Allard breaks the silence – comments on election results: "We made mistakes"

Before the election, Markus Allard and the Örebro Party had high hopes of entering the parliament through the so-called twelve percent rule. However, this did not happen and afterwards, the small parties have been accused of taking votes from the Tidö parties and giving victory to the red-green side. Now Markus Allard comments on the election.

The twelve percent rule means that a party receiving at least twelve percent of the votes in an electoral district can obtain a mandate in parliament, even if the party does not reach the national four percent threshold. The rule is meant to provide the opportunity for a party with strong regional support to enter parliament without having equally broad support nationwide.

However, the rule applies only to fixed constituency mandates. A party below four percent nationally but above twelve percent in a single constituency can obtain a mandate there, but does not get any of the adjustment mandates used to make the parliament’s composition more proportional. Historically, the rule has thus been a possible way in for smaller parties with geographically concentrated voter bases.

At the national level, the Örebro Party received almost 40,000 votes, corresponding to 0.59 percent, and 4.44 percent in the parliamentary election in Örebro. The party performed significantly better in the municipal election in Örebro with 17.3 percent and 15.5 percent in the regional election.

In the days after the election, Örebro Party leader Markus Allard remained silent, but on Saturday, he posted a longer statement on social media. In it, Allard writes that he still believes the party has a chance to get into parliament, but that they made mistakes this time. He also criticizes many of the analyses done after the election.

“You fail because you are not good enough at what you DO. You SHOULD be able to win in any political terrain. It’s about how skillful you are as a party builder and politician,” Allard writes.

“If only you knew how things have looked. Of course, I can’t go out with everything, but one day I’ll tell you about all the miraculous fuckups that our people – including myself – manage to pull off,” he promises.

To reach their goals, Allard believes they now have to “work differently,” focusing on “purely organizational matters.”

Another chance in 2030

Regarding the small parties taking votes from the Tidö government and giving the red-green side power, Allard comments as follows:

“If the Tidö government’s power stands or falls on whether a local party in Örebro throws the match or not, then the question is how suitable that government actually is?”

In four years, there is another chance to aim for parliament, Allard concludes, while also thanking everyone who cheered, liked, commented, and shared.

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