- Title: SWEDEN: PRIME MINISTER VOTES BY POST IN THE EURO ELECTION
- Date: 11th September 2003
- Summary: (W6) STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (SEPTEMBER 9, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. MV JOURNALISTS AND CAMERAS SURROUNDING PRIME MINISTER GORAN PERSSON; SCU PERSSON HOLDING UP VOTING PAPER FOR CAMERAS; MV CAMERAS SURROUNDING PERSSON; MV PERSSON WALKING TOWARDS DESK TO HAND PAPERS TO OFFICIAL (3 SHOTS) 0.31 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PERSSON (RESPONDING TO A REPORTER'S QUESTION AS TO WHETHER HE VOTED YES OR NO), SAYING "What do you think? Try to guess. (REPORTER QUESTION: 'Are you confident about Sunday') No, I am not. This will be an extremely close race. I have said that all the time. And I think many, many of the voters will decide on the last day of this week, or perhaps today or tomorrow. It's now it's happening in the electorate, it's not a surprise. (REPORTER QUESTION 'France said today they would not make the budget not make the stability pact until 2006, at least until 2006. How do you react to that?') PERSSON (FIRST SAYING GOODBYE TO OFFICIAL AS QUESTION IS ASKED) TURNING AND SAYING I think it's too late and, on top of that, one other reflection: it is France that is under scrutiny from the Commission and, before France, it was Germany who believed what we had decided about the stability pact. That tends to only one thing: the pact is working. Now the big countries is up to prove what they intend to do to stick to the criterias. I am confident about the outcome. France has to improve a little bit more. They have to try harder. Welcome in the club." 1.49 3. SLV EXTERIOR OF POLITICAL HEADQUARTERS, PERSSON EMERGING FROM BUILDING SURROUNDED BY REPORTERS; SLV PERSSON WALKING AWAY DOWN STREET (3 SHOTS) 2.06 4. SLV CROWD OF PEOPLE AT 'YES' RALLY, CHILD IN FOREGROUND CARRYING A BALLOON WITH 'JA' ON IT 2.17 5. SLV SWEDEN'S FOREIGN MINISTER ANNA LIND AT RALLY; SLV ANNA LIND SPEAKING IN SWEDISH ABOUT THE VOTE; SLV CROWD OF VOTERS LISTENING TO ANNA LIND (2 SHOTS) 2.26 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 26th September 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
- Country: Sweden
- Reuters ID: LVA4W9I2SC526KFGHNVX4OLTP88J
- Story Text: The Swedish Prime Minister votes by post in the euro
election.
A majority of Swedes will vote against joining the
euro next Sunday (September 14), judging by latest opinion
polls which show too few converts to the European Union's
flagship economic project.
As campaigning across the Nordic state reached fever
pitch, Prime Minister Goran Persson insisted that victory
for the "yes" side was still possible, but the poll
evidence suggested euro supporters have too much ground to
make up.
One poll on Tuesday (September 9) even showed the "No"
side's lead widening slightly, just when euro supporters
urgently need to persuade waverers among the seven million
voters to give up the krona.
As he cast his postal vote in Stockholm on Tuesday,
Persson faced a barrage of questions from reporters. Asked
which way he had voted, he replied
"What do you think? Try to guess," adding that he was
not confident about the result on Sunday.
"This will be an extremely close race. I have said that
all the time. And I think many, many of the voters will
decide on the last day of this week, or perhaps today or
tomorrow. It's now it's happening in the electorate, it's
not a surprise."
The "yes" side is pinning its hopes of Sweden becoming
the 13th member of the single currency bloc on the ability
of mainstream political and business leaders to drum up a
late burst of support from the broad ranks of the
undecided.
Support for the opposition is being shored up by fears
that euro membership might put at risk Sweden's generous
cradle-to-grave social security and spell loss of political
control over its relatively prosperous economy.
Sunday's referendum is being watched across Europe for
signs of acceptance or rejection of the EU's most ambitious
economic project so far. Financial markets, which have
stayed calm, are betting on a 'No' vote.
Three EU members, Sweden, Denmark and Britain
remained outside the single currency which was launched in
1999.
Opponents to the single currency have led the polls
since April, though the gap has narrowed slightly and euro
enthusiasts hope for a repeat of Sweden's 1994 referendum
on European Union membership, when the undecided turned
pro-EU late in the game.
Many Swedes express concern about delegating policy to
the European Central Bank and that the euro will bring
pressure to lower taxes, endangering the generous welfare
state. They also see Sweden's economy turning in a better
relative performance.
In the second quarter of 2003 Sweden's economy grew 1.3
per cent year-on-year versus euro zone growth of 0.2 per
cent.
Markets price in a "No" vote but any advance by the
pro-euro camp should strengthen the crown, as analysts
expect it would be pegged to the euro above current levels.
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