Committee on the Constitution

The Committee on the Constitution[1] (Swedish: Konstitutionsutskottet) (KU) is a parliamentary committee in the Swedish Riksdag. The committee's responsibilities include examining issues relating to the Swedish Constitution and Administrative laws, as well as examining the Prime Minister's performance of duties and the handling of government matters. The committee's activities are regulated by the Riksdag.

Committees in the Riksdag

Given the committee's significant power, it has been agreed since 1991 that the Speaker of the committee shall come from the opposition party. Since March 2019, the Speaker of the committee has been Karin Enström from the Moderate Party, and the vice-Speaker of the committee is Hans Ekström from the Social Democratic Party.

The committee is made up of seventeen elected members of the Riksdag with representation from all political parties.

History

The first Swedish legislative committee founded for the purpose of watching over the constitution was in May 1809, at the time of the Riksdag of the Estates.[2] The committee played an important role in the development of the new form of government that was adopted on 6 June in the same year. The first Speaker of the committee was Lars August Mannerheim, and the first Secretary of the committee was Hans Järta.

The committee was permanently established by the Instrument of Government, §53, in 1809, which describes the committee's function:

To bring issues concerning changes in the constitutions and opinions thereof to the attention of the estates of the state, and to review the minutes kept by the Government

Its tasks are similarly set out by §§ 105-107 of the Riksdagsstadgan (parliamentary rules):

The principal function remains unchanged, but a function has to adapt itself to modern society's conditions and the change in state.

Tasks

The Constitution Committee shall examine the performance of the duties of the Prime Minister and the handling of government matters. The committee has the right to obtain for review the minutes of decisions in government matters, documents that belong to these matters, and the government's other documents that the committee finds necessary for its review. Other committees and each member of the Riksdag may raise questions in writing with the Constitution Committee about the Minister's performance of duties or the handling of government matters. Law: (2010: 1408).

— Kungörelse (1974:152), [3]

The concerns of the Committee on the Constitution are the Swedish constitutions and the Riksdag's rules of procedure, and the committee is an important element of the Riksdag's power. The committee oversees legislation on the constitution and administrative law; on television, radio and film; press and party support; the Riksdag, offices in the Riksdag, such as the National Audit Office and the Ombudsman (but not the Riksbank); review of government ministers; freedom of the press and expression; municipal self-government; opinion formation; and freedom of religion.[4]

The Committee submits so-called KU-anmälningar (Constitutional Committee reports). The ongoing review is presented annually in a report, called the review report, formerly known as the "discharge report" (Swedish: dechargebetänkandet).[5][6] When a report about a person is sent to the committee, a hearing is then held. Since 1988, the public has been allowed to witness these hearings. It is common for the committee to criticize a government minister after a hearing, resulting in a vote of no confidence. The committee also has the last word in certain deliberations prior to a Riksdag decision.

Impeachments

If impeachment should proceed against a government minister, it would be the Committee that decides this. The case would then go to Sweden's Supreme Court. The last time a minister was impeached in Sweden was during the mid-1800s, under the now-defunct impeachment law (Riksrätt).[7][8]

List of Speakers for the committee

Speakers before 1971 (bicameral Riksdag)
  • 1809/1810: Lars August Mannerheim
  • 1823: Baltzar von Platen
  • 1828/1830: Lars August Mannerheim
  • 1834/1835: Jakob Cederström
  • 1840/1841: Carl Henrik Anckarsvärd
  • 1851–1858:Gustaf Lagerbjelke
  • 1859/1860, 1862/1863, 1867/1871: Thomas Munck af Rosenschöld
  • 1871 (urtima Riksdag): Gustaf af Ugglas
  • 1872/1875: Thomas Munck af Rosenschöld
  • 1876–1887B: Magnus Hallenborg
  • 1888:Gunnar Wennerberg
  • 1888–1898: Oscar Bergius
  • 1899: Gustaf Åkerhielm
  • 1900–1901: Gustaf Rudebeck
  • 1902–1905 (Lagtima riksdagen): Hugo Blomberg
  • 1906–1908: Hugo Blomberg
  • 1909–1910: Karl Staaff
  • 1911: Ernst Trygger
  • 1912: Carl Carlsson Bonde
  • 1912: Theodor af Callerholm
  • 1913–1917: Nils Edén
  • 1918: Otto Mannheimer
  • 1918 (urtima Riksdag): Jakob Pettersson
  • 1919 (urtima Riksdag): Jakob Pettersson
  • 1919 (urtima Riksdag)–1921: Viktor Larsson in Västerås
  • 1922–1923: Sam Clason
  • 1924: Viktor Larsson in Västerås
  • 1925–1929: Knut von Geijer
  • 1930–1938: Carl Axel Reuterskiöld
  • 1939 (lagtima riksdagen)–1958 (B): Harald Hallén
  • 1959–1964: Bengt Elmgren
  • 1965–1972: Georg Pettersson

