Posted on 09/15/2002 2:19:56 PM PDT by knighthawk
Elections in Sweden appear to have been won by the centre-left alliance. Swedish television reports that the progressive left-wing alliance has an absolute majority of almost 52 per cent. Göran Persson's Social Democratic party, which has been in power for almost sixty years without interruption, remains the largest party by far.
The question is whether Mr Persson himself will remain leader of the government. His minority government was only able to stay in power thanks to the support of the former communist Left Party and the environmentalist Green Party. These parties want to be rewarded for their loyalty with ministerial posts in the next Swedish government, but Mr Persson has rejected the idea up to now.
http://www.sr.se/rs/red/ind_eng.html
The ruling Social Democrats and their parlimentary allies have stayed in power here in Sweden. Here is the result of the parliamentary elections, with 5779 out of 5976 districts reporting.
Social Democrats 40.1 percent Left Party 8.3 percent Greens 4.5 percent
The opposition: Conservative Moderates 14.9 percent Christian Democrats 9.1 percent Liberals 13.2 percent Center Party 6.3 percent
The Greens have stayed above the 4 percent threshold for parliamentary representation, and the government block has the support of 52.9 percent of voters.
The four center-right opposition parties have together 43.5 percent. The biggest changes are the increase by the Liberals to 13.2 percent, up from 4.7 percent in the 1998 election, and the drop by the Conservatives to 14.9 percent, from 22.9 percent in 1998.
Turn-out was somewhat less that in the 1998 elections at just over 78 percent, about one and a half points down from 4 years ago.
By Jonathan Lynn
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Goran Persson won a third straight term for his Social Democrats in Sweden's election on Sunday as voters backed his steady economic management and defense of Sweden's generous welfare state.
Election returns showed Swedes had voted to keep the industrialized world's highest taxes to pay for a big public sector, rather than opting for the tax cuts and privatization offered by the center-right opposition.
Persson's victory means the Swedish politician most respected by financial markets will now shepherd Sweden through a referendum on whether to join Europe's euro single currency.
And it showed the conservative tide that has toppled many a left-wing government in Europe in recent years could not overcome Swedes' affection for a high-tax, high-welfare society.
The result could encourage German Social Democrat Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose red-green coalition has taken a narrow lead in the polls ahead of next week's German election. A surge in support for one Swedish center-right party, who brought immigration issues firmly into the campaign, seemed to have been mainly at the expense of other center-right groups.
MORE EQUALITY
As vote-counting pointed to a clear victory for the Social Democrats and their ex-communist Left Party and environmentalist Green allies, Persson promised to govern with the powerful trade unions in pursuit of greater equality in Swedish society.
"We will work for four more years to make Sweden more just and more equal, and we will make sure that we also have a voice internationally and for international solidarity," he said.
One of his first jobs will be to ensure that the Social Democrats -- by far Sweden's biggest party with 40 percent of the vote -- have enough support in parliament to govern.
Persson said he hoped to work again with the Left Party and Greens, as he has for the previous four years, but also offered an invitation to members of the battered opposition to join him.
"There could be other parties that want to be with us and take responsibility for Sweden, but of course I want to cooperate with the Green Party and the Left Party -- maybe also with others," he said.
With almost all votes counted, the Social Democrats and Left Party had 48.4 percent of the vote or 174 seats in the 349-seat single-chamber parliament, the Greens 4.6 percent or 17 seats, and the four center-right parties 43.8 percent or 158 seats.
Overall the blocs showed little change from the last election in 1998, with the Social Democrats taking votes from the Left Party and the Liberals taking votes from the Moderates.
Persson has ruled out a formal coalition with the Left and Greens, because they both oppose Sweden's membership of the European Union ( news - web sites). The Greens say they want a seat in government, but also say they would not vote for a center-right government.
For one pressing policy decision, the timing of a referendum on joining the euro, Persson can count on support from most of the center-right even if the Greens and Left oppose it.
Persson, a strong supporter of the euro, has said he will invite the other party leaders to agree a referendum date, probably spring or autumn next year, after the election. Polls show a narrow majority of Swedes in favor of joining the euro.
The main surprise of the election was the strong showing of the Liberals, whose leader Lars Leijonborg said any foreigner who could find a job in Sweden should be welcomed, but should have to leave after three months if they became unemployed.
And Leijonborg said immigrants who wanted Swedish citizenship should have to learn Swedish. His party nearly trebled its support in the election.
Parties on the left argued against immigration for jobs, saying it could undermine collective wage agreements and work should be found first for those currently unemployed in Sweden.
Nearly one in nine people of Sweden's 8.9 million population has an immigrant background, but unlike other European countries Sweden has no populist far-right parties with strong support.
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