Newly elected MP steps aside amid Swedish electoral fraud probe
Newly elected Left Party MP Mohamed Abdukardir Ali is taking a leave of absence, following allegations of election fraud.
"We have agreed that Mohamed Abdukardir Ali will take a timeout and will not serve as an MP from the start of the parliamentary term due to the ongoing investigation into voter fraud," wrote the Left Party's party secretary, Maria Forsberg, in a statement to news agency TT.
"These are exceptionally serious allegations against everyone involved. If we can assist the investigation in any way, we will do so. I cannot stress enough that we take this with the utmost seriousness, and we welcome the fact that this is now being investigated."
Abdukardir Ali denies any involvement and it has not been confirmed whether he actually appears in the investigation. No one has been formally notified of criminal suspicion.
According to reports in several media outlets, the investigation concerns pre-marked ballot papers in the general election. An anonymous police report claims that individuals drove voters to polling stations and supplied them with pre-marked ballots. A person was also allegedly seen handing out ballots and money to people.
Abdukardir Ali received 648 personal preference votes, securing Dalarna’s single parliamentary seat for the party. Speaking to public broadcaster SVT, he expressed shock over the allegations of electoral misconduct.
"It's completely, completely wrong. I haven't done this," he said. "I know the law. I received support across every district in Dalarna."
The Left Party’s press office declined to answer questions regarding Mohamed Abdukardir Ali’s timeout, referring instead to the party secretary’s official statement.
It remains unclear whether he intends to attend when the new parliament convenes for roll call on Monday. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Riksdag Administration had received no notification of absence, nor any application for leave or sick leave.
Another Left Party member who appears poised to take a seat on the municipal council in Borlänge via personal preference votes is also taking a pause from politics until everything is cleared up, local newspaper Borlänge Tidning reports. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: Left Party – Vänsterpartiet
Swedish economy set for strong growth, business lobby predicts
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise expects the economy to grow in the coming years, but key risks include proposals floated during the election campaign and potential interest rate hikes.
Ahead of the upcoming major round of collective bargaining negotiations, the employer organisation is optimistic about the country's economic prospects.
"Growth is expected to reach 2.9 percent this year and 2.7 percent in 2027. These are high growth rates from an international perspective," the confederation wrote in an economic outlook update.
Following a prolonged recession, the tide is now turning, it predicts. Its economic indicator registers a positive value for the first time in four years.
However, chief economist Sven-Olov Daunfeldt raised a few flags of caution, warning that several proposals raised during the election campaign could harm the economy, while further interest rate increases pose an additional threat.
"Swedish households are sensitive to interest rates, so this poses a risk factor for the broader economy," he said in a statement. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: to grow – att växa
Chief judge expects Swedish citizenship case to head to highest migration court
The chief judge at one of Sweden's migration courts has said he expects a landmark citizenship case to be taken up by the Migration Court of Appeal, saying this would provide a definitive answer on whether new rules should apply to existing applications.
In its first ruling concerning the new citizenship law that came into force on June 6th, the Migration Court in Malmö earlier this month rejected an appeal mounted with the help of the Fair Transition campaign group, arguing that – unlike in the cases cited as precedents in the appeal – the government and the parliament had clearly intended that the new requirements should apply to pending cases.
In an interview with The Local, Fredrik Löndahl, the court’s Chief Judge and one of the judges who ruled on the case, said he "definitely" expected the Migration Court of Appeal, Sweden’s highest migration court, to hear a further appeal.
The case, he said, raised a “very distinct issue” concerning whether the new citizenship law or the previous rules should apply to applications submitted before the law changed. "So there's a good chance, I think. But it's not for me to decide."
The man who appealed in the case has until October 1st to submit an appeal to the Migration Court of Appeal in Stockholm, which will then usually decide whether to take up the case within a month or two. After that judges will work on the case for as long as it takes before delivering their judgement, which will be the final word on the case.
"There is no time limit, but this is a clear, distinct legal question, so hopefully it will not take very long," Löndahl said. "It is something that we need to get a response to. It would be good for us and good for everybody to know what the law is." (The Local exclusive)
Swedish vocabulary: a judge – en domare (you also often see the titles rådman – the presiding judge in a trial at a district or administrative court – and lagman, the chief judge of a court)
Migration Agency rejects police request to deport EU researcher
The Migration Agency has rejected a police request to deport a researcher and climate activist over civil disobedience, reports Aftonbladet.
David Alcer, a German-Hungarian citizen who works at Lund University, has taken part in a series of climate protests in Sweden since moving here in 2019, including storming the Melodifestivalen stage with a poster reading "restore the wetlands", demonstrating at parliament, blocked an obstacle course race and tried to stop peat extraction.
Swedish border police have twice stopped him – once on his way to work and once on his way home after a visit to the doctor – and taken to a police station to discuss his right to be in Sweden, despite not being suspected of a crime. Last year the Police Authority wrote to the Migration Agency and argued that he constituted a threat to the democratic order in Sweden and requested that he be deported, despite being an EU citizen.
But in its decision the Migration Agency writes that there is nothing to suggest that Alcer has caused damage to people or property, or exposed the general public to serious danger, reports Aftonbladet.
"Against this background, the Migration Agency considers that it is not currently shown that your deportation is particularly warranted on grounds of public policy and public security," the decision states. (The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: order – ordning
Sweden's first lobster of the season fetches 53,000 kronor per kilo
Several fishers were forced to call the sea rescue services during rough weather on opening day of the lobster season.
But the season's first lobster has now been sold – fetching 53,000 kronor per kilo.
Lobster fishing kicked off at 7am on Monday, despite the adverse weather conditions.
A day later, a selection of lobsters was up for bidding when the first box of the season went under the hammer at the Gothenburg Fish Auction.
The opening price was higher than last year's 51,000 kronor per kilo.
A large portion of the proceeds will go to the Swedish Sea Rescue Society. (TT/The Local)
Swedish vocabulary: a lobster – en hummer