A lot of parties registered for Swedish elections

A record number of political parties, 237,have registered for Sweden's elections in September, officials said Thursday, but only a handful have any realistic chance of winning seats in Parliament.

Photo: A lot of parties registered for Swedish elections

New entries include a party run by file-sharers opposing Swedish copyright laws, a group representing senior citizens, and an EU-skeptic party. A feminist party formed last year is considered one of the strongest newcomers, but polls show it's still short of the 4 percent of votes needed to enter the legislature.

Many of the parties have only registered for local elections, which take place on the same day as the parliamentary vote on Sept. 17.

"The reason for the increase is the attention given to new parties in the press, opening the eyes of people to the possibility of registering," Swedish Election Authority spokesman Carl Otto Bjorkling said.

A party needs 1,500 signatures to register for the parliamentary election.

Recent polls show a center-right bloc of four parties could oust the leftist Social Democrats, who have governed since 1994 and held power for 65 of the past 73 years, reports the AP.

I.L.