SWEDEN: Sweden votes in a closely fought parliamentary election in which a centre-right alliance could topple the long-ruling Social Democrats

Polling stations opened in Sweden on Sunday (September 17) in the country's general election. The vote is a closely fought parliamentary election in which a centre-right alliance could topple the long-ruling Social Democrats on pledges to fine-tune the welfare state. Opinion polls put Fredrik Reinfeldt's four-party alliance ahead of a bloc led by Prime Minister Goran Persson's Social Democrats, who have ruled Sweden since 1994 and held sway for six of the last seven decades. At the central station in the heart of Stockholm, Swedes cast their ballot. Student Johan Andersson said he was happy with the sitting government: "I voted for the social democrats because I think they done a good job so far and I like Goran Persson", he said. Titti Wallner, another voter, said it's time for a change. "I am going to vote for the Moderate party because there is a change needed in Sweden. We need more jobs and is has to be profitable to work". Persson boasts of an economy growing at its fastest rate in six years and unemployment at a low 5.7 percent. But opinion polls show many people in Sweden, which is in the European Union, want change after a decade of Persson as prime minister. A poll released by Dagens Nyheter newspaper late on Saturday (September 16) showed the opposition lead over the Social Democrats and their Green and Left Party allies had risen to nearly 7 percentage points, the widest margin this year. Swedes, who are electing 349 members of parliament, have one of the highest tax burdens in the world. Many still believe in the principle of a tightly woven social safety net but a large number also say the system needs reform. Reinfeldt, 41, has boosted the appeal of his Moderate Party by shifting it towards the centre and paring down the tax and benefit cut pledges made by his predecessor. His alliance with the Folk Liberal Party, the Centre Party and the Christian Democrats is not advocating a radical overhaul but says years of benefits and high taxes have eroded the will to work and made it too lucrative to stay off the job. "Well Sweden needs to go away from policy based on hiding away unemployment and now focus on job creation and that's what we are prepared our programme for, both the moderate party's renewal but also inside the alliance, so that's the main issue," Reinfeldt said after voting on Sunday. Persson, 57, says the opposition plans would threaten job security and dismisses the opinion polls. Persson, 57, attended a memorial at Social Democrat headquarters for former foreign minister and party secretary Sten Andersson, 83, who died Saturday at his summer home. Reinfeldt also plans to privatise some 200 billion Swedish crowns ($27.6 billion) worth of state-owned shares in listed companies over the next four years. Possible candidates for sale include government holdings in bank Nordea, telecoms company TeliaSonera and airline SAS. Reinfeldt favours NATO entry if there is broad agreement on this among parties. He also wants Sweden more involved in the EU but has no plans to hold a referendum on the euro currency in the next four years. Swedes rejected adopting the euro in 2003. Voting ends at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT). The Election Commission expects a preliminary result by around 2030 GMT.

ITN Source | September 17, 2006

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