Sweden's prime minister calls March 22 snap election

Sweden's Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Loefven called snap elections Wednesday after a far-right party defeated his budget, plunging the two-month old government into crisis. The announcement of March 22 polls followed failure by the ruling minority coalition to push its budget past the populist Sweden Democrats, who refused their support in response to the government's pro-immigration policies. The election "is meant to let voters take a stand in this new political landscape," Loefven said at a briefing. "The new election will be on March 22."