Kingdom of Sweden

Konungariket Sverige

Rikstag Building, Stockholm

 Swedish History
• In the 16th century, Gustav Vasa fought for an independent Sweden, crushing an attempt
to restore the Kalmar Union and laying the foundation for modern Sweden. At the same
time, he broke with the Roman Catholic Church and established the Reformation.
• After winning wars against Denmark-Norway, Russia, and Poland during the 17th
century, Sweden emerged as a Great Power, despite having scarcely more than 1 million
inhabitants. Gustavus Adolphus was the great military leader of the time.
• The aftermath of the Great War in the 18th century resulted in limited monarchy and
parliamentary rule under the influence of the Allied powers.
• Following half a century of parliamentary domination came the reaction. A bloody coup
d'état perpetrated by King Gustav III brought back absolute monarchy.
• Over time, Sweden has become a democracy, with the parliament becoming more
important than the king.
• 1866 The industrial revolution brought a national military, and 3 political parties (Social
Democrat, Liberal and Conservative.)
• 1907 universal suffrage
• Sweden has remained an armed neutral since WWI.
• 1974 two chamber parliament replaced with one chamber parliament.
• Sweden became a member of the EU in 1995, and voted by REFERENDUM not to adopt
the Euro in 2003.
Introduction
• Pop: 9,045,389; 99% literacy, low infant mort.
• One of the richer, more stable countries in the world
(rich in iron ore)
• Historically “armed neutral”
• Sucessful experiment w/socialism
• Invented “ombudsman”
• Little political violence
• Gov’t disburses 59.1% of GDP (U.S. 34%)
• Spends more (7.3-6.8%) than U.S. on education
• Fiscal redistribution through heavy taxation
• Maternity leave, free education through college,
generous retirement
• Sense of community; seek to find consensus
• High suicide, alcoholism rates (long nights?)
Intro Continued

• 87% Lutheran, church attendance rate 4%

• Government is Parliamentary Democracy
and Constitutional Monarchy
The Swedish Executive

• PM Fredrik Reinfeldt
• King – Symbolic like Queen in England
• Speaker of Rikstag nominates candidate to become
PM
• Cabinet: appointed by the PM

Reinfeldt King Carl XVI Gustaf

 Legislative

• Riksdag (Unicameral Parliament)

• 349 seats; members are elected by popular
vote on a proportional representation basis to
serve four-year terms
• People vote for local representatives
• Power shared between Parliament and P.M.
• Able to choose Prime Minister (statsminister-
minister of state)
• Prime Minister appoints government (ministers)
• Current P.M. – Fredrik Reinfeldt (2006- )
• liberal conservative Moderate Party
Judiciary

• District Courts, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court

• Neither codified (like France), nor based upon judicial
practice and presidents (like the US)
• Federal Court is called the lagradet (Law Council).
• Very weak judiciary.
• Lacks the formal power of judicial review. However, it is
respected in technical matters but less in controversial
political matters.
• Decrees can be made inapplicable if they are against
constitutional laws.
• However, this has had little practical consequence
Bureaucracy

• Ombudsmän – office to file complaints to

Examples:
• Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman
• Swedish Obudsman for Equal Opportunities
• Swedish Ombudsman for Children
• Swedish Disability Ombudsman
• Swedish Ombudsman Against Discrimination on
Grounds of Sexual Orientation
• Swedish Ombudsman against Ethnic
Discrimination
Elections of 2006

September 17, 2006 General Election Results - Sweden Totals

 Registered
  6,892,009     
Electors 
 Voters    5,650,416  82.0%   
List Votes  % Seats
 Social
Democratic   1,942,625  35.0  130 
Party 
 Moderate
  1,456,014  26.2  97 
Party 
 Center Party    437,389  7.9  29 
 Liberal Party    418,395  7.5  28 
 Christian
Democratic   365,998  6.6  24 
Party 
 Left Party    324,722  5.8  22 
 Green Party    291,121  5.2  19 
 Sweden
  162,463  2.9  0 
Democrats 
 Others    152,551  2.7  0 
Sweden Political Culture
• Saltsjobaden (1938): Agreement that
determined that all major industrial arguments
should be settled through collective bargaining.
Workers elect worker’s board leaders to
negotiate with Company Board of Directors.
Workers get access to company documents.
• Sweden 87% unionized
• Sweden has one of the lowest ratios of working
days lost per week
• Remiss—interest groups are active part of policy
process
• Was reluctant to join EU because of CFSP
(Common Foreign/Security Policy) proposal
Saltsjobaden Agreement of 1938

• An agreement between S.A.F. (employers' association) and L.O. (the major

federation of blue-collar unions) that established the basis for the Swedish
Model
• It was created to avoid labor legislation
• It established rules to be observed in the event of dismissals and
redundancies
• The parties agreed to:
– avoid disrupting the functioning of society
– substitute mutual cooperation for strikes and lockouts
– establish procedures for peaceful settlement of industrial conflicts
– establish a labor market council that would deal with:
– disputes that threaten essential public services
– disagreements over terms of new contracts
• Results of the Basic Agreement:
– does not cover white-collar workers
– L.O. wins unconditional acceptance by management
– Allows secondary boycotts and sympathetic action to remain
permissible (essential to a central bargaining system)
– L.O. maintains control over the "strike weapon"
Political Parties

• Proportional Representation System results

in Multiple parties
Currently in Rikstag:
• Center Party (Centerpartiet)
• Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna)
• Green Party (Miljöpartiet de Gröna)
• Left Party (Vänsterpartiet)
• Moderate Party (Moderata samlingspartiet)
• Swedish Social Democrat Party (Sveriges
Socialdemokratiska arbetarparti)
Foreign Policy

