Swedish PM Rejects Referendum on NATO Membership

STOCKHOLM – Government Sweden does not plan to hold a referendum if its parliament decides to continue its application for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ). Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said this Friday (29 April).

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced Sweden and Finland to revisit longstanding beliefs that military neutrality is the best way to ensure national security. Now, the two countries are expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.

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Andersson said the referendum was a “bad idea”. “I don’t think it’s a suitable issue for a referendum,” he told reporters.

“There is a lot of information about national security that is kept secret. So, there are important issues in such a referendum that cannot be discussed and important facts that cannot be discussed,” he continued.

The Swedish parliament is reviewing security policy with a report expected in mid-May. Separately, Andersson’s own party, the Social Democrats, is considering whether to drop their objections to NATO membership.

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With a majority of lawmakers in favour, the ruling Social Democratic Party is seen as the biggest hurdle for Sweden applying to join the 30-nation alliance.

The leader of Moderates, the largest opposition party, also rejected calls for a referendum on the issue.
“Voters are not naive about Russia,” Ulf Kristersson told the daily Aftonbladet earlier this week during a debate with Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar.

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