Everyone knows that Sweden is one of the most prosperous countries in the world. In many respects this fact is explained by the fact that the power of the people, that is, democracy, is successfully functioning on its territory. The main body of this Scandinavian state is the parliament. We will talk about its history, device and features in the article.
Historical reference
The unicameral parliament of Sweden was first convened in 1435 in a city called Arbuga. This happened as a result of the rebellion of the people against the then tyrant - King Eric Pomeranian. The main feature of that meeting was that at the same time representatives of four classes took part in the life of the country - peasants, townspeople, clergy and nobles. The post of ruler of the country as a result of this meeting was then received by Engelbrekt Engelbrekson.
In 1921, the Swedish legislature acquired a truly democratic character - women gained the right to be elected to the ranks of this structure. In 1971, parliament became unicameral and began to have 350 members. However, two years later, an even number of deputies was brought to the value of 349 people due to the difficulty of making decisions by an absolute majority. In 1994, the cadence of the parliament was increased from three years to four, and changes were introduced to the regulations for the adoption of the state budget, which made this process more efficient.
Rights of a deputy
Every Swedish parliamentarian is endowed with immunity. No one can forbid him to travel around the country, to institute criminal proceedings against him, unless the relevant permission has been obtained from this state body. For this, at least 5/6 of the entire parliament must vote. Important: the deputy is not given the right to voluntarily renounce his authority. If for some reason he wants to stop his work in the Riksdag, then he is obliged to obtain the consent of the Parliament.
Formation
Once every four years, the Swedish parliament changes its composition. On the third Sunday of September, citizens of the country, which is about 7 million people, determine for themselves who will directly rule the power during the mandatory period.
In Sweden there is a proportional voting system: people vote for parties, which in turn, depending on the number of votes received, ultimately distribute to each other the corresponding number of seats directly in the legislature. Moreover, elections in the state are held simultaneously in parliament and in landstings - the governing bodies of the regions.
The name of the parliament in Sweden is the riksdag. Today it includes eight political parties. The leader in the number of deputies is the Social Democratic Party. It is followed by the Temperate Coalition Party and the Swedish Democrats.
Relationship regulation
The modern Swedish parliament interacts with the executive through the country's constitution. In turn, this legislative act has four main sections:
- "On the form of government."
- "On the succession to the throne."
- "On the freedom of the press."
- "On the freedom of expression."
All provisions of the Constitution are priority, that is, they have a clear advantage over other laws of the state. In order for the country's main law to be amended, the Swedish parliament is obliged to accept the amendments introduced in the spirit of readings, both before and after the next election.
Collaboration with the cabinet
The Riksdag, as one of its main functions, has the obligation to appoint a prime minister, who in turn forms the government. At the same time, Cabinet employees are not authorized to vote in parliament, but at the same time they are given the right to take part in debates held within the walls of the Riksdag.
At the time of the official opening of the session in parliament in September, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers makes a report on the planned goals of the government for the next calendar year, talks about the main priorities in both domestic and foreign policy of the country.
Today
The Swedish Parliament is characterized by its activity and a high degree of responsibility to its constituents. Moreover, sometimes this body issues rather interesting decrees. So, for example, at the end of 2017, a law was passed that a man must have unequivocal consent before sexual contact with a woman. Moreover, this applies not only to random communication, but even to married couples.
The Swedish parliament is also worried about the country's environmental safety. Since August 1, 2018, the state has entered into force an unequivocal ban on the extraction, processing and sampling of uranium with a view to its subsequent use as nuclear fuel.
Interesting fact
Every Thursday at 14:00 a debate takes place within the walls of the Rigdsdag on the basis of a “question-answer” principle. For an hour, deputies have been asking questions to the visiting ministers.