The Riksdag: Sweden's Monarchy-Democratic Government

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Sweden in its foundation is a monarchy as well as a democracy, and as such has a parliament which is called the Riksdag. Inside this parliament sits 349 members from various different political parties, each expressing their own opinions on the legislative matters which are discussed inside their unicameral legislature. The seats of the Riksdag are elected on a proportional basis to the amount of votes the party receives from the Swedish people in an election. This means that if a party receives 20% of Sweden’s votes, they will receive 20% of the 349 seats; the next election to be held is in September, 2014. Furthermore, there are 349 seats in order to prevent the hypothetical occurrence of an issue having an equal amount of votes for two different decisions, which would not be decisive or efficient because it would force the Riksdag to further discuss the matter and hold another vote on the same issue.

“All 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.” (“The Swedish System of Government.”)

The constitution of Sweden is made up of four fundamental laws as well as other laws that protect the democracy as well as the freedom and basic rights for its citizens; the laws outline the basic rules for all political decisions and conflicts. The guidelines for elections and how they should work are mentioned mainly in the third chapter of the Swedish constitution, “The Parliament”. Throughout this chapter the regulations about who is entitled to vote is discussed; every Swedish citizen that is currently residing i...

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"Vår Politik." Socialdemokraterna. The Social Democratic Party, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2014. .
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"What Does the Riksdag Do?" Riksdagen. Swedish Riksdag, n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. .

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