Örebropartiet surges locally but fails to secure a seat in parliament

Örebropartiet recorded its strongest performance to date, propelled by leader Markus Allard’s outspoken, populist rhetoric and his goal of entering the Riksdag through a “back-door” strategy. Despite gaining substantial votes in the Örebro municipal and regional elections—enough to rank second behind the Social Democrats—the party’s share of the parliamentary vote was insufficient to win a seat. No Swedish party has previously entered the Riksdag by this method. After the results, the party posted a lengthy Facebook message alleging sabotage at multiple polling locations, accusing officials of withholding or removing its ballot papers. Åsa Enkvist Lenander, chair of one implicated polling place, denied the allegations as unfounded.