Swedish snap election would cost state over SEK 630 million

A Swedish snap election would cost the state more than SEK 630 million, according to a rough Election Authority estimate, as the country remains without a new government a month after voting.

The largest expense would be state grants to municipalities for advance voting, the authority told SVT on Friday. Distributing votes, printing election material and buying paper would also account for substantial costs.

Some envelopes may remain from September’s election, but most material would have to be printed again. The estimate describes preparations for a possible election; no snap election has been called.

Parliament rejected Magdalena Andersson as prime minister on Thursday. Under the formation rules, four rejected prime-ministerial proposals trigger an extra election, which must be held within three months.

The Election Authority’s head, Anna Nyqvist, told Ekot that organising one involves much the same work as an ordinary election, with substantially less preparation time. The authority must maintain readiness to deliver it within that three-month window.

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