Swedish PM rejects referendum on NATO membership

STOCKHOLM, Apr 29 (Reuters): Sweden's government does not plan to hold a referendum if its parliament decides to proceed with an application for NATO membership, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Friday.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced both Sweden and Finland to review long held beliefs that military neutrality is the best means of ensuring national security, with both countries expected to make a decision in the coming few weeks.
Andersson said that a referendum was a "bad idea". "I don't think it is an issue that is suitable for a referendum," she told reporters.
"There is a lot of information about national security that is confidential, so there are important issues in such a referendum that cannot be discussed and important facts that cannot be put on the table."
Sweden's parliament is reviewing security policy with a report expected in mid-May. Separately, Andersson's own party, the Social Democrats, are looking at whether to drop their objections to NATO membership.