Swedish observers barred from the US: Concerns raised

 

Niklas Svahn/TT

 

Published 14.36

         

         US President Donald Trump is not inviting observers to monitor the midterm elections. File photo.             Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP/TT

A Swedish delegation of eight people will not be permitted to monitor the US midterm elections. The country has barred international observers.

“This is a unique decision in many respects,” says Håkan Svenneling (Left Party), the new chair of the Swedish parliamentary delegation to the OSCE.

Svenneling notes that, by deciding not to invite the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the congressional elections, the US is aligning itself with countries such as Russia and Georgia.

“It stands out in an international context, and there is also concern within the OSCE that this could set a precedent, leading other, smaller nations to follow the US example,” he says.

As far as he is aware, the organization has received no explanation for the refusal.

Held in November

Sweden regularly sends both long-term and short-term observers to elections abroad. The Swedish delegation for the midterm elections on November 3 was set to consist of eight members of parliament, who would have spent a short period in the US leading up to and following the vote. They would then have contributed to a report detailing any issues identified, along with recommendations for improving the electoral system. “This is part of Trump’s more isolationist approach—reducing the U.S. presence in various international forums, attaching less importance to them, and withdrawing funding,” says Håkan Svenneling.

Pere Joan Pons, the international chair of the OSCE, emphasizes that the U.S. decision is inconsistent with the 1990 Copenhagen Document, which acknowledges that the presence of international observers can strengthen the electoral process.

“After more than two decades of the U.S. welcoming OSCE observers to its federal elections, this decision represents a significant departure from established democratic practice,” the OSCE states.

Budget surplus

Svenneling does not believe the decision will have an immediate impact, given the intense scrutiny the U.S. election is already receiving; however, he is concerned that it could set a precedent.

At the same time, the United States is a country where individual states may have vastly different voting procedures.

“If the election is called into question, there will be fewer international observers available to attest that everything was conducted properly and fairly.”

The Swedish branch of the organization now finds itself with a budget surplus, as significant anticipated costs have not materialized.

“The intention is to redirect those funds toward monitoring other elections instead. We’ll have to take a look at the election calendar,” says Svenneling.