How Sweden is governed: democracy explained

Sweden is a democracy. So the people decide by voting in elections. The people we elect make the decisions for us. Here is the most important part of how it works: the Riksdag, the government, the head of state, the fundamental laws, the municipalities and the regions.

What does democracy mean?

The word democracy means roughly rule by the people (folkstyre in Swedish). The Instrument of Government (Regeringsformen) is one of Sweden's fundamental laws. It says: "All public power in Sweden proceeds from the people."

Sweden is a representative democracy. The people elect politicians in elections. The politicians then make the decisions. A democracy also has:

• free and secret elections, where you decide for yourself how you vote;
• several parties to choose between;
• the right to say what you think and to meet in groups;
• independent courts and the same law for everyone.

The opposite of democracy is a dictatorship (diktatur). Then one person or one party rules alone.

The Riksdag decides on the laws

The Riksdag (riksdagen) is Sweden's parliament. It is the highest decision-making body in Sweden. It has 349 members. The Riksdag election takes place on the second Sunday in September every four years. On the same day there are elections to the regions and municipalities.

The Riksdag has some important tasks:

• to decide on laws;
• to decide on the state budget, which means how the state's money is used;
• to check the government and the government agencies.

To win seats in the Riksdag, a party needs at least 4 percent of the votes in the whole country. There is one exception. A party that gets at least 12 percent of the votes in one constituency can win seats there. A constituency (valkrets) is an area of the country.

The government runs the country

The government (regeringen) consists of the Prime Minister and the other ministers. The government runs the country. It sends proposals for new laws to the Riksdag. It also makes sure that the Riksdag's decisions are carried out.

After an election, the Speaker (talmannen), who leads the Riksdag, proposes a new Prime Minister. The Riksdag votes on the proposal. The Prime Minister then chooses the other ministers. The Riksdag must support the government, or at least accept it. This is called parliamentarism. Sweden is a parliamentary democracy.

The head of state has no political power

Sweden's head of state is a king or a queen who has inherited the throne. The head of state is the highest representative of the country but has no political power. For example, the head of state formally opens the new Riksdag session every autumn.

Four fundamental laws protect democracy

The fundamental laws (grundlagar) form the constitution. They stand above other laws. A law must not go against a fundamental law. Sweden has four fundamental laws:

Fundamental law	What it is about
The Instrument of Government (Regeringsformen)	How Sweden is governed and our basic rights and freedoms
The Freedom of the Press Act (Tryckfrihetsförordningen)	The freedom to publish printed text. Everyone's right to read documents held by the authorities. Some documents are secret and are not handed out.
The Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (Yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen)	The freedom to express yourself on radio, TV, film and the internet
The Act of Succession (Successionsordningen)	Who can become king or queen

A fundamental law is hard to change. The Riksdag must make two identical decisions. There must be a Riksdag election between the two decisions.

How power is checked

In a democracy, power must be checked. The Riksdag checks the government in several ways:

• The Committee on the Constitution (Konstitutionsutskottet, KU) is a group of Riksdag members. It examines how the ministers have done their work.
• Members can ask the ministers questions.
• The Riksdag can make a declaration of no confidence (misstroendeförklaring), also called a vote of no confidence. Then the Riksdag says that it does not trust a minister. If at least 175 of the 349 members vote yes, the minister must resign. If it is about the Prime Minister, the whole government must resign. The government can instead decide to hold an extraordinary election (extra val).

Some officials who check public bodies also work for the Riksdag. The Parliamentary Ombudsmen (Justitieombudsmannen, JO) check that government agencies follow the law. Anyone may report an agency to the JO, and it costs nothing.

Municipalities and regions

Sweden has three levels where elected politicians make decisions: the state, the regions and the municipalities.

• Municipalities (kommuner): Sweden has 290 municipalities today (2026). A municipality is responsible for things like preschool, school, social services and care for older people. The most important decisions are made in the municipal council (kommunfullmäktige).
• Regions (regioner): Sweden has 21 regions today (2026). Their biggest task is health care (hälso- och sjukvård). The regions are also responsible for public transport. The most important decisions are made in the regional council (regionfullmäktige).

Municipalities and regions have the right to collect tax. Most of what they do is paid for with tax money.

The agencies do the work

Sweden has many government agencies (myndigheter), for example the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) and the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). The number changes over time. The agencies make sure that the decisions of the Riksdag and the government are carried out.

The government directs the agencies together, through joint decisions. A single minister may not decide alone what an agency should do. This is called ministerial rule (ministerstyre) and it is not allowed. The government also may not decide how an agency should decide a case about one person.

Do you want to know what else is in the test? Read what the citizenship test contains and how to study for the test.

Words to know

Swedish word	What it means
Demokrati	Rule by the people: the people decide by voting in elections
Riksdag	Sweden's elected parliament, which decides on laws
Ledamot	A person who is elected to the Riksdag or to a council
Regering	The Prime Minister and the ministers, who run the country
Talman	The person who leads the work of the Riksdag
Grundlag	A law that stands above other laws and is harder to change
Fullmäktige	The elected council of a municipality or a region
Myndighet	A state organisation that carries out decisions, for example the Tax Agency (Skatteverket)