Mohamed Ali denies vote rigging: “I haven’t done it”

Mohamed Abdukardir Ali says he was “shocked” by allegations of vote rigging surrounding his election to Sweden’s parliament. The Left Party politician denies any involvement and has not been formally notified of criminal suspicion.

In a Facebook statement on 27 September, reported by SVT, Ali said people had drawn conclusions about him before investigators had completed their work. He said his request for two weeks’ leave was neither a resignation nor an admission of guilt.

Ali had already rejected involvement on 21 September, telling SVT: “I haven’t done it.” He won a seat with 648 preference votes after standing ninth on the Left Party’s list in Dalarna. Police are investigating suspected vote rigging linked to his campaign.

In Sunday’s statement, he also disputed suggestions that he had been inactive during the campaign, saying he had knocked on doors and met voters across Dalarna.

Ali criticised the attention paid to his background and previous financial circumstances. He said debate about his origins risked making other Swedes from minority backgrounds feel their democratic participation was judged by different standards.

He plans to return to parliamentary work after the leave he has requested. As Aftonbladet reported, he said those two weeks were not a deadline for the investigation.

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