By Michael Karnerfors, 2010-09-20
After the election in Sweden september 19, 2010, the situation for the Swedish nuclear power remains uncertain. While the pro-nuclear Alliance coalition did take the biggest count, and the anti-nuclear redgreen leftist coalition fell flat on its face, neither coalition got majority which leaves the the xenophobic Sweden Democrats (sd) with tiebreaker seats in the Swedish riksdag (parliament).
For the past 30 years in Sweden, no permit for building nuclear power reactors has been given, because it has been prohibited by law. The center-right Alliance that won the last election in 2006 tore up that law in June this year… almost anyway: it’s not going away until the end of this year. The redgreen coalition, with the Green Party in it, promised they would rip up this decision and reinstate the law. For the most part it looked like a clean cut situation: if the Alliance wins, we get new nuclear power. If the redgreens wins, we get none.
Now when all the premilinary counts are in it turns out we landed on the knife’s edge: neither coalition got majority. The (sd) party are pro-nuclear, by all means, but the question is what the Alliance will do now. Will they seek passive support from (sd), or will they – as has already been hinted – seek support from the greens and have that party move from their redgreen coalition just to keep (sd) out of the government? And if the greens – which are dogmaticly opposed to nuclear power – end up in the government, what happens then?! It’s completely impossible for them to go along with any pro-nuclear proposition, or they will split down the middle. On the other hand, three out of four parties in the Alliance are strongly pro nuclear and they went into this election that way, so they can’t back down either and suddenly say no to nuclear power again.
So… all in all: this election leaves us with no clear answers on the nuclear power in Sweden for now.
Election gives no clear answer on nuclear power in Sweden
Published by Michael on September 20, 2010After the election in Sweden september 19, 2010, the situation for the Swedish nuclear power remains uncertain. While the pro-nuclear Alliance coalition did take the biggest count, and the anti-nuclear redgreen leftist coalition fell flat on its face, neither coalition got majority which leaves the the xenophobic Sweden Democrats (sd) with tiebreaker seats in the Swedish riksdag (parliament).
For the past 30 years in Sweden, no permit for building nuclear power reactors has been given, because it has been prohibited by law. The center-right Alliance that won the last election in 2006 tore up that law in June this year… almost anyway: it’s not going away until the end of this year. The redgreen coalition, with the Green Party in it, promised they would rip up this decision and reinstate the law. For the most part it looked like a clean cut situation: if the Alliance wins, we get new nuclear power. If the redgreens wins, we get none.
Now when all the premilinary counts are in it turns out we landed on the knife’s edge: neither coalition got majority. The (sd) party are pro-nuclear, by all means, but the question is what the Alliance will do now. Will they seek passive support from (sd), or will they – as has already been hinted – seek support from the greens and have that party move from their redgreen coalition just to keep (sd) out of the government? And if the greens – which are dogmaticly opposed to nuclear power – end up in the government, what happens then?! It’s completely impossible for them to go along with any pro-nuclear proposition, or they will split down the middle. On the other hand, three out of four parties in the Alliance are strongly pro nuclear and they went into this election that way, so they can’t back down either and suddenly say no to nuclear power again.
So… all in all: this election leaves us with no clear answers on the nuclear power in Sweden for now.
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