SWEDEN: POST-TSUNAMI POLITICS

C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000154

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN: POST-TSUNAMI POLITICS

REF: 05 STOCKHOLM 0003

Classified By: Polcouns Casey Christensen, reason 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (c) More than a year after the killer tsunami struck
Southeast Asia, the political ripple effects in Sweden
continue. A parliamentary committee is currently conducting
hearings to which key members of the government, including
Prime Minister Persson and Foreign Minister Freivalds, have
been convoked. Persson and Freivalds will appear before the
Constitution Committee of the Riksdag on February 16, seeking
to justify their roles in responding to the December 26,
2004, tsunami in which 525 vacationing Swedes perished, and
thousands more were harmed. The government has been accused
by survivors and others of indifference and ineptitude in
responding to the catastrophe.


2. (u) The parliamentary hearings follow the December
release of a highly critical report issued by a
government-appointed committee that investigated the Tsunami.
The report singles out Prime Minister Persson and Foreign
Minister Freivalds for particularly direct criticism.
Persson is faulted for not establishing a functioning crisis
management mechanism, and Freivalds for her lack of
engagement and responsiveness.


3. (c) Following the release of the report, opposition party
leaders sought but did not obtain sufficient support for a
vote of no-confidence against the government. A
no-confidence vote would require endorsement by all four of
the center-right opposition parties, plus some defections
from the Greens or the Left Party that support the Social
Democrat-led government. Moderate party parliamentarian
Gunilla Carlsson, who chairs the opposition's Foreign Policy
Working Group, told us recently that the opposition will seek
a vote of no-confidence by mid-March. Hearings on the tsunami
response are expected to continue until the end of February.


4. (c) Comment: There is little risk that Persson will face
a vote of no-confidence. Swedish law does provide, however,
for a vote of no-confidence against a single minister, rather
than the whole government, and there have been calls for a
no-confidence vote against Foreign Minister Freivalds.
Freivalds has taken the brunt of public criticism for the
government's response to the Tsunami. One internet-based
petition claims to have collected 39,500 signatures calling
for her removal. Former Prime Minister Carl Bildt told PDAS
Volker January 15 that Prime Minister Persson was using
Foreign Minister Freivalds to absorb the blame for the
government's perceived incompetence. Bildt said Persson
would leave her in this role as long as she served the
purpose of insulating him and the rest of the government,
then would, if needed, cold-bloodedly cast her off. We note
that over the past year Persson has resisted repeated calls
for Freivalds' dismissal in connection with the
Tsunami-response fiasco. As the hearings and the

SIPDIS
post-hearings maneuvers over a possible no-confidence vote
play out, the Prime Minister will face increasing pressure to
sack Freivalds. If the opposition succeeds in keeping its
own parties in line (the Center Party waffled earlier) and
attracts support from the government's supporters (the Greens
have publicly blamed Freivalds and hinted at possible
support),Persson will face a decision concerning Freivalds'
continued usefulness as a lightning rod for the Tsunami
issue, which refuses to go away. On the other hand, as long
as Persson, skilled politician that he is, maintains
discipline among his coalition, he may retain his "lightning
rod" as long as he can.
NOBLE