Swedish Prosecutors Probe Election Fraud Allegation Casting Shadow Over Vote

Swedish prosecutors are investigating possible election fraud ‌that could lead to a re-run of the vote in one county, potentially putting 11 parliamentary seats in play and raising uncertainty about the final result of the September 13 vote.

Sweden’s parliamentary election saw the opposition narrowly defeat the incumbent right-wing government in a vote ​widely seen as a referendum on whether the far-right Sweden Democrats should be part of the next administration.

However, ​the prosecution service has started a preliminary investigation into potential election fraud in Borlange, a ⁠town in the largely rural county of Dalarna, central Sweden, that might still affect the final result.

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The Anti-Corruption unit of the police National Operations Department is carrying out the investigation, a police spokeswoman said.

The investigation centres on the election of Mohamed Abdukardir Ali, a Left Party candidate for parliament, who unexpectedly overtook other representatives on the ballot for the party.

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Sweden’s ​Election Review Board could ⁠decide on a re-run or recount of the vote in Dalarna if it decides the result is suspect.

An election re-run would be “a blank slate,” said Niklas Bolin, professor of ​political science at Mid Sweden University.

Sweden has never before re-run a parliamentary vote, ​he said.

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