Sweden

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Sweden

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The parliament building from outside. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber The Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden (Riksdag is the speaker (talman of the national parliament in Sweden. Per Erik Gunnar Westerberg (born 2 August, 1951) is a Swedish Moderate Party politician and as of 2006 the current Speaker of the Riksdag This article refers to the Swedish political party for the group that dominated the Church of Scotland in the 18th century see Moderate Party (Scotland Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Swedish Social Democratic Party, (Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti 'Social Democratic Workers' Party of Sweden' contests elections as 'Workers' Party - Social Democrats' This article refers to the Swedish political party for the group that dominated the Church of Scotland in the 18th century see Moderate Party (Scotland The Centre Party ( Centerpartiet, abbreviated c) is a centrist Political party in Sweden. The Liberal People's Party (Folkpartiet liberalerna abbreviated fp, meaning literally People's Party the Liberals) is a political party in Sweden The Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna abbreviated kd) is a political party in Sweden. The Left Party ( Vänsterpartiet) is a Socialist and Feminist political party in Sweden, from 1967 to 1990 known as the Left The Green Party (Miljöpartiet de Gröna literally "The Environment Party the Green ones" and usually simply referred to in Sweden as Miljöpartiet: the "The Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Riksdag building or Riksdagshuset ("House of Parliament" is the seat of the Parliament of Sweden. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Politics of Sweden takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy. The Swedish Constitution consists of four fundamental laws ( Swedish: grundlagar, singular grundlag) The monarch is the Head of state of the Kingdom of Sweden. Sweden being a Constitutional monarchy with a Representative democracy based on a The Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden (Riksdag is the speaker (talman of the national parliament in Sweden. Per Erik Gunnar Westerberg (born 2 August, 1951) is a Swedish Moderate Party politician and as of 2006 the current Speaker of the Riksdag This is a list of Members of the Riksdag, the national Parliament of Sweden. The government of Sweden is a Constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister (statsminister literally "Minister of the State" is the Head of government in Sweden. John Fredrik Reinfeldt ( pronounced) (born 4 August 1965 in Österhaninge) is the current Prime Minister of Sweden and leader of the liberal The cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt is the current Cabinet of Sweden. The government of Sweden is a Constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy. The Government agencies in Sweden are state controlled organizations who act independently to carry out the policies of the Swedish Government. The Counties of Sweden, or Län, are the first level administrative and political Subdivisions of Sweden. A County Administrative Board ( Länsstyrelse) is a Government appointed board of a County in Sweden. A County Council, or Landsting, is an elected assembly of a County in Sweden. The Municipalities of Sweden ( kommun) are the Local government entities of Sweden. The Sami Parliaments ( Sámediggi in Northern Sami, Sämitigge in Inari Sami, Sää´mte´ǧǧ in Skolt Elections in Sweden gives information on Elections and election results in Sweden. Results of the general election to the Riksdag, the parliament of Sweden, held Sunday September 15, 2002. A general election was held in Sweden on September 17, 2006, to elect members to the Swedish parliament. The next general election to the Swedish Riksdag will be held on Sunday September 19 2010. Political parties in Sweden lists political parties in Sweden. The foreign policy of Sweden is based on the premise that national Security is best served by staying free of alliances in peacetime in order to remain a Neutral The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent

The Riksdag (officially Swedish: Sveriges riksdag, literally: The National Diet of Sweden) is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The Riksdag is the official Swedish term of the Parliament of Sweden and the Parliament of Finland (in Finland alongside Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A  parliament is a Legislature, especially in those "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members (Swedish: riksdagsledamöter), who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber This is a list of Members of the Riksdag, the national Parliament of Sweden. Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes The Riksdag building stands on the island of Helgeandsholmen in Stockholm. Helgeandsholmen is a small Island in central of Stockholm, Sweden. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the

Name

Riksdag is the direct Swedish equivalent of the German Reichstag. The Riksdag is the official Swedish term of the Parliament of Sweden and the Parliament of Finland (in Finland alongside In the Swedish constitution, the word is written with a lower-case r, thus marking that it is actually not a name of the parliament, it is just the parliament. The Swedish Constitution consists of four fundamental laws ( Swedish: grundlagar, singular grundlag)

A precise English translation of this German-Nordic word does not actually exist, but "Meeting of the Realm" may serve as a literal translation, though perhaps "Diet of the Realm" would be more accurate (dag literally means "day", and is thus cognate to the use of German tag for a Diet, which comes from Latin dies with the same meaning). In Politics, a diet is a formal Deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from Cognates in Linguistics are words that have a common origin They may occur within a language such as shirt and skirt as two English words descended from The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The word is also used by Swedish speakers for the parliaments of Finland (it is the official term used by the Swedish-speaking minority there) and Estonia, and for the old Reichstag of Germany as well as the parliament building in Berlin (reciprocally, "Reichstag" is the standard German translation of "riksdag"). The Reichstag ( German for "Imperial Diet " was the Parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, the North German Confederation, The Reichstag building in Berlin was constructed to house the Reichstag, the first Parliament of the German Empire. In Sweden riksdag is today also frequently used to refer to the contemporary parliament of Germany per se, and sometimes for national parliaments of other countries as well. The word is also used by Norwegian speakers with the same spelling; in Danish it is spelled rigsdag. Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language

Organization

• Speaker of the Riksdag: Per Westerberg (since October 2006)
• Chamber: unicameral with 349 members
• Elections: Members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms. The Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden (Riksdag is the speaker (talman of the national parliament in Sweden. Per Erik Gunnar Westerberg (born 2 August, 1951) is a Swedish Moderate Party politician and as of 2006 the current Speaker of the Riksdag Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. In the election year, the elections are held on the third Sunday of September.
• Elections last held: September 17, 2006

