Election Guide 2002 - Sweden.se

The Swedish
political system
Historical background
In 1809 Sweden adopted a written constitution which
was modern for its time, based on Montesquieu’s
political theory of the separation of powers. In 1866 the
Riksdag (parliament) of four estates (nobility, clergy,
burghers and peasants) was replaced by a bicameral
assembly. The Second Chamber was directly elected by
male voters who met rather restrictive property
requirements, the First Chamber by various local
government bodies.
As Sweden underwent rapid industrialisation late in
the 19th century, workers organised themselves into
trade unions and formed the Social Democratic Party.
In a joint campaign with the Liberal Party lasting for
more than a generation, they demanded the introduction
of equal voting rights for all adults.
Following a series of partial electoral reforms before
World War I, universal suffrage became a reality around
1920. By this time, a gradual evolution had also produced
a modern political party system and a parliamentary
system of government.
A new written constitution was introduced by stages
during the first half of the1970s. It created a unicameral
Riksdag, elected directly by all Swedes aged 18 or over.
The Riksdag has 349 members, who serve four-year
terms as from 1994. The previous electoral term was
three years. Eligibility presupposes Swedish citizenship
and the attainment of voting age (18 since 1976).
Governments, 1932-2002
Between 1932 and 1976 the Social Democrats were in
office continuously, except for an interregnum of 100
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