INTERNATIONAL: Sweden's first female Prime Minister resigns hours after appointment. Magdalena Andersson was announced as Swedish leader on Wednesday, less than 12 hours in the top job. She quits after the Green Party quit her coalition, plunging the country into political uncertainty. The Green Party quit after parliament rejected the coalition's budget bill. The parliament voted for a budget drawn-up by the opposition which includes the anti-immigrant far right. But, leader of the Social Democrats Magdalena Andersson, says she had told the speaker of parliament she hoped to be appointed prime minister again as the head of a single-party government.

She says, "This morning, I was elected prime minister by parliament to form a coalition government with representatives for the Social Democrats and the Green Party. The Green Party has now announced that they no longer want to be part of the government. Here, each party has to make its own choices and according to constitutional praxis, a coalition government ought to resign if one party leaves the government. My assessment is that the same of course needs to happen even when the parliament has chosen a new prime minister and when the new government has not yet assumed power."

She has added, for her it's a question of respect but she also does not want to lead a government where there could be reasons to question its legitimacy.

The Green Party has declared that it would support her in any new confirmation vote in parliament, while the Centre Party has promised to abstain, which in practice amounts to the same as backing her candidacy. The Left Party has also said it would back her. The opposition Moderates and Christian Democrats are backed by the Sweden Democrats, but cannot command a majority in parliament.

Andersson took over as prime minister from Stefan Lofven as head of a minority two-party coalition supported by the Left and Centre parties. But that alliance collapsed when the Centre Party refused to back the new government's finance bill.

^{PHOTO: SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER MAGDALENA ANDERSSON SAYING SHE WILL RESIGN TO SEEK NEW SUPPORT FROM PARLIAMENT, MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT APPLAUDING AS ANDERSSON WAS ELECTED EARLIER IN THE DAY}