Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds quit on Tuesday after a row over the closure of a Web site with blasphemous cartoons of Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), embarrassing Prime Minister Goran Persson six months ahead of elections.
Social Democrat (SDP) leader Persson, behind in polls that favour the conservative opposition in September's vote, had for months resisted calls to sack the unpopular minister over her response to the Asian tsunami, in which 500 Swedes died.
But she was forced to resign when it was revealed this week that she had not given full information about her role in the closure of a site belonging to a far-right political party, which published blasphemous cartoons.
"Under the current circumstances I find it impossible to conduct my work and therefore choose to resign," Freivalds said at a joint news conference with the prime minister.
"It was her own decision," said Persson, who had criticised a junior foreign ministry official for putting pressure on a private internet hosting company to close the Web site belonging to an anti-immigrant Swedish political party.
Such pressure violates constitutional guarantees of free speech. Freivalds originally said she did not know her ministry had contacted the company, but documents published this week in the Swedish media proved that she had been informed.
She became the fourth government minister around the world to lose a job over the blasphemous cartoons originating in Denmark. In Italy a minister resigned after sporting a T-shirt with the blasphemous cartoons, sparking riots in Libya which cost Libya's interior minister his job. Riots also cost Lebanon's interior minister his post.
Freivalds succeeded the popular Anna Lindh, who was knifed to death in 2003. It was Latvian-born Freivalds' second dramatic exit from Persson's cabinet. She had to quit as justice minister in 2000 over property dealings contrary to government policy.
Freivalds will be replaced temporarily by Deputy Prime Minister Bosse Ringholm, who has been ridiculed in the media after twice leaving his phone off the hook after interviews and being heard to make insulting comments about the reporters.
Professor Torbjorn Bergman at Umea University said Persson should choose a woman to replace Freivalds until the election. Foreign aid chief Carin Jamtin has been mooted.
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