It was the worst electoral performance ever by the SDP, which has dominated Swedish post-war politics. Persson had come to power when fellow SDP member Ingvar Carlson resigned in 1996.
All political parties support a national referendum on the issue.
With polls suggesting that the public would reject the EMU, however, Persson has not sought to schedule a vote. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and a multiparty parliamentary democracy. After monarchical alliances with Finland, Denmark, and Norway between the eleventh and nineteenth centuries, it emerged as a modern democracy. Although it has been non-aligned and neutral since World War I, Sweden is now an active member of NATO s Partnership for Peace program. It became a member of the European Union after a 1994 national referendum.