Re: the fat lady refused to sing

["labehotierre" <labehotierre@wanadoo.fr>]

We have formed a European Union and are now under the rule of unelected
bureaucrats in
Brussels. We have neither a democracy or a Republic.  The American system
may be confused
and anachronistic but at least the Americans are giving it a go!  This
European Union has
ostracised a small nation (Austria) simply because the citizens of that
nation elected a right
wing government instead of a soft socialist one.

I am no admirer of the American Government system.  It is however a
Republican not
Democratic system.. The framers of the American constitutional system did
not trust the
common voter and devised an electoral college.  Only once in American
history has that
college failed to elect the majority of the popular vote winner as president
(1876.Rutherford
B. Hayes (R) 185 4,033,768 Samuel J. Tilden (D) 184 4,285,992.  Hayes in
purely partisan
politics was appointed President by the American lower house).

Candidate Gore has received by latest count 49,059,929 48% of the American
vote
Candidate Bush        “           ”          “          48,858,333 48%

Vice President Gore has decided on Thursday to fight the results of
Tuesday's presidential
election in Florida with campaign officials backing a legal challenge and
demanding a recount
by hand of ballots in four counties...

 Let the Americans  make Gore the President of Palm Beach County and give
Bush
everywhere else.

The Swedish Government defines Democracy as "government by the people or
their elected
representatives. In a democracy political power must have the support of the
people, which is
conferred through general elections. The political preconditions for the
development of
Swedish democracy were put in place by the bicameral reform of the Riksdag
in
1866.Universal and equal suffrage for women and men was introduced in 1921.

The Swedish democratic system is based on representative democracy, which
means that
decisions are taken by elected representatives in decision-making assemblies
such as the
Riksdag, the county and municipal councils. Everyone who is entitled to vote
may also stand
as a candidate to the decision-making assemblies.
Modern democracy is pluralist in character, which means that citizens are
free to form political
parties, that there is a free press, a large number of organisations and
extensive freedom of
expression."

This of course does not apply when you “elect” your king.

REF: http://www.riksdagen.se/arbetar/demgrund/index_en.htm

you have referendums but they are only consultative referendums and were
introduced in
1922. Since then, there have been five consultative referendums, the most
recent one
concerning Sweden's membership of the EU.

REF: http://www.riksdagen.se/arbetar/demgrund/valomr_k_en.htm
               Sweden is divided into 29 constituencies. Voting takes place
in polling stations on
election day or at post offices prior to election day. Swedish people abroad
may cast their
votes at Swedish embassies or consulates.
               Of the 349 seats in the Riksdag, 310 are fixed constituency
seats and 39
adjustmentsseat. A party must receive at least 4 per cent of the votes as
the country as whole
cast in order to achieve representation in the Riksdag.

After the Swedish 1994 election  the Social Democratic Party formed a
minority Government
with Ingvar Carlsson as Prime Minister. This Government remained in power
until, on 18
March 1996, Ingvar Carlsson asked to be discharged on account of the fact
that he had
resigned from his post as chairman of the Social Democratic Party.
   Following this, the Speaker proposed that the new leader of the Social
Democrats, Goran
Persson, be appointed Prime Minister. The Riksdag approved this proposal on
21March 1996,
the representatives of the Social Democrats and the Left Party voting in
favour, while the
representatives of the other parties abstained from voting.

In the 1998 election, the foundation of the Government was weakened.
Nevertheless, the
Persson Government remained in power. Upon the request of representatives of
the moderate
Party a vote of no confidence was held during the first week of the new
parliamentary session.
Members of the Moderate Party voted in favour of a declaration of no
confidence. Members
of the Social Democratic Party, together with members of the Left Party and
the Green Party
voted against. The members of the other parties abstained from voting. Thus
the vote of no
confidence was rejected by the Riksdag. It appears that less than 22% of the
Swedish people
elected the current Prime Minster.

Sinclair


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