Sweden

parliamentary ratification: postponed

Having been defeated in the referendum on the Euro in 2003, the Swedish government wishes to avoid a discussion on the possibility of a referendum on the Constitution. Despite the government’s best efforts, the issue is high on the political agenda in Sweden, and over one hundred thousand signatures have been gathered to support a referendum already. Conservatives and Social Democrats have called instead for a “democracy convention”, a forum for MPs to discuss the issue as part of a campaign of information, but this has been quite reasonably criticised as an attempt to avoid genuine debate and a legitimate, democratic decision. Campaign activists have promised to use these ‘informative meetings’ to ask uncomfortable questions of pro-Constitution politicians.

If the government refuses to organise a referendum, campaigners will demand that the Constitutional treaty be scheduled for ratification by Parliament after the next general election in September 2006, rather than in December 2005, as the government have proposed. This will force the government and other parties to seriously address the issue of the Constitution in their election campaign. The campaign for a referendum recently challenged thirty MPs to defend their anti-referendum views, but only three appeared. The campaign is a coalition between centre-left and centre-right figures, who have founded a party called Junelist. They won three seats in the European parliamentary elections, and have announced that if no referendum is granted, they will run for seats in Sweden’s national parliament.


Links:
Swedish Referendum Campaign: Network 'Referendum Now' http://www.folkomrostning.nu