A Swedish Perspective on Foreign Election Interference
This chapter focuses on the Swedish approach for safeguarding electoral processes, using the experience from its 2018 elections as a case study. Sweden serves as a particularly interesting example due to the measures it took ahead of its 2018 election, especially its strategy of bottom-up initiatives that emphasize building societal resilience rather than a top-down government regulatory approach. By exploring the characteristics of Swedish society and the implications of Swedish efforts made prior to the 2018 general election, the chapter presents suggestions for how these insights might help other state and nonstate actors within the international community develop similar countering strategies for foreign election interference, while also addressing the dilemmas facing such an approach. The chapter concludes by discussing lessons learned and the challenges facing government authorities seeking to employ similar strategies in the future to counter foreign election interference in Sweden or abroad.