Constitution

Main article: Constitution of Sweden

The riksdag (the Swedish Parliament) performs the normal functions of a parliament in a parliamentary democracy. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Swedish Constitution consists of four fundamental laws ( Swedish: grundlagar, singular grundlag) A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which It enacts laws, amends the constitution and appoints a government. In most parliamentary democracies, the head of state commissions a politician to form a government. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state Under the new Instrument of Government (one of the four fundamental laws of the Constitution) enacted in 1974, that task was removed from the Monarch of Sweden and given to the Speaker of the Riksdag. The monarch is the Head of state of the Kingdom of Sweden. Sweden being a Constitutional monarchy with a Representative democracy based on a To make changes to the Constitution under the new Instrument of Government, amendments must be approved twice by Parliament, in two successive electoral periods with a general election held in between.

Government

Main article: Government of Sweden

After holding talks with leaders of the various party groups in the Riksdag, the Speaker of the Riksdag nominates a Prime Minister. The government of Sweden is a Constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister (statsminister literally "Minister of the State" is the Head of government in Sweden. To form a government, the Prime Minister designate must then present a list of Cabinet Ministers and have it approved by Parliament. Parliament can cast a vote of no confidence against any single member of the government, thus forcing a resignation. If a vote of no confidence is cast against the Prime Minister (Sw. Statsminister), this means the entire government is rejected, and the procedure of finding a government starts afresh.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Sweden

Political parties are strong in Sweden, with members of the Riksdag usually supporting their parties in parliamentary votes. Politics of Sweden takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy. In most cases, governments can command the support of the majority in the Riksdag, allowing the government to control the parliamentary agenda.

For many years, no single political party in Sweden has managed to gain more than 50% of the votes, so political parties with similar agendas cooperate on several issues, forming coalition governments. In general, two major blocks exist in parliament, the left and the right, or socialists and non-socialists (conservatives/liberals). Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Currently the liberal/right coalition consisting of the Centre Party, the Liberal People's Party, the Christian Democrats and the Moderate Party governs Sweden. In the previous three electoral periods the socialists formed the government but lost the election in 2006.

1/ Party name and leaders current as of March 18, 2007
2/ Seats as per the 2006 general election, current as of March 18, 2007
3/ Percentage of the votes received in the 2006 general election

Elections

Main article: Elections in Sweden

All 349 members of the Riksdag are elected in the general elections held every four years. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A general election was held in Sweden on September 17, 2006, to elect members to the Swedish parliament. Elections in Sweden gives information on Elections and election results in Sweden. Eligible to vote and stand for elections are Swedish Citizens who turn 18 years old no later than on the day of the election. The next elections are due to be held in 2010. For the film see 2010 The Year We Make Contact. For the book see 2010 Odyssey Two. A minimum of 4% of the national vote is required for membership in Parliament, alternatively 12% or more within one of the election districts.

Most Recent Election

The Social Democrats suffered their worst electoral result since 1920, while the Moderates recorded their best performance in modern times. As a result the center-right alliance won the election and got control over the Riksdag for the first time since 1994.

Main article: Swedish general election, 2006

History

The Riksdag at night.

Main articles: History of the Riksdag, Riksdag of the Estates

The roots of the modern Riksdag can be found in a 1435 meeting of the Swedish nobility in the city of Arboga. The Riksdag or Sveriges Riksdag is the Parliament of Sweden. However when it was founded in 1866 Sweden did not have a parliamentary system The Riksdag of the Estates, or Ståndsriksdagen, was the name used for the Estates of the Swedish realm, or Rikets ständer, when they were assembled Arboga is a city in central Sweden and the seat of Arboga Municipality, Västmanland County. This informal organization was modified in 1527 by the first modern Swedish king Gustav I Vasa to include representatives from all the four social estates: the nobility, the clergy, the bourgeoisie (propertied commoners in the towns such as merchants, tradesmen, lawyers, etc), and the peasantry (freehold yeoman farmers). Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson (Colloquial 15th century Upplandic Gösta Jerksson) and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September The Estates of the realm were the broad divisions of society usually distinguishing Nobility, Clergy, and Commoners recognized in the Middle Ages Fee simple is an estate in land in Common law. It is the most common way Real estate is owned in common law countries and is ordinarily the most Yeoman is noun used to indicate a variety of positions or Social classes In the 16th century a yeoman was also a Farmer of middling social status who owned This form of Ständestaat representation lasted until 1865, when representation by estate was abolished and the modern bicameral parliament established. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Effectively, however, it did not become a parliament in the modern sense until parliamentary principles were established in the political system in Sweden, in the late 1910s. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which The 1910s decade ran from January 1 1910 through December 31 1919

Prior to the Constitutional reforms that brought a new Instrument of Government in 1974, the Riksdag underwent an important change in 1970. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1865 it had been constituted as a political assembly with two chambers but in 1970 it was transformed into a unicameral assembly with 350 seats. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year By chance, the following general election to the unicameral Riksdag in 1973 only gave the Government the support of 175 members, while the opposition could mobilize an equal force of 175 members. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. In a number of cases a tied vote ensued, and the final decision had to be determined by lot. To avoid any recurrence of this, the number of seats in Parliament was reduced to 349 from 1976. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

See also

• Referendums in Sweden

External links

• The Riksdag – official site