Three months before the election, the municipal council in Jokkmokk decided not to pay out the Sweden Democrats’ party support for 2026. As a result, SD was forced to carry out the local election campaign without funds it had budgeted for. Now the Administrative Court in Luleå has overturned the decision — at the same time, the municipal executive board chairman Roland Boman says that “no one really reflected” on the issue when the decision was made.
The background is a conflict that arose after a politician elected for the Sweden Democrats in 2022 left the party but kept his seat in the municipal council.
According to SD politician Dexter Krokstedt, it was the former party colleague who motioned that SD should not be granted party funding for 2026. The justification was alleged shortcomings in the party’s financial reporting.
Dexter Krokstedt is the leader of the Sweden Democrats in Luleå and vice chairman for SD Norrbotten. In this case, he acted as the representative for party colleague Jonas Hagen Hansson when Jokkmokk’s decision on party funding was appealed to the Administrative Court in Luleå.
What’s remarkable, according to Krokstedt, is that the council had already approved SD’s financial reporting.
– You can note that our financial reporting was approved. But still, the assembly chose not to grant us party funding, he told Samnytt.
I think this is banana republic behavior. Denying a particular political party party funding, especially when it’s just three months before an election. In my view, it’s more about trying to sabotage and undermine an opposition party.
Dexter Kronstedt (SD), Luleå
No councillor, according to Krokstedt, filed a reservation against the decision.
“Banana Republic Behaviour”
Krokstedt and party colleague Jonas Hagen Hansson did not accept the decision. Hansson appealed with Krokstedt as his representative and requested judicial review in the Administrative Court in Luleå.
The verdict came on September 25. The Administrative Court overturned the municipal council’s decision of June 15 in the part that meant the party funding would not be paid to the Sweden Democrats.
For Krokstedt, the issue is about more than money — it’s about the conditions for political opposition.
– I think this is banana republic behavior. Denying a particular political party party funding, especially when it’s just three months before an election. In my world, it’s more about trying to sabotage and destroy an opposition party. He continues:
– I think it’s remarkable that a majority government acts like this towards an opposition party. It’s not worthy of a democracy that it happens this way.
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The Mayor: “No one reflected”
When Samnytt contacts municipal executive board chairman Roland Boman, he gives a description that partly confirms Krokstedt’s account of how the decision was made.
Roland Boman represents the local party Framtid i Jokkmokk (FJK), is head of the municipal executive board, and mayor. For the 2022–2026 term, FJK has governed Jokkmokk together with the Green Party, Samernas Väl, and the Left Party. The four parties formed a slim post-election majority, with 12 out of 23 council seats.
I’d have to check the minutes. Honestly, I haven’t thought about it. It wasn’t a big issue — the former SD member who had run SD all term pointed out certain things he felt showed they weren’t entitled to the compensation. There was no reflection on it. The idea was, if it’s wrong, it will be corrected anyway.
Roland Boman (FJK), municipal executive board chairman, Jokkmokk
Boman says the proposal came from former SD politician Tor Erling Andreassen, who explained to the council why he thought the party shouldn’t receive the funding.
– Since he reported all these matters, no one really reflected — everyone thought maybe he was right.
But SD’s financial reporting had already been approved. How could the council still decide not to pay out the party funding?
– He got up and spoke about it, and the gist was if it’s wrong, it’ll be corrected anyway, says Boman.
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Asked whether the decision could be described as unanimous since no one reserved themselves, he doesn’t want to give a definite answer.
– I’d have to check the minutes. Honestly, I haven’t thought about it. It wasn’t a big issue — the former SD member who had run SD all term pointed out certain things he thought showed they weren’t entitled to the compensation.
Boman repeats that the council did not place much importance on the issue.
– There was no reflection. The idea was, if it’s wrong, it will be corrected anyway.
Expected an Appeal
The municipality’s handling did not end with the council’s decision. When the matter was appealed to the administrative court, Jokkmokk municipality, according to Krokstedt, chose not to give a statement to the court. He reacts strongly to this.
