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WORLD NEWS Thursday 15 November 2018
Swedish parliament rejects proposed government

By DAVID KEYTON cuss with Loof should she
Associated Press be tapped to try to form a
STOCKHOLM (AP) — More coalition.
than two months after elec- Loof earlier said that she
tions that left Sweden in doesn’t want to be prime
political limbo, lawmakers minister herself but is willing
on Wednesday rejected a to try form a government.
proposed minority coalition Pundits say either Loof or
led by the second-largest Lofven would be next in
party, the first time in Swed- line to try to form a govern-
ish history that a proposal ment.
for a new prime minister The emergence of Sweden
has been defeated. Democrats — with roots in
Parliament voted by 195 a neo-Nazi movement —
votes to 154 to reject the reflects how deeply that
Speaker’s plan for a co- Sweden is being trans-
alition of the center-right formed by migration.
Moderates and the small In 2015, Sweden took in a
Christian Democrats, with record 163,000 migrants
Moderates leader Ulf Kris- — the highest per capita
tersson as prime minister. Ulf Kristersson, lesder of the center-right party Moderates, makes his way to a press meeting in the of any European country.
Those opposing the coali- Riksdag, Stockholm, Wednesday Nov. 14, 2018. Since then, the country
tion said it would give influ- Associated Press has sharply restricted immi-
ence to the anti-immigrant ter has ever been rejected for months of uncertainty her party and the Liberals. gration, but many Swedes
Sweden Democrats — the by the 349-seat Riksdagen. and complex coalition Kristersson said that that complain that society can-
third-largest party but con- Norlen said he would con- talks. although the alliance has not cope with integrating
sidered a pariah by many tinue talks with party lead- Both blocs have refused to suffered “its worst crisis,” it is so many newcomers, many
— because the govern- ers on Thursday, without cooperate with the Swe- not dead. of them Muslims from Africa
ment would be dependent giving details. den Democrats, who made “We have a common plat- and the Middle East.
on that party’s support in The September election great strides in the election. form, but we cannot agree Ahead of Wednesday’s
parliament. produced a hung parlia- Annie Loof, the leader of when it comes to taking vote, Jimmie Akesson, the
Wednesday’s vote was the ment with the left-leaning the Center Party that voted power.” leader of the Sweden Dem-
first of a possible four be- side and the center-right against Kristersson, said he Caretaker Prime Minister ocrats, said he sees “a new
fore Speaker Andreas Nor- bloc securing about 40 had broken up the 14-year- Stefan Lofven, who heads political landscape mush-
len must call new elections. percent of the vote each, old center-right alliance Sweden’s largest party — room in Sweden, exactly
It was the first time that a leaving neither with a ma- by suggesting a two-party the Social Democrats — like in the rest of the west-
candidate for prime minis- jority and paving the way government, leaving out said he was willing to dis- ern world.”q

Macedonia ex-leader requests asylum in Hungary

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES influencing interior ministry Janakieski and former gov-
PABLO GORONDI officials over the purchase ernment secretary-general
Associated Press of a luxury vehicle. Kiril Bozinovski to be held for
SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Delov said the formal ex- 30 days. Prosecutors sought
Former Macedonian Prime tradition request will take their detention amid fears
Minister Nikola Gruevski, some time as the docu- they could also try to flee
who fled his country to ments need to be translat- the country.
avoid a two-year prison ed into Hungarian. Mace- Gruevski’s flight marks the
term for corruption, has re- donia has no extradition latest dramatic episode
quested asylum in Hungary, agreement with Hungary, in a volatile confrontation
the Hungarian government but can seek application of between his conservatives
said Wednesday. In this Friday, Oct. 19, 2018 file photo, Nikola Gruevski, former the European Convention and Zaev’s Social Demo-
Meanwhile, Macedonian country’s Prime Minister and now a lawmaker of the opposition on Extradition that binds crats.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev VMRO-DPMNE, looks on in Macedonian Parliament in the capital members of the Council The two sides remain bitter-
called on Hungary to extra- Skopje. of Europe — to which both ly at odds over a proposed
dite Gruevski, his bitter po- Associated Press countries belong. deal to change the repub-
litical rival. office said. seph Muscat. In Hungary, left- and lic’s name to North Mace-
Hungarian Prime Minister For his part, Zaev said he Macedonia’s justice min- right-wing opposition par- donia and end a dispute
Viktor Orban’s office said it expects the Hungarian istry spokesman, Vladimir ties called on the Orban with neighboring Greece
considers Gruevski’s asylum government to respect in- Delov, told The Associated government to extradite that would allow Macedo-
request “solely a legal is- ternational law by returning Press that the ministry is pre- Gruevski. nia to join NATO and start
sue” and views Macedonia Gruevski. paring the necessary doc- Earlier Wednesday, Mace- accession talks with the Eu-
as “an important ally.” “What will be (Macedo- umentation for Gruevski’s donian authorities tem- ropean Union.
“The Macedonian govern- nia’s) motivation to join the extradition. porarily jailed two former Western leaders provided
ment of the day is a part- European Union if one of its Gruevski, prime minister government officials on Zaev’s government strong
ner of Hungary in interstate member states becomes from 2006-2016, fled after trial for corruption following backing in supporting the
relations, and therefore we a shelter for criminals?” he Macedonian police tried to Gruevski’s flight. deal, while Russia argued
in no way wish to intervene said during a news confer- arrest him to serve the pris- A criminal court on that it was the target of
in the internal affairs of sov- ence in Skopje with visiting on sentence. He was con- Wednesday ordered for- the alliance’s expansion
ereign countries,” Orban’s Maltese Prime Minister Jo- victed in May of unlawfully mer transport minister Mile eastward.q