Kingdom of Sweden By Christian Riesgo

The Swedish System of Government All public power proceeds from the people. This is the foundation of parliamentary democracy in Sweden. All public power proceeds from the people. This is the foundation of parliamentary democracy in Sweden. Everyone has the same rights, the same opportunity to have their say, and everyone is free to scrutinize how the politicians and public agencies exercise their power. Everyone has the same rights, the same opportunity to have their say, and everyone is free to scrutinize how the politicians and public agencies exercise their power. Parliament: The Riksdag, with 349 members in a single chamber. Parliament: The Riksdag, with 349 members in a single chamber.

Swedish Constitution  4 fundamental laws make up the Constitution.  The Instrument of Government: Guarantees citizens the right to obtain information freely, hold demonstrations, and form political parties and practice their religion.  The Art of Succession: Regulates the right of members of The House of Bernadotte to accede to the Swedish Throne.  The Freedom of Press Act: Sets out the principle to public access to official documents in order to guarantee an open society with access to information about the work of the Riksdag, the Gov’t & public agencies.  Sweden was the first country in the world to introduce freedom of press, in  The Law on Freedom of Expression: Implemented in 1992, prohibits censorship, gives the freedom to communicate information and the right to anonymity.

Foundations of Swedish Democracy  In Sweden, parliamentary democracy evolved during the earliest decades of the 20 th century.  Voting rights reforms in 1909 created universal male suffrage and introduced proportional elections. In 1921, universal suffrage was extended to women.  After WW2, democracy became the wholly dominant concept in Swedish politics.

Swedish Political Parties  A party must receive at least 4% of all votes in the election to gain representation in the Riksdag, a rule designed to prevent very small parties from getting in.  The current 8 parties representing in the Riksdag are: the Social Democratic Party, the Moderate Party, the Sweden Democrats, the Green Party, the Centre Party, the Left Party, the Liberal Party, and the Christian Democrats.  For many decades, the Social Democratic Party had a dominant role in Swedish politics. However, in the past 30 years, power has changed hands between the Social Democrats and the ‘non-socialist’ political bloc.

Current Political Landscape  The Social Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven created a minority coalition with the Green Party in September  Sweden was the first European Union country to recognize Palestine as a state.  Löfven agenda is to boost welfare, school, and jobs.

Gender Equality in Sweden  Sweden ranks 4 th in the Global Gender Gap Index top 10 according to the World Economic Forum.  In 2012, the share of women heading companies – private & public combined – was 36%  The majority of managers in municipal, county counsel, and central gov’t were women (64%).  After the 2010 election, women made up 45% of the parliament.  13 of the 24 Gov’t ministers are women.

Parental Leave  In Sweden, parents are entitled to 480 days of parental leave when a child is born or adopted.  For 390 days, the maximum parental allowance is SEK 946 (USD137.0) a day.  For the remaining 90 days, the daily allowance is SEK 180.  60 days of leave are allocated to each parent, and cannot be transferred to the other.

Sweden’s GDP  GDP: 44,646 US dollars per capita  Gov’t Spending: 52% of GDP  Tax Revenue: 25,809 US dollars per capita  Social Security Contributions: 9.8% of GDP

Swedes Love Their Taxes  okay-with-paying-taxes/

Socio-economic Factors  Unemployment: 7.9%  Long-term unemployment: 17%  Youth unemployment: 23.6%  Major export goods: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals and plastic and rubber parts, electric and telecommunications equipment.  Labor Force Participation: 68.6% for men; 63.7% for women  Working hours: Standard work week is 40 hours minimum paid vacation is 5 weeks.

Health  Health Spending: 9.6% of GDP  Life Expectancy: 81.8 Years average; men: 80.1 years; women: 83.7 years

Environmental Issues  Sweden aims to increase renewable energy to 50% of national supply in  48% is Sweden’s current figure, thanks to hydropower, biofuel, solar, and the increasing supply of wind power.  Less than 1% of Sweden’s household waste ends up in a rubbish dump. So 99% is recycled in one way or another.

The Swedish Recycling Revolution  recycling-revolution/