On Saturday, the Social Democrats hold their annual meeting in Botkyrka and elect a new political leader. The election comes after former chairman Ebba Östlin was ousted in a controversial vote, which was marred by allegations of gang connections and vote rigging.
At the annual meeting, Ebba Östlin is expected to compete against one of her biggest critics, Emanuel Ksiazkiewicz, for the post of chairman of the municipal board. Ksiazkiewicz is one of those who believe that the sting of Östlin was motivated by a lack of leadership, rather than gang criminal interests.
New members stopped
98 people have been stopped from joining the party, following allegations that people with links to gang crime became members to vote out Ebba Östlin in January. The people who joined before the vote that ousted Östlin, about twenty of whom were found to be connected to the closed recreation centers that are the basis of the gang accusations, may vote in Saturday’s election.
The battle for power in the penitential church is important for the Social Democrats also at the national level and may continue long after Saturday’s vote, according to SVT’s domestic political commentator Mats Knutson.
– Regardless of who wins, it will be a costly victory, he says.