Resign or Call Elections? Big Decision for Swedish PM

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, who lost a confidence vote last week, faces a stark choice Monday; call snap elections or resign and trigger the search for a successor. 

The Social Democrat leader -- a master of consensus for some, a dull and visionless party man for others -- has had seven days since the confidence vote in which to attempt to secure a parliamentary majority in his favor.  Now, barring last-minute success in persuading other parties to create a more stable coalition, his options are very limited. The 63-year-old Lofven, a former welder and union leader with the square build and nose of a boxer, guided the Swedish left back to power in 2014, and then hung on by moving his party closer to the center right after the 2018 elections.