How Sweden Is Governed

Political responsibility in Sweden is shared between the national level (the state), the regional level (the regions), and the local level (the kommuner). Sweden is also affected by decisions made by the European Union (EU). The state consists of the Riksdag (parliament), the government, government agencies, and courts. Sweden is a parliamentary representative democracy: citizens vote in general elections and choose members of the Riksdag, who in turn decide on laws and the state budget.

The Riksdag has 349 members, elected every four years, representing different parties and parts of the country. The Riksdag elects the prime minister, who in turn appoints the ministers in the government. Every autumn, the government submits a proposal to the Riksdag on the state's income and expenditure, called the budget bill (budgetpropositionen). The parties that do not support the government are called the opposition, and their task is to scrutinize the government's work and propose alternative policies.

The government runs the country with the help of government agencies (statliga myndigheter) — there are several hundred of them, for example Arbetsförmedlingen (the Public Employment Service), Försäkringskassan (the Social Insurance Agency), Migrationsverket (the Migration Agency), Polismyndigheten (the Police Authority), and Skatteverket (the Tax Agency). The agencies must follow the law and the government's instructions. Special agencies, including Justitieombudsmannen (JO, the Parliamentary Ombudsman) and Justitiekanslern (JK, the Chancellor of Justice), check that other agencies act correctly.

Sweden is divided into 21 regions, governed by politicians elected by residents in the regional election, who make decisions in the regionfullmäktige (regional council). The regions' main responsibility is health care, as well as public transport such as buses, trams, and metro systems, and county museums (länsmuseer). Sweden is also divided into 290 kommuner, governed by the kommunfullmäktige (municipal council). Nämnder (committees) within the kommun are responsible for different areas — for example, the culture committee is responsible for the library and the education committee for the schools. The kommuner are responsible for much of the service available to residents, such as water and sewage, care for the elderly and children, snow clearing, park maintenance, and adult education. The largest kommun is the capital, Stockholm, with almost a million inhabitants; the smallest is Dorotea in Västerbotten län, with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants.

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy. This means the head of state is a king or queen who has no political power. The king acts as a symbol for Sweden, makes state visits, and receives heads of state from other countries. Sweden's king is Carl XVI Gustaf, and his firstborn daughter Victoria is Crown Princess. After her, Victoria's daughter Estelle is next in line to become monarch.