• Typically Neutral (Passive)

– Sold iron ore to Germany during WWII,
but helped Americans and provided
safe haven for fleeing Jewish refugees
• Freedom from alliance is best during
peacetime – promotes national security
• Active participant in the UN
• Joined the EU on January 1, 1995
• Part of Nordic Council of Ministers
Royal Family
 Swedish History
•In the 16th century, Gustav Vasa fought for an independent Sweden, crushing an attempt to restore
the Kalmar Union and laying the foundation for modern Sweden. At the same time, he broke with
the Roman Catholic Church and established the Reformation.
•After winning wars against Denmark-Norway, Russia, and Poland during the 17th century, Sweden
emerged as a Great Power, despite having scarcely more than 1 million inhabitants. Gustavus
Adolphus was the great military leader of the time.
• The aftermath of the Great War in the 18th century resulted in limited monarchy and parliamentary
rule under the influence of the Allied powers.
•Following half a century of parliamentary domination came the reaction. A bloody coup d'état
perpetrated by King Gustav III brought back absolute monarchy.
•Over time, Sweden has become a democracy, with the parliament becoming more important than
the king.
• 1866 The industrial revolution brought a national military, and 3 political parties (Social
Democrat, Liberal and Conservative.)
•1907 universal suffrage
• Sweden has remained an armed neutral since WWI.
•1974 two chamber parliament replaced with one chamber parliament.
•Sweden became a member of the EU in 1995, and voted by REFERENDUM not to adopt the Euro
in 2003.
 Demographics
Population: 9,031,088
Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.4%
15-64 years: 65.7%
65 years and over: 17.9%
Median age: total: 41.1 years
Pop. growth rate: 0.159%
Life expectancy : total population: 80.63 years
male: 78.39 years
female: 83 years
Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman
Ethnic groups: indigenous population: Swedes with
Finnish and Sami minorities
Religions: Lutheran 87%, other 13%
Languages: Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy: total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99%
 Demographics
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden
conventional short form: Sweden
local long form: Konungariket Sverige
local short form: Sverige
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Stockholm
Independence: June 6, 1523
National holiday: Swedish Flag Day, 6 June (1916)
National Day, 6 June (1983)
Constitution: 1 January 1975
Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
 Executive Branch
Chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF
since 19 September 1973
Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree
Head of government: Prime Minister Fredrik REINFELDT
(since 5 October 2006)

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following
legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by
the parliament; election last held on 17 September
2006 (next to be held in September 2010)
election results: Fredrik REINFELDT elected prime
minister with 175 out of 349 votes
• Power shared between Parliament and
P.M.
• Riksdag – Parliament (349 members)
– Able to choose Prime Minister
(statsminister-minister of state)
• Prime Minister appoints government
(ministers)
• Current P.M. – Fredrik Reinfeldt (2006- )
– liberal conservative Moderate Party
• Federal Court is called the lagradet (Law
Council).
• Very weak judiciary.
•Lacks the formal power of judicial review.
However, it is respected in technical matters but
less in controversial political matters.
• Decrees can be made inapplicable if they are
against constitutional laws.
• However, this has had little practical
consequence
 Legislative branch
Riksdag(unicameral Parliament)
• 349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a
proportional representation basis to serve four-year
terms
• Elections: last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be
held in September 2010)
• Election results: percent of vote by party
Social Democrats 37.2%, Moderates 27.8%, Center
Party 8.3%, People's Party 8.0%, Christian Democrats
6.9%, Left Party 6.3%, Greens 5.4%; seats by party -
Social Democrats 130, Moderates 97, Center Party 29,
People's Party 28, Christian Democrats 24, Left Party
22, Greens 19
September 17, 2006 General Election Results - Sweden Totals
 Registered
  6,892,009     
Electors 
 Voters    5,650,416  82.0%   
List Votes  % Seats
 Social
Democratic   1,942,625  35.0  130 
Party 
 Moderate
  1,456,014  26.2  97 
Party 
 Center
  437,389  7.9  29 
Party 
 Liberal
  418,395  7.5  28 
Party 

 Christian
Democratic   365,998  6.6  24 
Party 

 Left Party    324,722  5.8  22 

 Green
  291,121  5.2  19 
Party 
 Sweden
  162,463  2.9  0 
Democrats 
 Others    152,551  2.7  0 
 Political Parties
Center Party – centrist social green party
Christian Democratic Party Improving the care for elderly
Freedom of choice for childcare
Promote growth by decreasing regualtion

Environment Party the Greens – green political party

Left Party or V (formerly Communist) - socialist feminist party
Moderate Party (conservative) – liberal conservative party
People's Party – advocates social liberalism
Social Democratic Party – social democracy
 Saltsjobaden Agreement 1938
What it was:
An agreement between S.A.F. (employers' association) and L.O.
(the major federation of blue-collar unions) that established the
basis for the Swedish Model
It was created to avoid labor legislation
It established rules to be observed in the event of dismissals and
redundancies
The parties agreed to:
avoid disrupting the functioning of society
substitute mutual cooperation for strikes and lockouts
establish procedures for peaceful settlement of industrial conflicts
establish a labor market council that would deal with:
disputes that threaten essential public services
disagreements over terms of new contracts
Results of the Basic Agreement:
does not cover white-collar workers
L.O. wins unconditional acceptance by management
• Power shared between Parliament and P.M.
• Riksdag – Parliament (349 members)
– Able to choose Prime Minister (statsminister-
minister of state)
• Prime Minister appoints government
(ministers)
• Current P.M. – Fredrik Reinfeldt (2006- )
– liberal conservative Moderate Party