'No possibility' for Swedish leader to form government after narrow win

Swedish Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson says she is unable to form a government after an election earlier this month gave her centre-left bloc a narrow majority.

The centre-left won 176 seats to the incumbent right bloc's 173 seats, in a vote widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's promise to form a coalition with the far-right Sweden Democrats.

The Left Party said over the weekend it would back a candidate for parliament speaker from the rival Moderate party, which Ms Andersson says undercut her attempt to build a government.

"Of course, I take the Left Party's message seriously, and based on that and the conversations I have had, I can conclude that there is currently no possibility for me to form a government," she told a press conference on Monday.

The speaker of parliament is set to decide who to hand the task to seek to secure backing for a government, potentially Mr Kristersson.