First Sweden Democrat mayor resigns over old social media posts

Stefan Borg was set to become the Sweden Democrats' first mayor. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

The Sweden Democrat (SD) politician who was set to become the anti-immigration party's first mayor has resigned before officially stepping into the role, after Swedish media uncovered controversial social media posts.

"The media attention that has been directed at my person has made in impossible for the party in (Skåne town) Hörby to instead focus on what's important: Hörby's future and the policies we want to pursue for the municipality," Borg said in a statement on Monday.

Anti-racism magazine Expo investigated Borg's activity on social media, and found he had shared extremist far-right and anti-Semitic content, as well as making homophobic statements including comparing LGBT people to necrophiliacs and paedophiles.

Replacing Borg, the party's deputy group leader in Hörby, Cecilia Bladh in Zito, will be put forward for the role of mayor.

The move is a blow for the SD, which became the largest party in the town of Hörby after elections on September 9th, with a total of 35.4 percent of the vote.

Earlier in October, the Moderate Party and the local Swedish Senior Citizen Interest Party agreed to join an electoral alliance with the SD.

At the time, Borg told the TT newswire: "It feels fantastic, and also a big responsibility. If I fail in my role there will naturally be a big backlash."