How the Parliament Works 2 | the Swedish Parliament
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How the Parliament works 2 | The Swedish Parliament Welcome to the Riksdag Transparency and accessibility are important elements of Swedish democracy and the work of the Swedish Parliament – the Riksdag. Via the Riksdag website www.riksdagen.se you can follow the day-to-day work and read about the decisions that are made in the Riksdag. Or why not visit the Riksdag and listen to a debate in the Chamber, make a study visit, take a guided tour or take the chance to attend the Open Day which is held every two years? The media also monitor what happens in the Riksdag. Main picture: September 2018 The members of the Riksdag assemble in the Chamber for the opening of the Riksdag session. Right: On the way to the mini Riksdag in the former First Chamber. Cover photo: Melker Dahlstrand. Other photos: Melker Dahlstrand, Ingemar Edfalk, Annika af Klercker/TT, Anders Löwdin, Johan Nilsson/TT, Martin Nauclér/TT, Mikael Wallerstedt/TT, Håkan Pettersson/Matton, Camilla Svensk, Fredrick Lee-Ohlsson, Lubbe Garell, Holger Staffansson, Riksdagens arkiv. Illustrations: Pontus Björlin. Production: The Riksdag Administration, Communications Division. Printed by: Exakta Print AB, December 2018. ISSN 1651-6273. ISBN 978-91-88607-66-9. 4 | The Swedish Parliament The Riksdag gives the Government its approval sweden has had a democratic form of government with a parliament (the Riksdag) as its principal decision-making body for a consi- derable period of time. It is a representative de- mocracy, so the citizens elect their representati- ves, the members of the Riksdag, who in turn make the necessary decisions. Many of these decisions concern legislation. The MPs also appoint the Prime Minister, who in turn appoints the Government ministers. The Swedish Constitution is made up of four funda- mental laws which provide the framework for how the Riksdag and the Government exercise the power they have been awarded by the electorate. The Instrument of Government is the foremost of the country’s four fun- damental laws. This states that democracy in Sweden is based on a parliamentary system of government, in other words that the Government must be accepted by the Riksdag in order to be able to exercise its power. The King, who is the Head of State in Sweden, has no political power. The fundamental laws also contain provisions on fun- damental freedoms and rights enjoyed by citizens of Swe- den. They include a guarantee that everyone has the right to influence the general development of society by freely accessing official documents issued by public authorities, expressing their opinions in general public debate and vo- ting in free elections. THE SWEDISH CONSTITUTION • The Instrument of Government describes how Sweden is to be governed. • The Act of Succession regulates the order of succes- sion to the throne in Sweden. Here it is stated that the throne is to be inherited. • The Freedom of the Press Act provides each individual with the right to state their opinions and publish them without censorship. • The Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression protects freedom of expression in other media such as radio and TV. The Riksdag Act consists of the regulations for the Riksdag’s working procedures. The Swedish Parliament | 5 The largest meeting room in the Riksdag is called the Chamber. It is here that the 349 MPs gather to debate and make decisions. 6 | The Swedish Parliament The foremost representative of the people The basis of Sweden’s representative democra- A Government cannot be formed or remain in office cy is that its citizens elect their representatives, the if the majority in parliament is against it – this is a members of the Riksdag, every four years. At the cornerstone of what is termed parliamentary govern- same time, they elect representatives in municipal ment. For a Government proposal to be accepted by and county councils who make decisions at the local the Riksdag, it has to be supported by a majority of and regional levels, where they are responsible for the MPs voting in the Chamber. such matters as schools, health and medical care and If the Government loses this support, it may various social services. choose to resign or call an extraordinary election. The The municipalities and county councils enjoy a Riksdag can also force the Government to resign by high level of self-determination which is protected in means of a declaration of no confidence. This is one the Swedish Constitution. This includes the right to method of ensuring that the policies the electorate tax their residents, but it is the Riksdag that determi- gave their support to on election day are reflected in nes the framework for their activities. the actions of the Government. Modern representative democracy is based on DIRECT DEMOCRACY VIA A REFERENDUM the existence of parties