Elite Collusion and Public Defiance: Sweden's Euro Referendum in 2003

Abstract

In a referendum held on Sunday, 14 September 2003, the Swedish electorate rejected membership of the third stage of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). After a campaign characterised as heated by Swedish standards, and the murder of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, the referendum delivered a clear ‘No’ majority. In this article, it is argued that while the 2003 EMU referendum may not have compromised the use of referendums as an occasional complement to representative democracy, it did indicate a substantial gap between citizens and the political elite.

Notes

The United Kingdom subjected its EC membership to a referendum in June 1975, 2.5 years after entering.

The only other post-war example of a West European national referendum with more than two alternatives was a Danish referendum on the voting age in 1953. The three-way choices in 1957 and 1980 – indeed the decision to hold these referendums at all – were largely driven by party tactics (see references in text).

The SAP national council (Förtroenderåd), introduced in 1997, consists of 120 delegates, appointed by the regional party organisations.

All national referendums held so far in Sweden have been formally consultative. The right to initiate a referendum lies exclusively with the Riksdag, which can do so in a single, simple majority decision. The Riksdag also decides the question wording, and organisational issues.

The TCO's official position was neutral to the Euro. SACO, a confederation of unions organising academically educated employees, was pro-Euro.

According to a survey in Dagens Nyheter, 2 Sept. 2003, three of the 16 LO chairs were opposed to Lundby-Wedin's role in the article. The LO's decision to stay neutral was not binding for the 16 member unions. Five LO unions had taken pro-Euro decisions, three were against and eight were neutral (Facken om EMU, www.lo.se/emu/nyhet9.shtml). However, ten LO chairs declared in the Dagens Nyheter survey that they personally would vote ‘Yes’.

The extreme right parties the Sweden Democrats and the National Democrats were also opposed to the EMU, although they were not accepted into the main ‘No’ campaign. A number of small extreme left parties also campaigned against the Euro.

In conversations with the author, some activists on the ‘No’ side claimed that they had taken unpaid leave from work to participate in the campaign.

A 35-year-old man was held for the murder on 16 September, but released eight days later. Instead, a 24-year-old man was arrested and subsequently charged. The trial was scheduled to begin in early 2004.

A geographical breakdown of the vote can be found at www.val.se. Of 29 parliamentary constituencies, five reported ‘Yes’ pluralities; two in greater Stockholm and three in the southernmost district of Skåne.

This was stated by Göran Persson and Lars Leijonborg, leader of the People's Party Liberals, in a debate article, published in Dagens Nyheter, 31 Aug. 2003.