Sweden

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

Constitution King: Carl XVI Gustaf Parliament Speaker: Per Westerberg Members Government Prime Minister: Fredrik Reinfeldt Cabinet Ministries Agencies Supreme Court Counties Governors Administrative Boards Councils Municipalities Sami Parliament Elections: 2002 - 2006 - 2010 Referendums Political parties Foreign relations Politics of the European Union

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Politics of Sweden takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. 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 Riksdag (officially Sveriges riksdag literally The National Diet of Sweden is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. 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 A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is Executive power is exercised by the government, led by the Prime Minister of Sweden. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The Prime Minister (statsminister literally "Minister of the State" is the Head of government in Sweden. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, elected within a multi-party system. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition The Judiciary is independent, appointed by the government for life. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State

Sweden has a typical Western European history of democracy, beginning with the old Viking age Ting electing kings, ending with a regular royal power in the 14th century, that in periods became more or less democratic depending on the general European trends. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas See also Medieval Scandinavian laws A thing or ting ( Old Norse, Old English and Icelandic: þing; other modern The current democratic regime is a product of a stable development of successively added democratic institutions introduced during the 19th century up to 1921, when women's suffrage was introduced. The Government of Sweden has adhered to Parliamentarism — de jure since 1975, de facto since 1917. The government of Sweden is a Constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

Constitution

Main article: Constitution of Sweden

The Constitution of Sweden consists of four fundamental laws. The Swedish Constitution consists of four fundamental laws ( Swedish: grundlagar, singular grundlag) The most important is the Instrument of Government of 1974 which sets out the basic principles of political life in Sweden, defining rights and freedoms. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The Act of Succession is a treaty between the old Riksdag of the Estates and The House of Bernadotte regulating their rights to accede to the Swedish throne. 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

The four fundamental laws are:

• Instrument of Government (1974)
• Act of Succession (1809)
• Freedom of the Press Act (1766)
• Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (1991)

Executive branch

Head of State

Main article: Monarch of Sweden

King Carl XVI Gustav of the House of Bernadotte became king in 1973. The Swedish Constitution consists of four fundamental laws ( Swedish: grundlagar, singular grundlag) Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The Act of Succession, or Successionsordningen, is a part of the Swedish Constitution. Year 1809 ( MDCCCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Swedish Constitution consists of four fundamental laws ( Swedish: grundlagar, singular grundlag) Year 1766 ( MDCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Swedish Constitution consists of four fundamental laws ( Swedish: grundlagar, singular grundlag) Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The monarch is the Head of state of the Kingdom of Sweden. Sweden being a Constitutional monarchy with a Representative democracy based on a Events 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse Italy. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. 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 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 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The monarch is the Head of state of the Kingdom of Sweden. Sweden being a Constitutional monarchy with a Representative democracy based on a His authority is formal, symbolic, and representational.

Government

Main article: Government of Sweden

The executive authority of the government is vested in the cabinet, which consists of a Prime Minister and roughly 22 Ministers who run the government departments. 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. The Ministers are appointed by the Prime Minister without any confirmation of the Parliament. The Prime Minister is first appointed by the Speaker of Parliament and then confirmed by Parliament. The monarch plays no part in this process.

Legislative branch

Main article: Parliament of Sweden

The unicameral Riksdag has 349 members, popularly elected every 4 years. The Riksdag (officially 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 It is in session generally from September through mid-June.

The Riksdag in Stockholm

Inside the Riksdag

Legislation may be initiated by the Cabinet or by members of Parliament. The government of Sweden is a Constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy. Members are elected on the basis of proportional representation for a four-year term. 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 can alter the Constitution of Sweden, but only with approval by a supermajority and confirmation after the following general elections. The Swedish Constitution consists of four fundamental laws ( Swedish: grundlagar, singular grundlag) A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple Majority in order to have

The Swedish Social Democratic Party has played a leading political role since 1917, after Reformists confirmed their strength and the revolutionaries left the party. The Swedish Social Democratic Party, (Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti 'Social Democratic Workers' Party of Sweden' contests elections as 'Workers' Party - Social Democrats' Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Socialist Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a Society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures The Left Party ( Vänsterpartiet) is a Socialist and Feminist political party in Sweden, from 1967 to 1990 known as the Left After 1932, the Cabinets have been dominated by the Social Democrats. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. The government of Sweden is a Constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy. Only four general elections (1976, 1979, 1991 and 2006) have given the centre-right bloc enough seats in Parliament to form a government. This is considered one reason for the Swedish post-war welfare state, with a government expenditure of slightly more than 50% of the gross domestic product. This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom.

