Swedish opposition welcomes Sweden Democrat MP's apology over citizenship vote

An Sweden Democrat MP apologized for his party’s decision to send two additional MPs to vote and block a motion on transitional citizenship rules. The apology was published in an opinion piece after the pairing system broke down on April 29 when two Sweden Democrat members who had been paired off participated in the vote. The MP said the action may have been formally permitted but was still not right, and he apologized to the Speaker, the opposition, partner parties, and the Swedish people. Social Democrats welcomed the apology but said it would not change the pairing system unless the rest of the party adopted it as an official stance. Social Democrats said a new pairing agreement could be created without Sweden Democrats, while Moderates were not immediately available for comment.

"On April 29th, the pairing system broke down when two Sweden Democrat members who had been paired off [out of the vote] participated in the vote. It may have been formally permitted. It was still not right. I can only speak for myself: But as an MP for the Sweden Democrats, I want to say sorry to the Speaker, to the opposition, to our partner parties and to the Swedish people."

"But it means nothing for our pairing system unless this individual gets the rest of his party to understand it and they make it an official party stance. That is what is needed. The Social Democrats are not closing any doors to forming a new pairing agreement without the Sweden Democrats. My assessment is that the other seven of us could probably sit down right here and now and create a pairing system."

"In his opinion piece, Farivar wrote that although he himself had voted against transitional rules, and still believed that exempting the 100,000 affected would have been a mistake, he conceded that if all 349 members of parliament had been present for the vote, the opposition's amendment for transitional rules would have passed. He wrote that it would be possible for the Sweden Democrats and the other parties supporting the government to make amends b"

Read at www.thelocal.se