Riksdag

The Swedish word riksdag, in definite form riksdagen, is a general term for "parliament" or "assembly", but it is typically only used for Sweden's legislature and certain related institutions.[4][5][6] In addition to Sweden's parliament, it is also used for the Parliament of Finland and the Estonian Riigikogu, as well as the historical German Reichstag and the Danish Rigsdagen.[6] In Swedish use, riksdagen is usually uncapitalized.[7] Riksdag derives from the genitive of rike, referring to royal power, and dag, meaning diet or conference; the German word Reichstag and the Danish Rigsdag are cognate.[8] The Oxford English Dictionary traces English use of the term "Riksdag" in reference to the Swedish assembly back to 1855.[8]

Historical distribution of seats in the Swedish Riksdag 1902-2018.

The roots of the modern Riksdag can be found in a 1435 meeting in the city of Arboga, however only three of the estates were probably present the nobility, the clergy and the burghers.[9] This informal organization was modified in 1527 by the first modern Swedish king Gustav I Vasa to include representatives from all the four social estates: the nobility, the clergy, the burghers (property-owning commoners in the towns such as merchants etc.), and the yeomanry (freehold farmers). This form of Ständestaat representation lasted until 1866, when representation by estate was abolished and the modern bicameral parliament established. Effectively, however, it did not become a parliament in the modern sense until parliamentary principles were established in the political system in Sweden, in 1917.

On 22 June 1866, the Riksdag decided to reconstitute itself as a bicameral legislature, consisting of Första kammaren or the First Chamber, with 155 members and Andra kammaren or the Second Chamber with 233 members. The First Chamber was indirectly elected by county and city councillors, while the Second Chamber was directly elected by universal suffrage. This reform was a result of great malcontent with the old Estates, which, following the changes brought by the beginnings of the industrial revolution, was no longer able to provide representation for large segments of the population.

By an amendment to the 1809 Instrument of Government, the general election of 1970 was the first to a unicameral assembly with 350 seats. The following general election to the unicameral Riksdag in 1973 only gave the Government the support of 175 members, while the opposition could mobilize an equal force of 175 members. In a number of cases a tied vote ensued, and the final decision had to be determined by lot. To avoid any recurrence of this unstable situation, the number of seats in the Riksdag was reduced to 349, from 1976 onwards.

The Riksdag performs the normal functions of a legislature in a parliamentary democracy. It enacts laws, amends the constitution and appoints a government. In most parliamentary democracies, the head of state commissions a politician to form a government. Under the new Instrument of Government[10] (one of the four fundamental laws of the Constitution) enacted in 1974, that task was removed from the Monarch of Sweden and given to the Speaker of the Riksdag. To make changes to the Constitution under the new Instrument of Government, amendments must be approved twice, in two successive electoral periods with a regular general election held in between.

There are 15 parliamentary committees in the Riksdag.[11]

As of March 2020, 165 (47.2%) of the 349 members of the Riksdag are women. This is the world's seventh highest proportion of females in a national legislature.[12] Two parties have a majority representation of female MPs as of 2020; the Left Party (18 of 27, 66%) and the Moderate Party (37 out of 70, 52%). The party with the lowest share of female MPs is the Sweden Democrats (18 of 62, 29%).[13]

Members of the Riksdag are full-time legislators with a salary of 66 900 SEK (around $7 400) per month.[14]

According to a survey investigation by the sociologist Jenny Hansson, Members of the Riksdag have an average work week of 66 hours, including side responsibilities. Hansson's investigation further reports that the average member sleeps 6.5 hours per night.[15]

The former second chamber, nowadays used for committee meetings.

The Riksdag building exterior, from the west, at night.

The presidium consists of a speaker and three deputy speakers. They are elected for a 4-year term.

Kingdom of Sweden
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Sweden
Basic Laws Instrument of Government Act of Succession Freedom of the Press Act Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression
Monarchy King (list) Carl XVI Gustaf Crown Princess Victoria Royal family Royal Court Marshal of the Realm Fredrik Wersäll
Executive Government Löfven Cabinet Prime Minister (list) Stefan Löfven Deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lövin Government offices Ministries Government agencies
Legislature Riksdag Speaker Andreas Norlén Deputy Speakers 1st — Åsa Lindestam 2nd — Lotta Johnsson Fornarve 3rd — Kerstin Lundgren Membership Current members National apportionment Committees War Delegation
Judiciary Supreme Court Courts of appeal District courts Supreme Administrative Court Administrative courts of appeal Administrative courts Council on Legislation Judicial review
Elections Political parties Recent elections General: 2006 2010 2014 2018 European: 2004 2009 2014 2019 Local: 2014 2018 Referendums
Administrative divisions Counties County administrative boards Regional councils Municipalities
Foreign relations Denmark–Sweden relations Finland–Sweden relations Germany–Sweden relations Sweden–United Kingdom relations
Related topics Sámi Parliament Armed Forces Police Authority
Other countries

After holding talks with leaders of the various party groups in the Riksdag, the speaker of the Riksdag nominates a Prime Minister (Swedish: statsminister, literally minister of state). The nomination is then put to a vote. The nomination is rejected (meaning the Speaker must find a new nominee) only if an absolute majority of the members (175 members) vote "no"; otherwise, it is confirmed. This means the Riksdag can consent to a Prime Minister without casting any "yes" votes.