Political parties and elections

Main article: Sweden general election, 2006

Judiciary

Main article: Judiciary of Sweden

Swedish law, drawing on Germanic, Roman, and Anglo-American law, is neither as codified as in France and other countries influenced by the Napoleonic Code, nor as dependent on judicial practice and precedents as in the United States. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Napoleonic Code, or Code Napoléon (originally called the Code civil des Français) is the French Civil code, established under The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

• Courts: Civil and criminal jurisdiction
  • Supreme Court or Högsta domstolen
  • Courts of appeal or Hovrätter
  • District courts or Tingsrätter

• Administrative Courts: Litigation between the Public and the Government.
  • The Supreme Administrative Court or Regeringsrätten
  • Administrative courts of appeal or Kammarrätter
  • County administrative courts or Länsrätter

• Ombudsman:
  • The Parliamentary Ombudsman or Justitieombudsmannen
  • The Chancellor of Justice

Politicians

Sweden has a history of strong political involvement by ordinary people through its "popular movements" (Folkrörelser in Swedish), the most notable being trade unions, the women's movement, the temperance movement, and -- more recently -- sports movement. In some countries the Chancellor of Justice is a government official responsible for supervising the lawfulness of government actions A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming The feminist movement (also known as the Women's Movement or Women's Liberation) is a series of campaigns on issues such as Reproductive rights (sometimes See also Prohibition, Teetotalism The Temperance Movement attempted to reduce the amount of Alcohol consumed within a community or society in Election turnout in Sweden has always been high in international comparisons, although it has declined in recent decades, and is currently around 82 percent (81. 99 in Sweden general election, 2006). A general election was held in Sweden on September 17, 2006, to elect members to the Swedish parliament.

Some Swedish political figures that have become known worldwide include Joe Hill, Carl Skoglund, Raoul Wallenberg, Folke Bernadotte, Dag Hammarskjöld, Olof Palme, Carl Bildt, Hans Blix, and Anna Lindh. Joe Hill, born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund, and also known as Joseph Hillström ( October 7, 1879 or 1882 – November 19, 1915 Carl Skoglund (1884—1960 was a Swedish - American socialist, affectionately called Skogie by all his American friends and Comrades Raoul Wallenberg (August 4 1912 &ndash July 17 1947? was a Swedish Humanitarian of the prominent Swedish Wallenberg family who worked in Budapest Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld ( (29 July 1905 &ndash 18 September 1961 was a Swedish Diplomat, Christian mystic, and the second Secretary-General Sven Olof Joachim Palme ( ( 30 January 1927 – 28 February 1986) was a Swedish politician KCMG (born 15 July 1949) is a Swedish Politician and Diplomat. (born 28 June, 1928 in Uppsala, Sweden) is a Swedish Diplomat and Politician. Ylva Anna Maria Lindh (19 June 1957 – 11 September 2003 was a Swedish Social Democratic Politician who served as Swedish Minister for

Administrative divisions

Main article: Counties of Sweden

Sweden is divided into 21 counties. The Counties of Sweden, or Län, are the first level administrative and political Subdivisions of Sweden. In each county there is a County Administrative Board and a County Council. 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. Each county is also divided into several Municipalities, in total 289. The Municipalities of Sweden ( kommun) are the Local government entities of Sweden. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the The King, the Parliament and the Cabinet all sit in Stockholm. 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 Riksdag (officially Sveriges riksdag literally The National Diet of Sweden is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The government of Sweden is a Constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy. Up to 1968 when the Overgovernor's Office was incorporated into Stockholm County, it had a special status. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Stockholm County ( Stockholms län) is a county or Län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden.

Energy politics

For more details on this topic, see Nuclear power in Sweden. Sweden has an Energy policy focused on Hydroelectricity, which was supplemented by Nuclear power starting in 1965.

