Moderates and Greens call for time

The Moderate and Green parties both held press conferences on Monday afternoon calling for time to enable the election results to be completed, with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt promising an orderly process to a new Alliance government.

• Live Blog: post-election developments (22 Sep 10)
• Live Blog: election night in Sweden (20 Sep 10)

"We will now conduct the same process that we undertook in 2006 - that we take responsibility based on the election result that we have got," Reinfeldt said.

Reinfeldt called for patience to enable the election results to be completed and analysed properly. He underlined the importance that time is taken to digest the result and promised that when the Riksdag reopens on October 5th, the work will be complete.

"We will do this without using words such as chaos...but instead exactly as we are - with the orderliness that is expect of us, at the pace that is outline," he said, pointing out that he has until October 5th before the government has to be in place.

Reinfeldt addressed the issue of the entrance of the Sweden Democrats into Sweden's parliament and observed that only 7,000 votes were the difference between the anti-immigrant party gaining mandates.

He recognised however that the support for the Sweden Democrats has not only come from the party's "core voters" with "roots in the 1980s far-right movements", but could also include those who have lost faith with Sweden's direction, and perhaps politicians, in general.

Reinfeldt stated that the process of any discussions with the Green Party will be conducted between the parties and not through the media.

Reinfeldt confirmed however that discussions would be opened among the Alliance coalition partners this afternoon.

The Green Party held a press conference immediately after the Moderate Party leader.

Spokesperson Peter Eriksson opened the press conference by stating the current situation and issue a clarification on the party's viewpoints.

Mirroring Fredrik Reinfeldt's comments, he also argued that the vote count is not yet completed and that the Alliance could still secure a majority. He, and co-spokesperson Maria Wetterstrand, also warned of difficulties for the Alliance coalition to sustain a minority government.

"We have not bee given a mandate from our voters to open negotiations with the Alliance over whether to build a government or to join a cooperation," Maria Wetterstrand argued, proceeding to list a series of Alliance government policy initiatives that the Green Party finds unnaceptable.

Peter Eriksson continued to express regret over the entry of the Sweden Democrats into parliament and argued that all of the "seven" parliamentary parties (thus excluding the Sweden Democrats) should take part in taking responsibility for Sweden's governance.

"If Fredrik Reinfeldt gets in touch then we will suggest that deeper and broader contact is taken with all the Red-Green parties." Eriksson said adding, "We think it is reasonable that the largest party in the parliament (the Social Democrats) should also take part."

Both Fredrik Reinfeldt and the Green Party spokespersons confirmed that no contact has yet been made between the parties.