(AGENPARL) - Roma, 14 Settembre 2026 - Image
 
PRESS RELEASE

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

First Sweden election observation mission by Congress welcomes well-run process and high participation

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is the political assembly representing local and regional governments across the 46 member States, responsible for promoting and monitoring local

"The seven Congress teams deployed across the country observed well-organised and transparent elections, with simple and uniform procedures managed by highly committed and well-trained polling station commissioners. In the more than 90 polling stations visited, from opening to counting, the atmosphere was positive with no major incidents or anomalies reported.

"As reflected in the high preliminary turnout of 80%, which is rarely reached in other member States, we welcomed the strong trust in the election administration and in the electoral system in Sweden. Our delegation was also unanimously impressed by the advanced voting procedure and the right to "regret" one's vote by replacing it on election day. These arrangements provided residents with many opportunities to vote on election day and in advance.

"Regarding election day procedures, despite our overall positive assessment, we noted a few areas for improvement, notably on the difficulty of concealing a voter's choice between the area where ballot papers were collected and the area where they were placed in envelopes, making their choice apparent as they moved around the premises. Additional safeguards to protect the integrity and the secrecy of the vote could be envisaged, particularly when ballot papers are placed outside or shared between several polling stations.