Stockholm politician accused of election fraud

Mats Rudin, a local councillor in Stockholm, was at eighth place on the party’s list, which would have virtually guaranteed him a seat in the Riksdag, if the list has been confirmed at a meeting today.

Yet the party’s ombudsman, Sverker Eriksson, told Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, that Rudin was standing down after admitting to paying membership fees for new members to the party, thereby boosting his chances of getting the nomination.

“He did not understand the regulations,” said Eriksson, adding that paying fees for members was “like buying votes” and against party policy.

“Sure, it’s happened that I’ve enrolled some new members – friends and others to Moderaterna, pretty often even – and I didn’t take 100 kronor ($14) from them. It seemed petty,” said Rudin.