After the 1973 oil crisis, the energy politics were determined to become less dependent on the import of petroleum. The 1973 oil crisis began on October 17 1973 when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC consisting of the Arab members of In Physics and other Sciences energy (from the Greek grc ἐνέργεια - Energeia, "activity operation" from grc ἐνεργός Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit Since then, electricity has been generated mostly from hydropower and nuclear power. Hydropower, hydraulic power or water power is power that is derived from the Force or Energy of moving water which may Sweden wants to be independent of petroleum use by 2020. Accidents at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (USA) prompted the Swedish parliament in 1980 after a referendum to decide that no further nuclear power plants should be built and that a nuclear power phase-out should be completed by 2010. Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station is a civilian Nuclear power plant located on an island (Three Mile Island in the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Riksdag (officially Sveriges riksdag literally The National Diet of Sweden is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita For the film see 2010 The Year We Make Contact. For the book see 2010 Odyssey Two. As of 2005, the use of renewables amounted to 26% of the energy supply in Sweden, most important being hydropower and biomass. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water Biomass refers to living and recently dead Biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production In 2003, electricity from hydropower accounted for 53 TWh and 40% of the country's production of electricity with nuclear power delivering 65 TWh (49%). At the same time, the use of biofuels, peat etc. Peat is an accumulation of partially Decayed Vegetation matter. produced 13 TWh of electricity ^[1].

In March 2005, an opinion poll showed that 83% supported maintaining or increasing nuclear power ^[2]. Since then however, reports about radioactive leakages at a nuclear waste store in Forsmark, Sweden, have been published ^[3]. This doesn't seem to have changed the public support of continued use of nuclear power.

In 2006, Forsmark had to execute an emergency shutdown due to a malfunction. The Swedish nuclear reactors, of German design, were subject to an error that was well-known to the constructors. In Finland, where reactors of the same type are used, the problem has been fixed on all reactors. The malfunction at Forsmark, which in worst case could have resulted in a meltdown, would never had occurred if it had not been for the refusal to correct the problem.

Sweden has decided to phase out nuclear fission before 2020, although it is very unlikely that this will happen. 2020 ( MMXX) will be a Leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Sweden

Throughout the 20th century, Swedish foreign policy was based on the principle of non-alignment in peacetime, neutrality in wartime. 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 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 Non-Aligned Movement ( NAM) is an International organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc For other uses of Neutral and Neutrality see Neutral A neutral country takes no side in a War between other parties This principle have often been criticised in Sweden, allegedly being a facade, claiming that the Swedish government had an advanced collaboration with western countries within NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty

During Cold War era politics, Sweden was not under the Warsaw Pact and received only minimal aid from the Marshall Plan. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The Warsaw Pact (see Nomenclature) was an organization of Communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. The Marshall Plan (from its enactment officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was the primary plan of the United States for rebuilding and creating a stronger In 1952, a Swedish DC-3 was shot down over the Baltic Sea while gathering reconnaissance. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Catalina affair was an incident on June 13, 1952, when a Swedish military DC-3 flying over the Baltic Sea carrying out It was later revealed that the plane had been shot down by the Soviet Union. Another plane, a Catalina search and rescue craft, was sent out a few days later and shot down by Soviets warplanes as well. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout For the TV series of this title see Search and Rescue (TV series.

Sweden was the first western nation to detect unusually high radiation levels in the atmosphere, which later was confirmed to have been the residual nuclear fallout from the Chernobyl accident. Radiation, as in Physics, is Energy in the form of waves or moving Subatomic particles emitted by an atom or other body as it changes from a higher energy Chernobyl (as transliterated from the Чернобыль) or Chornobyl (as transliterated from Чорнобиль tʃɔrˈnɔbɪlʲ was a city in northern

Sweden is also very active in international peace efforts, especially through the United Nations, and in support to the Third World. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Third World is a name given to nations that are generally considered to be underdeveloped economically

In 1995 Sweden together with Finland and Austria joined the European Union, extending the number of member countries from 12 to 15. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Membership and its issues are among the most important questions in Swedish politics. Apart from the European Union Sweden is also an active member of the UN and several other organisations such as OECD and IMF. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The International Monetary Fund ( IMF) is an International organization that oversees the Global financial system by following the Macroeconomic

See also

• Referendums in Sweden
• List of political parties in Sweden
• Swedish Armed Forces

External links

• The Swedish Government - Official site
• The Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament) - Official site
• The Royal Court of Sweden - Official site
• Guide to the Swedish Election 2006 - The Local

References

1. ^ SCB figures about energy production and usage 1994-2003 - in Swedish
2. ^ "Nuclear Power in Sweden" - Uranium Information Centre, Australia
3. ^ "Swedish nuclear power station leaks high levels of radioactive waste into Baltic" - Forbes June 29, 2005

• CIA World Factbook - Sweden
• United States Department of State - Sweden