäll (S) – Social Security Minister

Ministry of Education:
Anna Ekström (S) – Education Minister
Matilda Ernkrans (S) – Minister for Higher Education and Research

See also 
 2021 Swedish government crisis
 2021 Swedish government formation

References 

Swedish government formation
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January 2019 events in Sweden
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2018 Swedish general election