Sweden’s Prime Minister-elect Magdalena Andersson has resigned hours after being appointed the country’s first female political leader. 

She quit the post when her coalition partner, the Greens, quit the government.

“I have told the speaker that I wish to resign as prime minister,” Ms Andersson told reporters at a news conference.

She said she was ready, however, to try again as leader of a single party government.

Hours before being dramatically forced to stand down, Ms Andersson had called it “a special day”, coming 100 years after Sweden allowed female suffrage.

Ms Andersson was elected by the slimmest possible margin after clinching a last-minute deal with the Left Party to raise pensions in exchange for its backing in Wednesday’s vote.

Ms Andersson, 54, who took over as leader of the Social Democrats earlier this month had earlier received the support of the Social Democrats’ coalition partner the Greens, as well as the Centre Party.

Despite being a nation that has long championed gender equality, Sweden has never had a woman as prime minister.

All other Nordic countries – Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland – have seen women lead their governments.