Closer Political Race Developing in Sweden
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - People in Sweden are almost evenly divided in their support for two rival camps, according to a poll by Synovate published in Dagens Nyheter. 47.4 per cent of respondents would vote for the centre-left opposition parties in the next general election, while 45.3 per cent would vote for the centre-right governing alliance.
Support for the centre-left opposition parties—the Workers’ Party - Social-Democrats (S), the Environmental Party - The Greens (MP), and the Left Party (Vp)—is down 2.7 points since February. Backing for the ruling coalition—featuring the Moderate Rally Party (M), the People’s Party Liberals (FpL), the Centre Party (C) and the Christian-Democrats (KD)—is practically unchanged.
Two other parties are below the threshold to secure seats in the legislature. The far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) are at 3.3 per cent, followed by the Pirate Party (P) with 2.4 per cent.
Swedish voters renewed the Diet in September 2006. The centre-right alliance secured 178 seats, ending the ten-year tenure of Social-Democrat prime minister Goran Persson. Moderate leader Fredrik Reinfeldt became prime minister in October 2006. In January 2007, former sustainable development minister Mona Sahlin took over as the new leader of the Social-Democrats.
Each European Union (EU) member state presides over the Council of the EU for a period of six months, in accordance with a pre-established rotation. On Jul. 1, Sweden took over these responsibilities from the Czech Republic.
Last month, Reinfeldt reiterated that Sweden supports Turkey’s accession to the continental group, saying that it is of "utmost strategic importance for Europe."
The next general election in Sweden is scheduled for Sept. 19, 2010.
Polling Data
What party would you support in the next general election?
|
| Jun. 2009 | Feb. 2009 |
| Opposition Parties (Centre-Left) | 47.4% | 50.0% |
| Workers’ Party - Social-Democrats (S) | 34.0% | 38.1% |
| Environmental Party - The Greens (MP) | 8.0% | 6.3% |
| Left Party (Vp) | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| Governing Alliance (Centre-Right) | 45.3% | 46.0% |
| Moderate Rally Party (M) | 28.1% | 28.8% |
| People’s Party Liberals (FpL) | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Centre Party (C) | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Christian-Democrats (KD) | 4.0% | 4.9% |
| Sweden Democrats (SD) | 3.3% | 2.7% |
| Pirate Party (P) | 2.4% | n.a. |
Source: Synovate / Dagens Nyheter
Methodology: Interviews with 2,289 Swede voters, conducted from Jun. 9 to Jun. 24, 2009. Margin of error is 3.0 per cent.