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POLITICS

Swedish town to hold re-election after postal mix-up

A municipality in central Sweden must hold a second election due to ballots being delivered late in the election of September last year.

Published: 7 February 2019 08:51 CET
Swedish town to hold re-election after postal mix-up
Ballot papers are sorted in a polling station. Photo: Johan Nilsson / TT

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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POLITICS

Over a thousand people join protest against Stockholm attack

Over a thousand people joined a demonstration in Gubbängen, southern Stockholm, on Saturday, protesting Wednesday's attack by far-right extremists on a lecture organised by the Left and Green parties.

Published: 27 April 2024 15:36 CEST
Over a thousand people join protest against Stockholm attack

The demonstration, which was organised by the Left Party and the Green Party together with Expo, an anti-extremist magazine, was held outside the Moment theatre, where masked assailants attacked a lecture organised by the two parties on Wednesday. 

In the attack, the assailants – described as Nazis by Expo – let off smoke grenades and assaulted several people, three of whom were hospitalised. 

“Let’s say it how it is: this was a terror attack and that is something we can never accept,” said Amanda Lind, who is expected to be voted in as the joint leader of the Green Party on Sunday. 

She said that those who had attended the lecture had hoped to swap ideas about how to combat racism. 

“Instead they had to experience smoke bombs, assault and were forced to think ‘have they got weapons’?. The goal of this attack was to use violence to generate fear and silence people,” she said.  

EXPLAINED: What we know about the attack on a Swedish anti-fascist meeting

More than a thousand people gathered to protest the attack on a theatre in Gubbängen, Stockholm. Photo: Oscar Olsson/TT

Nooshi Dadgostar, leader of the Left Party, said that that society needed to stand up against this type of extreme-right violence. 

“We’re here today to show that which should be obvious: we will not give up, we will stand up for ourselves, and we shall never be silenced by racist violence,” said said.

Sofia Zwahlen, one of the protesters at the demonstration, told the DN newspaper that it felt positive that so many had turned up to show their opposition to the attacks. 

“It feels extremely good that there’s been this reaction, that we are coming together. I’m always a little worried about going to this sort of demonstration. But this feels safe.”

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