Sweden: The dispute over EU constitution. People should be questioning the government will not take place
In less than half of all EU states is on the constitutional project of the European Union via referendums decided. The previously experienced in Sweden traditions of political culture, decisions on major questions for the future of the country with broad democratic involvement of citizens through referenda election (either a binding or advisory) bring, it also appealed for the EU constitution project near. But in this case, as well as in Germany, only a parliamentary ratification procedures (such as international and bilateral treaties usual). The already associated with the time by the government and the tips of the economy in Sweden planned introduction of the euro failed known in September 2003 to the negative vote of the majority in a referendum surveyed population. Such a debacle will now considers not only the Socialist government of Goran Persson, but also all civil opposition parties, are not repeated. Opinion polls confirm, however, that in view of the EU constitution project, a clear majority of the Swedish people will be questioned. The crux is, however, is precisely that there are no precise rules for the invitation of referenda. The previous decisions to carry out referendums were always the result of their previous political processes and the escalation of contentious issues. Crucial to the willingness of both governments to hold referendums, however, was always the confident expectation of a positive meaning in their majority voting. And it is precisely on such a source in the case of the EU constitution are both in the Socialist government and party leadership as well as the bourgeois parties massive doubt. And this, although they, as the euro referendum, a transitional power of financial and media resources bids. The parties range for Sweden was the call for a constitutional referendum so far only by the Socialist Left Party and Green Party Environment charged. However, the Left Party since last Autumn of a violent, in the times of Cold War-like media campaign because of a Stalinist communism no commitment by its chairman Lars Ohly to help. Not enough, the former chairman of the Left Party, Gudrun Schyman, the Left Party with the media vortex. All this is likely the current effectiveness of the Left Party in the constitutional issue significantly reduced. The Greens are again on a Kuschelkurs with people’s Social Democrats after this in public looking into the 2006 elections after Green of the government to participate. Evidence is their support for the new, the current doctrine of neutrality aushohlende military policy of the Socialist government. Now, however, enters a new actor in the arena of traditional parliamentary parties in Sweden: The “June-list”, which as an alliance of more or less pronounced EU-critical individual personalities of the civil camp in connection with the elections to the EU Parliament last summer was . They immediately won about 15 percent of the votes and thus presented itself as a third force in the political spectrum in Sweden. This, however, without ambitions to own party establishment. Given the common rejection of a constitutional referendum established by the government and civil opposition parties announced the chairman of the June list, the economist Nils Lundgren, for this year, the decisive step towards the transformation of the former Alliance people in a party.
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