How Sweden is governed

Swedish society can be divided into three sectors; public, private and non-profit.

Public sector

Sweden is a democracy with parliamentary control at three levels. Citizens of Sweden elect their political representatives every four years at local level (municipal councils), at regional level (county council delegations and regional councils) and at national level (the Riksdag, Swedish parliament); and also at EU level (European parliament) every five years.

Municipal level

There are 290 municipalities in Sweden. The highest decision-making body in the municipality is known as the municipal council and is responsible for most social services in the municipality, such as preschools and schools, social services and care for the elderly.

Regional level

The highest decision-making body in a region - which includes a number of municipalities - is known as the county council delegation or regional council. This parliamentary body is responsible for some social services, primarily all healthcare, nursing and public transport.

National level

The Swedish parliament is known as the Riksdag. All public power in Sweden is based on its people, and the Riksdag is the foremost representative of the people. This is what the Swedish constitution states. The Riksdag makes decisions on - among other things - new laws, ordinance and tax, and reviews and inspects the work of the government.

The government is the Riksdag's executive body and governs Sweden via a number of ministries, among other things, such as the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Employment. The ministries are led by one or more ministers.

The country is divided into 21 counties, each of which has a county administrative board and a county governor. The county administrative board is a state authority and the government's tool at county level. The county administrative board holds supervisory responsibility and is responsible for - among other things - general elections, integration, driving licences, traffic, trade and industry and nature conservation within the county.

Political parties

There are political parties both within and outside the Riksdag. You can consult the political parties directly if you want to ask when their policies are on a specific issue, for example. The parties would be pleased to have new members who want to get involved in politics  Getting involved in a political party means you can take part in society and have an influence.

General elections

General elections are held all over Sweden every four years. At that time, citizens can vote on which political party is to represent them in the municipal councils, county councils or regional councils and the Riksdag (Swedish parliament). To be eligible to vote, you have to be aged 18 or over and registered with a municipality and county council/region. If you're a foreign citizen, you also have to have been registered in Sweden for three years. Only Swedish citizens are allowed to vote in parliamentary elections.

All EU member states hold European Parliament elections every five years. All citizens of EU member states and people with civil registration entries in Sweden are allowed to vote.
Municipal referenda

Sometimes the municipality or Riksdag decides that a municipal referendum is to be held. This means that the inhabitants of a municipality or of Sweden as a whole are allowed to be able to give their views on a specific issue. At the last national municipal referendum in 2003, the people of Sweden voted on changing their currency from the krona to the Euro. The people of Sweden voted No to the Euro.

Monarchy

Sweden is a monarchy. The ruling king or queen is the Head of State of Sweden by law. The Swedish Head of State has merely representative functions. As Head of State, the King opens the Riksdag's parliamentary session every autumn.

Private sector

The element of trade and industry not governed by the state is known as the private sector. There are a range of laws and rules which govern operations in the private sector. Many industries and companies are organised into associations, industrial associations and national associations.

Non-profit sector

The right to form non-profit associations and interest organisations, which form the basis for a lively non-profit sector in society, has been guaranteed in the constitution. Popular movements such as the workers' movement, trade union movement, revivalist movement and temperance movement grew up and gained strength in the early 20th century. Sweden is considered to be one of the world's countries with the most associations, given the size of its population.

In Sweden, there are non-profit associations in many different fields of interest such as sports, culture, leisure, nature and the environment, animals and animal protection, history, science and public law. Associations are often used as referral bodies by decision-makers in the public sector.