In Falu municipality, votes cast by 145 people were not included in the count after the bag containing them was delivered late, as The Local reported at the time.

The votes in question were placed before the official polling day of September 9th: in Sweden, some polling stations open in the weeks leading up to election day, allowing voters to cast their ballots in advance.

But these papers arrived at the electoral office a day late and several hours after counting had begun, meaning that they could not be counted.

The result of the municipal election was appealed to the Swedish Election Review Board, which has now decided to call a re-election in Falu.

“I think it's frustrating because obviously it will have a much greater effect on the outcome than if it had just been decided to recount these votes,” Falun municipal councillor Joakim Storck of the Centre Party told SVT Dalarna. He said there would be more information about the board's decision on Thursday.

The new election must be held no more than three months from the decision, meaning it will be held in May at the latest.

Elections were held at the municipal, regional, and national level in September last year, with the general election producing a very close result that led to political deadlock for several months. In January, the centre-left Social Democrats struck a deal with two former opposition rivals that allowed them to continue in government with the Green Party.

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