This spring the Communist Party of Sweden was informed by the Election Authority that the party would not be allowed to use its own name on the ballots in the upcoming Swedish elections. This despite having participated in several previous parliamentary and local elections under that same name. In justifying its decision the Election Authority claims the name of the Communist Party of Sweden is too similar to the name of another party, one which does not even run candidates in the parliamentary elections, and which has actively participated in previous local elections at the same time as the Communist Party of Sweden has. 

With deadlines for ordering ballots approaching, the Communist Party of Sweden has had to go through appeals processes and come up with and apply for alternative names to use on the ballots. This process has delayed preparatory work for the elections, as finalizing election material is impossible without knowing how the party will be represented on the ballots. 

There is no mistaking that what the Swedish Election Authority is doing here is anti-communist repression. Through denying the Communist Party of Sweden the use of its own name, the authorities attempt to bar the communists from using bourgeois elections for raising their profile and inform the people that there is an alternative besides the bourgeois parties. An alternative which has no interests besides the interests of the working peoples and the other exploited social strata. An alternative to the barbarism of capitalism. 

The Communist Party of Sweden condemns the decision of the bourgeois election authorities and with the application and appeals processes behind us turn our focus to contending the coming election, and through it raising awareness of the communist alternative amongst the working people. 

This year the communist ballots will bear the acronym of our party name, SKP - short for Sveriges Kommunistiska Parti, and as we are barred from having our full party name on the ballot, the hammer and sickle will also mark our ballots to clarify that SKP is the communist alternative.

International Section

Communist Party of Sweden