Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced on Sunday his intention to resign before the end of the year, after heading the Swedish government for the past seven years, according to Swedish media.
Lofven declared his intention to step down as leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, as well as from his prime ministerial post at his party's annual conference in November.
The decision to resign had been a long time coming, Lofven said during a speech in Akersberga near Stockholm, conceding that the party needed new leadership and some new energy, though the question of who will succeed him remains open.
Lofven's successor will be decided at the Social Democrat party conference, scheduled to begin on 3 November.
The next parliamentary elections in Sweden are due in September 2022.
No confidence vote
The 64-year-old has already resigned as prime minister once, as a result of a vote of no confidence in June. He was subsequently renominated as prime minister and returned to his post after just a few days.
That political crisis was triggered by a dispute with the Left Party regarding rent controls for new buildings. As Lofven's Red-Green coalition have only 116 of the 349 seats, a parliamentary majority of 175 votes can only be met with the help of the Left Party and the Centre Party, which prop up his minority government.
In recent years, it has become much more difficult to command a majority in the Swedish parliament. This leaves many governments on shaky ground.
