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The Social Democrats, Swedens biggest political party, will proceed with forming a minority government with the Greens and now faces a challenging couple of months of work to pass its first budget.

Its a firm conviction that we will present a government and also present a budget that can pass in parliament, Social Democratic leader Stefan Loefven said at a press conference today in Stockholm. No budget has of course been completed.

Sweden was cast into political turmoil after Sept. 14 elections gave neither of the two traditional blocs a majority. Voters flocked to the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration party which no one wants to cooperate with. The nationalist party more than doubled to 49 seats in parliament, enough to sway the balance of power in favor of either group.

Loefvens alliance with the Greens will hold 138 seats in the 349-seat legislature and he will need votes from the ex-communist Left Party to pass budgets. Rules allow for fiscal spending bills to pass by a plurality in order to make it easier for minority coalitions to govern.

Yet even with backing from the Left the government faces a tricky parliamentary situation since the Sweden Democrats could decide to back the four-party oppositions shadow budget. That would force a government crisis and could trigger the first early election in more than half a century. Parliament votes on the budget in December.

Were putting together a budget that we of course think will pass in parliament but how the Sweden Democrats will vote, how that vote will turn out, no one can be sure about, Loefven said. Thats completely up to them.

The Left has conditioned supporting the Social Democrats on limiting profits at private providers of welfare services such as education and health-care funded by taxpayers.

All is pointing in the direction that Stefan Loefven will become our next prime minister and thats good, Left Party leader Jonas Sjoestedt told reporters.

Right now were negotiating about profits in the welfare sector. When weve completed that and have agreed, which we still havent, we will negotiate a state budget, he said.

According to a time-line issued by parliament, the legislature, called the Riksdag in Swedish, will vote on a new prime minister after it opens a new session on Sept. 30, which could happen as early as Oct. 2.

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Swedish Social Democrats Confident on Coalition to Pass Budget