Liberal Party re-elects Mohamsson as leader after technical chaos at digital meeting

Simona Mohamsson has been re-elected as leader of Sweden’s Liberal Party after a turbulent digital conference plagued by technical failures, SVT Nyheter reports. The vote, delayed by hours due to connectivity issues, saw 95 members support her candidacy while 80 abstained.

The emergency meeting, held Sunday evening, was called solely to confirm Mohamsson’s leadership after her controversial shift on cooperation with the Sweden Democrats (SD). With no opposing candidates, the process was expected to be swift—but repeated audio and video malfunctions, along with delegates being incorrectly removed from the voting system, forced multiple pauses.

“This is unacceptable,” said Jens Wennberg, a delegate from Västerbotten, during the meeting. Others criticized the disruptions as undermining democracy. “I must question this technology. It’s not democratic,” Wennberg added. The meeting, scheduled to begin at 17:00, did not conclude until after 21:00.

Mohamsson’s re-election follows her reversal of the party’s longstanding refusal to govern with SD, a move that has sparked internal divisions. “Ten years of struggle are over,” she said after the vote, referencing the new “Sweden Pledge” coalition framework that includes SD. In exchange, Liberals secured support for key policies like nationalizing schools and a euro referendum.

The decision has already prompted several senior party members to resign from the executive board.