– I also think that is remarkable. To be perfectly honest, it makes me rather concerned. He goes on:
– If that’s the level of competence in the municipality, then we have a big problem. That they don’t even bother to comment in a legal process.
In this case, I’m almost convinced it’s about the left-wing parties actually wanting to deny us the right to party support, not wanting us to have campaign funds to conduct opposition work. They must be afraid to lose their own majority in the assembly and choose to punish an opposition party three months before an election. I think that’s absolutely unacceptable.
Dexter Kronstedt (SD), Luleå
Boman meanwhile says there was a thought behind not fighting harder in court. His description is that the municipality wanted the court to decide whether the council had done the right thing.
– That was actually the gist already when the decision was made. The idea was it would be appealed, and then we would see if we handled it correctly.
He also says that the process could lead to a review of how the municipality should handle similar situations in the future.
“Couldn’t Fund Our Campaign”
The decision was made on June 15. When the court’s ruling came September 25, the election was already over. According to Krokstedt, this meant the Sweden Democrats in Jokkmokk had to conduct their election campaign without the party support they had counted on.
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What were the concrete consequences?
– Of course there are consequences. The consequence is that we couldn’t fund our election campaign as we had hoped or budgeted for locally in Jokkmokk. Krokstedt continues:
– It’s really remarkable to act in this way.
He goes further and suspects that the timing was not a coincidence.
– In this case, I’m almost convinced it’s about the left-wing parties actually wanting to deny us the right to party support so we couldn’t have campaign funds to conduct opposition work. The SD politician continues:
– They must be afraid of losing their own majority in the assembly, and choose to punish an opposition party three months before an election. I think that’s absolutely unacceptable.
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Boman: The Money Will Be Paid
The verdict does not mean that the administrative court itself decides to pay out the party funding. The decision has been annulled and needs to be handled anew by the municipality.
– Now the decision will be taken again. A judicial review means annulling the decision itself. But an administrative court cannot change a decision, says Krokstedt.
When Samnytt asks Boman if SD will now get the 33,000 kronor paid retroactively, the answer is clear.
Will the 33,000 kronor be paid retroactively?
– Yes, it’s nothing more than that.
The money will therefore, according to Boman, be paid out – but only after the election campaign where SD says they needed it.
“I Don’t Really Care That Much”
Krokstedt believes the politicians involved in the decision should apologize to residents.
– I think they should be ashamed of taking a decision that means an opposition party doesn’t get the financing we have the right to by law. He continues:
– I think they should be ashamed and apologize to voters, or to the residents, for this decision.
I am completely convinced that the Sweden Democrats as a political party will sooner or later become the largest party in Sweden. A milestone towards that is winning Norrland, or northern Sweden.
Dexter Kronstedt (SD), Luleå
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Boman is not particularly impressed by the criticism.
Krokstedt thinks you should be ashamed. What do you say about that?
– First, I don’t know who he is that you refer to. I don’t really care that much about people with opinions. That’s his own business to say.
When Boman tries to place who Krokstedt is during the conversation, he notes that the SD politician does not live in Jokkmokk.
– Why should we care about someone who doesn’t even, how should I put this… He doesn’t live in Jokkmokk municipality. I think the name seems familiar. Might it be that he lives in Luleå and is in the Sweden Democrats there?
Krokstedt is the SD group leader in Luleå and vice chairman for the Sweden Democrats in Norrbotten. For him, the issue is a matter of principle.
– Our democratic society only works if everyone has equal conditions and is treated equally, he says.
Have you ever heard of any left-wing party enduring similar treatment?
– Never heard of it, no.
Despite the election result, Krokstedt remains optimistic about the Sweden Democrats’ progress in northern Sweden. He notes that the party lost ground nationally, but points out that the decline was less in the northern parts of the country.
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He also points to the Social Democrats’ decline in northern Sweden and believes there are voters there whose political views are closer to SD than their current party choices suggest. And in the longer term, the goals are much bigger.
– I am absolutely convinced that the Sweden Democrats as a political party will sooner or later become the largest party in Sweden. A milestone towards that is winning Norrland, or northern Sweden, he says, adding that he believes the party’s political direction can take them there.