Politics of Sweden 

Constitution

The Constitution of Swedish consists of four basic laws. The most important is The Instrument of Government of 1974 which it sets out the basic principles for political life in Sweden defining rights and freedoms. 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.

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

Chief of State

King Carl XVI Gustav of the House Bernadotte ascended to the throne in 1973. His authority is formal, symbolic, and representational.

Chief of State: His Royal Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden (since September 19, 1973)

Elections: No elections. Hereditary, in accordance with the Constitution of Sweden (Act of Succession, 1809)

Heir Apparent: Crown Princess Victoria, daughter of the monarch (born July 14, 1977)

Government

The executive authority of the government is vested in the cabinet, which consists of a Prime Minister and roughly 20 Ministers who run the government departments.

Head of Government: Prime Minister Göran Persson (since March 21, 1996)

Cabinet: Ministers are appointed by the Prime Minister and confirmed by Parliament

Elections: The Prime Minister is first appointed by the Speaker of Parliament and then confirmed (with the cabinet ministers) by Parliament

Election results: Göran Persson is elected Prime Minister forming a Social Democrat minority government. After the general elections in 2002 the Social Democrat Government continues to depend on the Left Party and the Green Party to achieve a majority in Parliament.

Parliament

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

Speaker of Parliament: Björn von Sydow[?] (since september 2002)

Chamber: Unicameral with 349 members

Elections: Members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms.

Elections last held: September 15, 2002 (next to be held third sunday of September 2006)

Judicial system

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.

Courts: Civil and criminal jurisdiction

• The Supreme Court or Högsta domstolen
• Regional appellate courts or Hovrätter
• Local courts or Tingsrätter

Administrative Courts: Litigation between the Public and the Government.

• Supreme Administrative Court or Regeringsrätten
• Regional appellate courts or Kammarrätter
• Local courts or Länsrätter

Ombudsman: The Parliamentry Ombudsman or Justitieombudsmannen

Administrative divisions

Sweden is divided into 21 counties. In each county there is a County Administrative Board and a County Council. Each county is also divided into several Municipalities, in total 289. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. The King, the Parliament and the Cabinet all sit in Stockholm. Upto 1968 when the Overgovenor's Office was incorporated into the County of Stockholm, it had a special status.

Foreign relations

In 1995 Sweden togeather with Finland and Austria joined the European Union, extending the number of member countries from 12 to 15. 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.

External Links

• The Swedish Government (http://www.sweden.gov.se) - Official site
• The Swedish Riksdag (http://www.riksdagen.se/Index_en.asp) - Official site
• The Royal Court of Sweden (http://www.royalcourt.se/net/Royal+Court) - Official site

References

• CIA World Factbook - Sweden (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sw.html)
• United States Department of State - Sweden (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2880.htm)

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