Russia has entered Sweden’s election campaign, center-left front-runner warns

Swedish center-left candidate Magdalena Andersson warned Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson that Russia may have infiltrated his far-right Sweden Democrats party ahead of the upcoming general election. Andersson, who polls show is likely to win the Sept. 13 election, called on Kristersson to address the "security crisis" surrounding the party's alleged ties to Russia.

If elected, she would join Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as a center-left leader on Europe's political stage. The allegations, detailed by NGO Expo on September 3, claim a Sweden Democrats official, Polina Malaberg, promoted pro-Kremlin narratives for a decade and brought Russian family members onto the Swedish parliament grounds.

Malaberg's partner, Gustav Gellerbrant, who heads the party's Coordination Office, is also under scrutiny for his relationship with Malaberg. Kristersson has vowed to fire Malaberg if the allegations prove true and has called the situation a "European war." Andersson emphasized the risks beyond security, noting that journalists and NGOs have been threatened since Kristersson's coalition with the Sweden Democrats began.

She argued Sweden must adopt a more stringent migration policy, as the country's current open-border approach is unsustainable.