Sweden Democrats Politician Excluded from Lay Judge Role for Lacking Citizenship

December 26, 2025 5:49pm 17:49

A Sweden Democrats politician was removed from a judicial lay judge position due to not being a Swedish citizen, prompting SD to improve nomination vetting.

Key details

• SD politician nominated as lay judge in Gothenburg’s Administrative Court lacked Swedish citizenship.
• He was excluded from the role due to this legal requirement.
• SD group leader Håkan Lösnitz stated the party was unaware of the citizenship issue.
• The party plans to strengthen vetting processes to avoid future nomination errors.

A Sweden Democrats (SD) politician from Munkedal was appointed as a lay judge (nämndeman) in the Administrative Court in Gothenburg but was excluded after it was discovered he lacked Swedish citizenship, which is a legal requirement for the position.

The nomination by SD in Västra Götaland overlooked the citizenship criterion, resulting in the politician being relieved of his duties upon the error’s revelation. Håkan Lösnitz, SD's group leader in Västra Götaland, expressed surprise, stating, "We have never received that information," indicating the party was not aware of the citizenship issue at the time of nomination.

Following this incident, SD has announced plans to tighten their vetting processes to prevent similar oversights in the future, ensuring all nominees meet legal requirements. This event highlights the strict citizenship condition connected to the judicial lay judge role in Sweden and underscores the party's responsibility in adhering to these legal standards during nominations.

This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.