Sweden has registered a record number of challenges to the results of the parliamentary elections held on 13 September 2026.
More than 800 appeals have already been registered with the parliamentary Election Review Board (Valprövningsnämnden). About 9,000 more submissions are still being processed. The previous record was set after the 2018 election, when 767 appeals were registered.
The 13 September vote gave the centre-left opposition, led by Magdalena Andersson’s Social Democrats, a three-seat majority (176 to 173) over Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s centre-right alliance, which includes the far-right Sweden Democrats.
Police and prosecutors are also examining reports of possible vote manipulation. In particular, an investigation is under way into “improper influence on voting” in the town of Borlänge (Dalarna County) linked to the Left Party. Swedish police said they had received 58 reports of possible irregularities. No arrests have been made, and no one has been formally named as a suspect at this stage.
The deadline for filing appeals is 29 September. The Election Review Board examines whether irregularities occurred and whether they could have affected the allocation of seats. In exceptional cases it can order a recount or a re-run in a single constituency. No such re-run has ever been held for a Swedish parliamentary election.
The Board’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed. Handling this volume of cases is expected to take several months.
