Sweden’s Social Democratic prime minister has asked the parliament speaker to form a new government.

Stefan Lofven, who has been premier since 2014, became the first Swedish leader to lose a confidence vote in parliament a week ago.

He did not call for an early election as the Swedish constitution allows him to. He is formally stepping down but will continue in a caretaker role until a new government can be formed.

Speaker Andreas Norlen will ask party leaders who may be able to form a government. He decides which of the party leaders can begin talks.

It is expected that Mr Lofven, who heads Sweden’s largest party with 100 of Riksdagen’s 349 seats, will start these talks.

His cabinet, a Social Democratic-Green coalition, is a minority government that has relied on votes from the small Left Party to pass laws.

The no-confidence motion against him was called by the nationalist Sweden Democrats party, and it succeeded because the Left Party withdrew its support from the government over proposed legislation to tackle a housing shortage.