The Swedish government does not plan to hold a referendum if parliament decides to proceed with a request for Sweden to join NATO, Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson announced.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced both Sweden as well as Finlandto reconsider their historically neutral stance and the two countries are expected to make a decision on joining NATO in the coming weeks.
Anderson said the referendum was a “bad idea”.
“I do not think the issue is suitable for a referendum,” he told reporters. “There is a lot of information about our national security that is confidential, so many issues can not be discussed and important parameters can not be put on the table.”explained.
The leader of the Moderates, the main opposition party, has also rejected the idea of ​​holding a referendum. “The voters…. “They are not naive as far as Russia is concerned.” Ulf Christerson in an interview with Aftonbladet earlier this week. “It is clear that the Swedish voters understood what happened on February 24 and have drawn their own conclusions,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Nusi Dangostar, the leader of the Left Party, said a decision as crucial as joining NATO required broad support, which could only be reached if citizens were asked to vote in a referendum.
The Parliamentary Elections in Sweden are scheduled for September.
A poll published on April 20 on Aftonbladet shows that 57% of Swedes are in favor of joining NATO. In March this percentage was 51%.
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