7.2.3 Sweden Government
Description
This article is from the Nordic countries FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous contributions by others.
7.2.3 Sweden Government
Sweden is a constitutional Monarchy, but the monarch only acts as a
ceremonial head of state. A parliament (Riksdag) composed of 349 members is
elected every four years; it elects the prime minister, passes laws, decides
on taxes and approves the state budget. The cabinet holds office only as
long as it retains the support of a majority in the Riksdag. The state
authorities are comparably independent of the cabinet: their highest
officials being appointed by the cabinet for six years, and usually the term
is extended unless serious problems occurred in the contact between the
authority and the ministry. There are four laws protected as constitutions:
Instrument of Government, Parliament Act, Succession Act, and the Freedom of
the Press Act.
The 286 municipalities are obliged to fulfill services to its inhabitants as
stipulated by law, but are independent to decide the means without
interference from state authorities. Municipalities are mainly responsible
for education and social service. Additionally there are likewisely
independent province councils responsible mainly for hospitals, medical
practioners and other health care.
The democratic councils for municipalities and provinces are elected by the
residents, regardless of citizenship, which in the most extreme cases means
that nearly 20% of them eligible to vote are aliens.
After the era of the Kalmar Union between Denmark and Sweden, king Gustaf
Vasa created a more modern nation and made Sweden Lutheran. After the losses
of territories 1718 and 1809 democratic reforms where made, but it lasted to
1921 until all adult citizens had the right to vote (for men: 1907), and
first 1971 the constitution was changed to reflect the long-time practice of
parliamentarism.
During the 1990:ies the state church is in the process of liberating itself
from the state, or maybe more accurate: the state is giving up its power
over the church, and the church will lose some of the authority connected to
its status as state church. A decreased number of members is to expect.
Sweden has not been involved in a war since 1814, mainly due to luck and a
strong policy of neutrality. This policy may shift as Sweden in January 1995
joined the European Union (but the future isn't very clear yet).
There are old proto-democratic traditions in Sweden. In the middle ages the
kings were elected for life by representatives of the different "landskaps".
Even when the monarchy was made hereditary after the Kalmar Union, the
elected estates at the Riksdag retained substantial power (though the king
sometimes managed to push this power back). These traditions played an
important role as modern democracy gradually took over in the 19th and early
20th centuries.
Two important political concepts emerge from Sweden: the ombudsman, a
representative elected by the parliament to watch public administrations and
with the power to prosecute, and the constitutional principle of official
documents ("offentlighetsprincipen" constituting a part of the Freedom of
the Press Act), which says that all governmental documents are a priori
public (unless declared secret under special laws).
Political forces
The principal political parties are
* the Social Democratic party (led by the prime minister Göran Persson),
* the "Moderata Samlingspartiet" (the rightest party with liberal policy
but a conservative heritage; led by former prime minister Carl Bildt),
* the Center party (with agrarian dominance and subsequently
diminishing),
* the (social) Liberal party "Folkpartiet",
* the Christian Democratic party,
* the Environmentalists The Green,
* the Left (formerly the Communist) party, and
* the populist "Ny Demokrati" (New Democracy - now committing suicide).
Beginning in the 1930s, the Social Democrats were the dominant party, their
position secured by economic prosperity and a broad program of social
welfare. In the 1970s and 1980s, however, dissatisfaction grew among the
voters over high taxes and a lagging economy. An anti-socialist coalition
governed from 1976 to 1982, and another one under Carl Bildt from 1991 to
1994, when Social Democrats under Carlsson again came to power. When in
trouble, as for the moment, the social democrats have a tradition to lean
against the Center party, with regular negotiations and agreements, but
without forming coalition cabinets.
In the last elections the results has been as follows:
1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994
-----------------------------------------------------
Left 5,3 4,8 5,6 5,6 5,4 5,8 4,5 6,2
Green (1,7) (1,5) 5,5 (3,4) 5,0
Soc.dem. 43,6 42,7 43,2 45,6 44,7 43,2 37,7 45,3
soc.lib. 9,4 11,1 10,6 5,9 14,2 12,2 9,1 7,2
center 25,1 24,1 18,1 15,5 12,4 11,3 8,5 7,7
christ. (1,9) (2,9) 7,1 4,1
Right 14,3 15,6 20,3 23,6 21,3 18,3 21,9 22,4
popul. 6,7 (1,2)
-----------------------------------------------------
Blocks:
left 48,9 47,5 48,8 51,2 50,1 54,5 42,2 56,5
right 48,8 50,8 49,0 45,0 47,9 41,8 53,1 41,4
In parentheses: results below the 4,0% limit for representation.
Maybe due to the dominant position of the Social Democrats the politic life
in Sweden has been characterized by semi-rigid right and left blocks defined
as oppositional or supporters of the Social Democrats. During some periods
the Social Democrats have succeeded to cooperate with one of the right block
parties, as during 1996 with the Center Party, which the other parties have
seen as weakening of the opposition.
Account over municipal responsibilities
Approximately 50% of the municipal services are financed through direct
taxes, only 15% by direct fees, and about 20% as state contributions. (Don't
ask about the remaining 15% - the municipal trolls might change their
minds.) Totally 350 milliards SEK are used for municipal activities, and 170
milliards SEK for the province councils, of which nearly all goes to the
health care sector.
The main municipal expenditures are:
* Primary and secondary education (21%),
* caring for elderly (17%),
* caring for children (11%),
* support of disabled and poor (8%),
* supply of ground and housing (10%),
* supply of water, energy and garbage disposal (7%),
* public transportations (4%), and
* sport and leisure (4%).
[ Figures above for year 1993 ]
Account over state revenue
Approximately 550 milliards SEK are distributed by the state budget, of
which 75 milliards go straight to the municipalities and provinces as
subsidizes.
The rest is distributed on:
(memorizeable figures, in the range +/- 10% of exact figures)
* 100 mill. National debt interest
* 75 mill. pensions to aged and disabled
* 75 mill. state consumption (defence, police, universities etc)
* 75 mill. transfers to families, unemployed, diseased and others
* 45 mill. transfers to private corporations
* 30 mill. transfers to state enterprises
* 15 mill. foreign aid
[ Figures above for the fiscal year 1993/94 ]
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