that have different political messages to convey and different proposals concern- At some point, parliament may wish to hear citi- ing how society should develop. The political parties zens’ opinions on a specific matter before it takes any stand for election, and citizens vote primarily for further action; so a referendum is called, which is a these parties. It is also possible to vote for individual form of direct democracy. politicians who represent the party chosen, although, The few referendums that have taken place in a vote for an individual is also a vote for a party. Sweden have been consultative in nature. The most If the voters are not satisfied with the way their recent one took place in 2003, when voters said “no” representatives perform their tasks, they can show to the introduction of the euro as Sweden’s currency. their dissatisfaction by voting for another party in the The political parties heeded the result of the referen- following elections. dum. PARLIAMENT CAN BRING GOVERNMENT DOWN The results of the elections to the Riksdag determine which party or parties may form the Government. The people make their voices heard. The Constitution Open Day at the Riksdag, spring 2017 – a meeting place safeguards the right to demonstrate. for MPs and members of the public. The Swedish Parliament | 7 Every day a steady flow of Stockholmers and visitors pass through the Riksgatan Archway between the East and West Wings of the Riksdag. 8 | The Swedish Parliament Just over 87 per cent THE DISTRIBUTION OF SEATS IN THE RIKSDAG voted AFTER THE 2018 ELECTIONS Social Democratic Party (SocDem) 100 Sweden uses the proportional representation system Moderate Party (Mod) 70 of voting which means that the number of seats a party wins in the Riksdag is in proportion to the number of vo- Sweden Democrats (SweDem) 62 tes it receives in the election. However, there is a qualifi- cation threshold of four per cent of the votes in the entire Centre Party (Cen) 31 country in order to avoid having too many small parties in parliament. In certain circumstances, a party may win Left Party (Lft) 28 a seat in the Riksdag if it receives at least 12 per cent of the votes cast in a single constituency. Christian Democrats (ChrDem) Sweden is divided into 29 constituencies which 22 basically correspond to its counties. This means that the Liberal Party (Lib) members of the Riksdag come from all parts of the coun- 20 try. Before an election, the parties decide which candida- Green Party (Grn) 16 tes are to stand for parliament. Their names are printed on their parties’ ballot papers. Voters can put a cross next to the name of a candidate to show their first choice for One seat corresponds to a seat in the Riksdag. Such personal choices can also be one place in parliament. made in municipal and county council elections. The map shows the Since the 2010 elections, there have been eight parties number of seats in each constituency. in the Riksdag. Parties are elected for a four-year term. Norrbotten 8 Almost 7.5 million Swedish citizens were entitled to vote in the general elections of 2014. Voters must be Swe- dish citizens and 18 years of age by election day at the latest. Almost 87 per cent of these participated in the elec- tions; a high figure by international standards. Vsterbotten 9 Vster- norrland 8 mtland 5 The fact that there are several political parties with Gvleborg 9 different policies to vote for is a precondition for a country to be termed a democracy. Dalarna 10 Vstmanland 9 rebro 12 Uppsala 13 Stockholm County 43 V. Gtaland Vrmland 11 norra 10 Municipality of V. Gtaland Stockholm 32 stra 10 Sdermanland 10 V. Gtaland stergtland 16 vstra 13 Municipality of Kalmar 8 Gotland 2 Gteborg 19 Jnkping 13 V. Gtaland sdra 8 Halland 13 Kronoberg7 Kronobergs 6 Blekinge 5 Skne vstra 11 Skne norra Municipality of och stra 11 alm 11 Skne sdra 14 The Swedish Parliament | 9 Three elections on the same day – the general election and local elections to county councils and municipalities. The colour and number of ballot papers can be checked through a small opening in the ballot envelope. 10 | The Swedish Parliament After the parliamentary elections After a parliamentary election, a the Riksdag, the Government would also be forced vote is held in the Riksdag to determine the support to resign. When a Government resigns, the Speaker for the proposal for Prime Minister. This procedure is convenes a meeting of the party leaders to discuss the compulsory according to a constitutional amendment political situation. The Speaker is the principal repre- that came into force in January 2011. sentative of the Riksdag and leads its work. Following Previously the Prime Minister simply remained conversations with Riksdag party group leaders and in office if the election had not resulted in a change of the three Deputy Speakers, the Speaker proposes a political power, even if support was weak.