Sweden aims to create a new public body to protect its upcoming election from Russian and other propaganda. “It is now less than eight months left to the finest day in Sweden’s democratic life, our election day … [and] only Swedish voters will determine the outcome,” Swedish prime minister Stefan Loefven said at a security conference in Stockholm on Sunday (14 January). “To the one or those who are considering trying to influence … our country: stay away!”, he said. Loefven said the main threat came from Russia, but he added that “we can not rule out that there may be others” who would try to influence the Swedish vote on 9 September.
He also indicated that he had specific information on efforts being made to meddle in the electoral process. “We will not hesitate to expose those who try to do something, because we know that operations are underway at the moment”, Loefven said.
He said the new public authority would be created “immediately” and would be responsible for bolstering the “psychological defence” of the Swedish public by “identifying, analysing, and responding” to “external influence” campaigns.
He said the counter-propaganda body was just part of a packet of measures to safeguard the election on 9 September.
Full Article: Sweden raises alarm on election meddling.