Several parties open to excluding Sweden Democrats from parliamentary pairing system

Several of Sweden’s political parties are now considering excluding the Sweden Democrats (SD) from the Riksdag’s long-standing pairing system after the party broke established rules, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports.

The Green Party, Left Party, and Social Democrats have all signalled openness to reforming the system to exclude SD, which refused to honour the democratic agreement during a recent vote. Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar told SVT, “We can look at a new pairing system, but it cannot include SD, who refuse to respect the democratic rules of the game.”

Green Party spokesperson Daniel Helldén was blunt: “The only solution I see right now is excluding the Sweden Democrats.” Social Democratic group leader Lena Hallengren also confirmed her party could support a system without SD, calling it “a viable path.”

The controversy stems from SD’s decision to participate in a vote despite an agreement to abstain under the pairing system—a practice used since the early 1900s to balance absences. Their move allowed the governing coalition to win the vote, prompting Speaker Andreas Norlén to summon party leaders for crisis talks on Wednesday. No resolution was reached.

SD leader Jimmie Åkesson defended the party’s actions, stating they had “honoured the election result” by blocking a citizenship proposal for 80,000–100,000 applicants. “We don’t regret anything,” he told SVT, while questioning how a system excluding SD would function. The fallout has forced all MPs to attend votes in person, disrupting normal procedures.

The pairing system traditionally allows absent lawmakers to be “paired” with opponents who also abstain, ensuring votes reflect the chamber’s actual balance. SD’s breach has now thrown its future into doubt.