Learn
How Swedish politics works
Short guides explaining the basics: who does what of the Riksdag and the government, what the fundamental laws are, how a law is made, how the state budget is decided, how power is scrutinised, how the agencies are steered, how votes become seats and who the parties are. No prior knowledge needed.
- 01
How the general election works
Proportional elections, the four-percent threshold, fixed and adjustment seats - how the Riksdag's 349 seats are allocated.
Read the guide - 02
How a government is formed
Speaker's rounds, the prime-ministerial vote and the caretaker government - the path from election result to a new government.
Read the guide - 03
The branches of power
What the Riksdag, the government, the courts and the agencies do - and how they keep each other in check.
Read the guide - 04
Adjustment seats - how the result is corrected
What adjustment seats are, why they exist and how the Riksdag's last 39 seats are calculated - with examples from the 2026 election.
Read the guide - 05
Ministers - what a statsråd actually does
Ministers, collective decision-making, the ban on ministerial rule and how ministers are scrutinised - the minister's role in the Swedish system.
Read the guide - 06
How the Riksdag works
The chamber, the committees, the budget process and the power of scrutiny - how the Riksdag's work is actually done.
Read the guide - 07
The Riksdag and the government: who does what
How the Riksdag and the government fit together: legislation, budget, scrutiny, votes of no confidence and the path from bill to decision.
Read the guide - 08
Sweden's fundamental laws
The four fundamental laws, what each one regulates and how a fundamental law is amended through two identical Riksdag decisions with an election in between.
Read the guide - 09
State power in Sweden
What state power in Sweden consists of: parliament, government, agencies and courts, how they relate to one another and where the fundamental laws set the limits.
Read the guide - 10
How a law is made in Sweden
From inquiry and government bill to committee, chamber decision and promulgation: how a law is made in Sweden.
Read the guide - 11
How power is scrutinised in Sweden
The Committee on the Constitution, interpellations, questions, votes of no confidence, the Ombudsmen and the National Audit Office.
Read the guide - 12
The state budget step by step
The budget bill, the expenditure areas, the framework decision and the spring amending budget: how the state budget is decided.
Read the guide - 13
The agencies and ministerial rule
Instructions, appropriation directives, agency management and the ban on ministerial rule in individual cases.
Read the guide - 14
How the key issues are read
Motions, interpellations and written questions explained, how parliament's decision wording should be read, and why the number of items measures attention, never quality.
Read the guide - 15
The parties in the Riksdag
Short profiles of the Riksdag's eight parties: history, ideology and the 2026 election result.
Read the guide
Glossary
Recurring terms in Swedish politics, briefly explained. To read about an individual party, see the party pages with history, policies, leaders and results. All MPs with constituency and contact are listed on the parliament page. The parties' own words about their policies are quoted word for word. In the policy tracker and in key issues you can also see what each party has filed in parliament within the same areas.
- Utjämningsmandat
- The 39 seats handed out nationally so the Riksdag mirrors the nationwide vote. Read more
- Fast valkretsmandat
- One of the 310 seats allocated directly within one of the 29 constituencies. Read more
- Statsråd
- The formal title of a minister - a member of the government, which decides jointly. Read more
- Statsrådsberedningen
- The prime minister's own office within the Government Offices, coordinating the government's work. Read more
- Ministerstyre
- A minister interfering in an agency's individual decision - prohibited by the Instrument of Government. Read more
- Proposition
- A bill submitted by the government to the Riksdag. Read more
- Motion
- A proposal from one or more members of the Riksdag. Read more
- Utskott
- One of the Riksdag's 15 preparatory committees, where proposals are negotiated before the chamber votes. Read more
- Betänkande
- A committee's written proposal for a decision, which the chamber then debates. Read more
- Votering
- A vote in the chamber, where each member votes yes, no or abstains. Read more
- Interpellation
- A written question to a minister, answered orally in the chamber and followed by debate. Read more
- Talman
- The chamber's impartial chair, who also leads the formation of a government. Read more
- Regeringsform
- The most important of Sweden's four fundamental laws; it sets out how the country is governed. Read more
- Konselj
- A council meeting with the head of state present, including when a new government takes office. Read more