Ciencias Politicas

The Swedish constitution comprises the fundamental laws governing Sweden´s organization as a state. It contains provisions to define the relation between the executive and the legislative powers, but also the rights and freedoms enjoyed by citizens.

The Constitution consists of four fundamental laws: the Instrument of Government, the Act of Succession, the Freedom of the Press Act and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (The Swedish Constitution, 2004). The most important fundamental law is the Instrument of Government of 1974 which sets out the basic principles of the political life in Sweden, defining the rights and freedoms. The three principles are: I. All public power in Sweden proceeds from the people. II. Swedish democracy is founded on the free formation of opinion and on universal and equal suffrage. It is realized through a representative and parliamentary form of government and through local self-government. III. Public power is exercised under the law.

Unlike other laws, the Constitution is difficult to amend. It can only be amended by the Swedish parliament (the Riksdag), and they have to pass identically worded resolutions to this effect on two different occasions, separated by a general election. No other laws or ordinances are allowed to come into conflict with the Constitution.

To ensure a functioning judicial system, it is important that the courts are independent and autonomous in relation to the Riksdag, the Government and other government agencies. This is guaranteed through provisions in the Swedish Constitution.

The Judicial system of Sweden consists of the law of Sweden and a number of government agencies. Their task is to uphold security and rule of law within the country. The courts form the backbone of the legal system. Sweden has two parallel types of courts: general courts and general administrative courts. General courts deal with criminal and civil cases whereas general administrative courts deal with cases relating to public administration. The general courts are organized in a three-tier system: district courts, courts of appeal and the Supreme Court. The administrative courts also have three tiers: administrative courts, administrative courts of appeal and the Supreme Administrative Court (The Swedish Judicial System, 2012).

The various courts are:

Courts: Civil and criminal jurisdiction

Administrative courts: Legislation between the Public and the Government

Ombudsman: The Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Chancellor of Justice

In Sweden, the supreme decision-making body that has the power to enact, amend and repeal laws is the Riksdag. After more than one century of bicameralism, Sweden reformed the legislature into a unicameral system in 1971.

The Riksdag has 349 members which are elected on a proportional basis and they serve on a fixed-four year term from 1994 onwards. The Riksdag receives the legislative proposals from the Swedish Government, normally in the form of a government bill. Some bills contain proposals for new legislation, requiring long discussions and debates before a vote can be taken. But other proposals consist of changes in policy guidelines or amendments to existing laws. Nowadays, there is a growing amount of legislation that affects Sweden which is issued by the European Union. Some of the laws apply directly, without being passed through the Riksdag, while others must be implemented in existing Swedish legislation before they can take effect (Algonet 2014).

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a freely elected multi-party parliamentary form of government.

Head of state

The highest individual representative of a country is known as its head of state. In Sweden this position is held by the King, or by a ruling Queen. The Constitution of 1975 deprived the King of most of his formal powers while retaining him as head of state. Due to this change in the Constitution, the King´s duties are only of a representative and ceremonial nature. This means that he has no power and he is only existent due to traditions.

According to the Constitution the King has three functions:

He is an official representative and head of state

He is the head of state defence, holds the highest rank in the army and he is honorary commander of some military units

He is a symbol of Swedish statehood

Furthermore, the King does have the right to be informed by the Prime Minister about important state interests. He is also chair of the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs and the Royal family is entitled to funds from the state budget and their revenues are not taxed. The Royal family has the right to vote but, according to tradition, they do not use this right (Brunclík M., 2011). The current King of Sweden is Karl XVI. Gustaf.

Government

The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the national cabinet and the supreme executive authority in Sweden (State, 2014). It consists of the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers. The task of the Prime Minister is to form a Government. He personally chooses the ministers of the Cabinet and also decides which ministers will be in charge of the various ministries. Under the Constitution, the Government – not the head of state – is empowered to make governmental decisions. At the official opening of the Riksdag each September, the Prime Minister delivers a Statement of Government Policy. In this Statement he presents the Government´s policy goals for the coming year and defines priority policy areas at a national and international level.

The Government rules Sweden by implementing the decision of the Riksdag and by formulating new acts, on which the Riksdag decides. The official functions of the Government are: presenting bills to the Riksdag, implement the Riksdag´s decisions, allocate the funds appropriated by the Riksdag for expenditure on items in the budget, represent Sweden in the EU, enter into agreements with other states, take decisions in certain administrative areas that are not covered by other authorities, direct the activities and operations of the executive branch (Swedish Institute, 2014).

Elections systems and referendums

The Swedish electoral system consists of elections and referendums, it is based on universal suffrage. This means that the right to vote is not restricted by race, sex, belief, wealth or social status. Elections are to be free, secret and direct. Age, nationality and residency

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