Swedish deputy PM steps down amid party turmoil

Swedish deputy prime minister Asa Romson has stepped down as co-leader of the Green Party following a series of scandals within the party, including a minister ousted for comparing Israel to Nazi Germany.

Romson, who served as environment minister, had last month come under fire herself for calling the September 11, 2001, terror attacks accidents.

According to Swedish news site TheLocal, Romson and party co-head Gustav Fridolin have been under increasing pressure to bring new blood to the top of the party given the series of scandals and plummeting popularity.

Fridolin is expected to stay on as party co-chair.

Romson made the comments about 9/11 while talking about party colleague Mehmet Kaplan, who days earlier had stepped down after it emerged he compared Israel to the Nazis in 2009.

“He has been chairman of Young Muslims in tough situations like the September 11 accidents and similar,” Romson told public broadcaster SVT in praise of Kaplan, according to TheLocal.

She later clarified that despite her reference to the “accidents,” she was aware that the September 11, 2001, attacks were acts of terror.

In 2015, Romson was earlier criticized for calling the migrant crisis “the new Auschwitz.”

Critics, including Jewish leaders, called the comparison to the Nazi death camp misguided and offensive. About 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed in Auschwitz during World War II.

Romson apologized in a tweet, saying,“It was wrong to make the comparison with Auschwitz.”