After 1971 (unicameral Riksdag)
Name Period Political Party
 Hilding Johansson1972–1976Social Democratic Party
 Karl Boo1976–1979Centre Party
 Bertil Fiskesjö1979–1982Centre Party
 Olle Svensson1982-1991Social Democratic Party
 Thage G. Peterson1991–1994Social Democratic Party
 Birgit Friggebo1994–1997Liberal People's Party
 Bo Könberg1997–1998Liberal People's Party
 Per Unckel1998-2002Moderate Party
 Gunnar Hökmark2002-2004Moderate Party
 Göran Lennmarker2004–2006Moderate Party
 Berit Andnor2006–2010Social Democratic Party
 Peter Eriksson2010–2014Green Party
 Andreas Norlén2014–2018Moderate Party
 Hans Ekström2018–2019Social Democratic Party
 Karin Enström2019–Moderate Party

List of Vice-Speakers for the committee

Vice-Speakers before 1971 (bicameral Riksdag)
  • Johan Sjöberg 1869
  • Lars Johan Hierta 1871U
  • Pehr von Ehrenheim 1872 -1973
  • Magnus Hallenborg 1874 - 1875
  • Johan Sjöberg 1876 - 1878
  • Johan Nordenfalk 1879 - 1880
  • Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld 1884 - 1885
  • Per Siljeström 1886
  • Axel Ljungman 1887A
  • Johan Sjöberg 1887B
  • Axel Ljungman 1891 - 1899
  • Fredrik Barnekow 1900 - 1905L
  • Gullbrand Elowson 1905 1U - 1906
  • Theodor af Callerholm 1907 - 1909
  • Johan Fredrik Nyström 1910
  • Theodor af Callerholm 1911
  • Hjalmar Branting 1912 - 1914A
  • Sam Clason 1914B - 1917
  • Viktor Larsson in Västerås 1918L - 1918U
  • Sam Clason 1919 - 1921
  • Arthur Engberg 1922 - 1923
  • Knut von Geijer 1925
  • Arthur Engberg 1926 - 1928
  • Harald Hallén 1933 - 1938
  • Anton Pettersson 1939L - 1939U
  • Gustaf Adolf Björkman 1940 - 1940U
  • Jones Erik Andersson 1941 - 1951
  • John Pettersson 1952 -1960
  • Torsten Andersson 1961 - 1968
  • Gunnar Larsson 1969 - 1971

After 1971 (unicameral Riksdag)
Name Period Political Party
 Gunnar Larsson1972–1974Centre Party
 Karl Boo1974–1976Centre Party
 Hilding Johansson1976–1982Social Democratic Party
 Anders Björck1982–1991Moderate Party
 Bertil Fiskesjö1991-1994Centre Party
 Kurt Ove Johansson1994–1998Social Democratic Party
 Göran Magnusson1998–2006Social Democratic Party
 Per Bill2006–2014Moderate Party
 Björn von Sydow2014–2018Social Democratic Party
 Marta Obminska[9]2018–2019Moderate Party
 Hans Ekström2019–Social Democratic Party

References
  1. Utrikes namnbok. [Elektronisk resurs] : svenska myndigheter, organisationer, titlar, EU- och EG-organ, EU-titlar och länder på engelska, tyska, franska, spanska, finska och ryska (PDF) (in Swedish) (9th, rev. ed.). Stockholm: Utrikesdepartementet, Regeringskansliet. 2013. p. 19. SELIBR 14986186.
  2. "Regeringsformen". riksarkivet.se.
  3. "Kungörelse (1974:152) om beslutad ny regeringsform 13 kapitel [on deciding on a new form of government, Chapter 13]", lagen.nu. Accessed the September 30 2020.
  4. The 15 parliamentary committees
  5. dechargebetänkande sv.wiktionary.org
  6. "Konstitutionsutskottet". riksdagen.se. Retrieved 2 October 2020. Riksdagens ledamöter har rätt att anmäla ministrarna i regeringen till KU [Members of the Riksdag have the right to report government ministers to the KU]
  7. Bokefors, Jesper. "Riksrätten". lup.lub.lu.se (in Swedish). Lund University: Lund University. p. 93 (8.3.2 Reformförslag) §6. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  8. Swedish Wikipedia on impeachments
  9. Uppsalapolitiker föreslås till ordförandepost i KU Archive 2018-09-28

Further reading
  • Stig Hadenius, Riksdagen : En svensk historia (Stockholm, 1994)
  • Riksdagsordningen och Regeringsformen, 1809 års regeringsform
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