Criticism of the Left Party's handling of the election fraud investigation

Since the news that the police are investigating suspected election fraud in Borlänge, linked to several politicians from the Left Party, broke, the media have unsuccessfully searched for party leader Nooshi Dadgostar. After several days of silence, she commented on the information on Thursday, and said in an interview with Aftonbladet that these are "very serious allegations".

Hampus Knutsson is a crisis manager at Wings PR and worked as communications manager for the Moderates during the shift between Anna Kinberg Batra and Ulf Kristersson, a period he himself describes as "critical".

He compares crises to fires.

- The sooner you can put out the fire, the less the damage will be. It is easier to put out a spark than a full-blown fire.

Knutsson believes that Dadgostar breaks the silence in a good way and that it honors her that she appears in public. However, she could have reduced the damage to the party's trust capital by speaking out earlier, he says.

- At the same time, it is completely natural that the first communication takes place primarily via the party secretary. The party leader, the party leadership and the party secretary have all been very cautious and I think that is what has made this silence so total.

Hampus Knutsson also thinks that Dadgostar's answer to Aftonbladet's reporter is flawed.

- She doesn't really see the challenges and the problem that most others seem to see. They have ripped off the band-aid and that eases the pressure a bit, but she and the whole party still have to address the basic problem.

When DN spoke to Marie Grusell, docent in political communication at the University of Gothenburg, Nooshi Dadgostar had not yet spoken publicly about the accusations. Grusell then said that she was surprised by the party's handling of the crisis and believed that the party leader needed to speak out in order not to lose the voters' trust:

- She does not need to discuss the debt issue, but she needs to come forward and show that it is a serious problem that the Left Party takes very seriously.

Grusell also points out that the timing of the news is particularly sensitive, as the Left Party is simultaneously participating in government negotiations.

- To be accused of electoral fraud just weeks after the election is the absolute worst thing that can happen in Sweden today, given that there are many attacks on both the media and democracy.

- You can almost expect a party leader to go out and show leadership. After this, I think that the Left Party's chances of being part of a government have decreased.