STOCKHOLM, Sept. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Sweden voted decisively to reject the euro in Sunday's referendum, with more than half the ballots going to the No side.

　　The results showed 56.1 percent of voters favor keeping the Swedish currency crown, outnumbering those wanting to adopt the euro, who captured 41.8 percent. About 2.1 percent of people cast invalid votes. The turnout reached 81 percent of the 7.07 million voters in Sweden.

　　Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson called it "the biggest defeat ever for a Swedish prime minister", but made clear that he would not resign.

　　Persson said after the referendum that in the long term, opportunities for joining the euro group would not be as good. He warned that Sweden would lose influence in the European Union (EU)by rejecting the euro, and this was echoed by the European Commission President Romano Prodi.

　　But EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pedro Solbes said the result of the Swedish referendum might have a knock-on effect in Britain and Denmark and would be used by anti-euro campaigners there.

　　Among the 15-nation EU countries, only Sweden, Denmark and Britain have failed to accept the single currency. Enditem