After being elected the Prime Minister appoints the cabinet ministers and announces them to the Riksdag. The new Government takes office at a special council held at the Royal Palace before the Monarch, at which the Speaker of the Riksdag formally announces to the Monarch that the Riksdag has elected a new Prime Minister and that the Prime Minister has chosen his cabinet ministers.

The Riksdag can cast a vote of no confidence against any single cabinet minister (Swedish: statsråd), thus forcing a resignation. To succeed, a vote of no confidence must be supported by an absolute majority (175 members) or it has failed.

If a vote of no confidence is cast against the Prime Minister this means the entire government is rejected. A losing government has one week to call for a general election or else the procedure of nominating a new Prime Minister starts anew.

Political parties are strong in Sweden, with members of the Riksdag usually supporting their parties in parliamentary votes. In most cases, governments can command the support of the majority in the Riksdag, allowing the government to control the parliamentary agenda.

No single party has won a majority in the Riksdag since 1968. Political parties with similar agendas consequently cooperate on several issues, forming coalition governments or other formalized alliances. Two major blocs existed in parliament until 2019, the socialist/green Red-Greens and the conservative/liberal Alliance. The latter—consisting of the Moderate Party, Liberals, Centre Party, and Christian Democrats—governed Sweden from 2006 through most of 2014 (after 2010 through a minority government). The Red-Greens combination disbanded on 26 October 2010 but continued to be considered the main opposition until the 2014 election, following which the Social Democrats and the Green Party formed a government with support from the Left Party.[16] In 2019, after the 2018 election in which neither bloc won a majority of seats, the Social Democrats and Green Party formed a government with support from the Liberals and Centre Party, breaking the center-right Alliance. In March 2019, the Christian Democrats and Moderate Party signaled a willingness to talk with the Sweden Democrats.[17]

The offices of the parliament are housed in several buildings, including the former Royal mint on Mynttorget square.

All 349 members of the Riksdag are elected in the general elections held every four years. All Swedish citizens who turn 18 years old no later than on the day of the election are eligible to vote in and stand for elections. A minimum of 4% of the national vote is required for a party to enter the Riksdag, alternatively 12% or more within a constituency. Substitutes for each deputy are elected at the same time as each election, so by-elections are rare. In the event of a snap election, the newly elected members merely serve the remainder of the four-year term.

2018 election results

Main article: 2018 Swedish general election

Party			Votes	%	Seats	+/−
	Social Democratic Party	S	1,830,386	28.26	100	−13
	Moderate Party	M	1,284,698	19.84	70	−14
	Sweden Democrats	SD	1,135,627	17.53	62	+13
	Centre Party	C	557,500	8.61	31	+9
	Left Party	V	518,454	8.00	28	+7
	Christian Democrats	KD	409,478	6.32	22	+6
	Liberals	L	355,546	5.49	20	+1
	Green Party	MP	285,899	4.41	16	−9
	Feminist Initiative	FI	29,665	0.46	0	±0
	Alternative for Sweden	AfS	20,290	0.31	0	New
	Citizens' Coalition	MED	13,056	0.20	0	New
	Pirate Party	PP	7,326	0.11	0	±0
	The Direct Democrats	DD	5,153	0.08	0	±0
	Independent Rural Party	LPo	4,962	0.08	0	New
	Unity	ENH	4,647	0.07	0	±0
	Animal Party	DjuP	3,648	0.06	0	±0
	Christian Values Party	KrVP	3,202	0.05	0	±0
	Nordic Resistance Movement	NMR	2,106	0.03	0	New
	Classical Liberal Party	KLP	1,504	0.01	0	±0
	Communist Party of Sweden	SKP	702	0.01	0	±0
	Basic Income Party		632	0.01	0	New
	Initiative		615	0.01	0	New
	Security Party	TRP	511	0.01	0	New
	Scania Party	SKÅ	296	0.00	0	±0
	Norrland partiet		60	0.00	0	New
	Libertarian Freedom Party	FRP	53	0.00	0	New
	European Workers Party	EAP	52	0.00	0	±0
	NY Reform		32	0.00	0	New
	Common Sense in Sweden	CSIS	21	0.00	0	New
	Our Country – Sweden		9	0.00	0	New
	Reformist Neutral Party	RNP	4	0.00	0	±0
	People's Home Sweden		2	0.00	0	New
	Yellow Party	Gup	1	0.00	0	±0
	Parties not on the ballot		588	0.01	0	–
Invalid/blank votes			58,546	–	–	–
Total			6,535,271	100	349	0
Registered voters/turnout			7,495,936	87.18	–	–
Source: VAL

Alliance			Votes	%	Seats	+/−
	Red-Greens (S+MP+V)[20]		2,634,739	40.68	144	−15
	The Alliance (M+C+L+KD)		2,607,222	40.26	143	+2
	Sweden Democrats (SD)		1,135,627	17.53	62	+13
Invalid/blank votes			58,546	–	–	–
Total			6,535,271	100	349	0
Registered voters/turnout			7,495,936	87.18	–	–
Source: VAL

• Parliament House, Stockholm
• Referendums in Sweden

Bibliography

• Larsson, Torbjörn; Bäck, Henry (2008). Governing and Governance in Sweden. Lund: Studentlitteratur AB. ISBN 978-91-44-03682-3.
• Petersson, Olof (2010). Den offentliga makten (in Swedish). Stockholm: SNS Förlag. ISBN 978-91-86203-66-5.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Riksdag.

• The Riksdag – official site
• The history of the Riksdag