Sweden's parliament today confirmed Social Democrat leader Stefan Lofven as new Prime Minister.

He will head a relatively weak minority government in coalition with the Green Party that will need the votes of the radical Left Party to pass a budget, after elections on 14 September failed to produce an outright winning majority.

"The [previous] centre-right government had permitted Vattenfall to expand its coal-fired power activities," Sweden's Social Democrats said on their website, adding that the company should instead lead the country's energy turnaround.