Prime Minister of Sweden
Encyclopedia
The Prime Minister is the head of government
in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state
, namely the King
, in whom the executive authority was vested. Louis De Geer, the architect behind the new bicameral Parliament
of 1866 that replaced the centuries old Riksdag of the Estates
, became the first officeholder in 1876.
The current Prime Minister of Sweden is Fredrik Reinfeldt
, leader of the Moderate Party
.
was created, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from the head of state. Historically though, the most senior member of the Privy Council
(during the absolute rule this was the Lord High Chancellor
) had certain similarities to the office of a head of government. This was most evident during the so called Age of Liberty from 1718 to 1772, when powers of the Monarch were greatly reduced and the President of the Privy Council became the most powerful political figure in Sweden.
At the adoption of the new Instrument of Government of 1809
, the two offices of Prime Minister for Justice and Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs were created, though their roles were no more than just the heads of their respective ministries. When the office of the Prime Minister was created in 1876, the Prime Ministers for Justice and Foreign Affairs were thus subsequently demoted to Minister for Justice
and Minister for Foreign Affairs
. Unlike the Minister for Justice, the Minister for Foreign Affairs did however continue to be styled
as "Excellency
", an honour shared only with the Prime Minister.
From 1917 parliamentarian principles were de facto established in Sweden and the Monarch ceased to exercise his constitutional authority to appoint the Prime Minister and the Councillors of State (cabinet ministers) by his own discretion. From now on the Prime Minister depended on the support from Parliament, and in effect the Prime Minister came to exercise the Royal prerogative
s. However, the Swedish term used for the Government during this period, still was Kungl. Maj:t, an abbreviation of Kunglig Majestät (Royal Majesty).
Until 1974 the executive authority in Sweden had been exercised through the King in Council
. Constitution
al reform provided a new Instrument of Government
which de jure
established the parliamentary system
and created a cabinet government with constitutional powers not derived from the Crown, although this had been the de facto
case since 1917.
asks him (or his deputy) to keep the government as a caretaker government
until a successor has been elected. The speaker then holds consultations with the party leaders and appoints a Prime Minister-designate, who is submitted for approval to the Riksdag
. If the Prime Minister-designate is approved he or she chooses which and how many members (ministers) are to be included in his or her government.
With the exception of the Prime Minister, ministers of the government do not need the approval of the Riksdag but can be forced to resign by a vote of no confidence. If the Prime Minister is forced by a vote of no confidence to resign the entire cabinet falls and the process of electing a Prime minister starts over. The Prime Minister can dissolve the parliament even after receiving a vote of no confidence except the first three months after an election.
The Swedish constitution requires that the Prime Minister appoints one of the ministers in the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister
, in case the Prime Minister for some reason is prevented from performing his or her duties. However, if a Deputy Prime Minister is absent or has not been appointed, the minister in the cabinet who has served the longest time – and if there are several with equal experience, the one who is oldest – takes over as acting head of government (see Swedish governmental line of succession
for the present governmental line of succession).
in central Stockholm
, straight across the water from Helgeandsholmen
with the parliament
building.
In 1991 the Sager House
(or the "Sager Palace" as it was previously called) was acquired, and since 1995 it has served as the private residence of the Prime Minister. The Sager House is located adjacent to Rosenbad and the parliament building.
Harpsund
, a manor house
in Flen Municipality
, Södermanland County
, has served as a country residence for the Prime Minister since 1953. The manor is also frequently used for governmental conferences and informal summits between the government, industry and organisations in Sweden.
. Since 1 July 2007, the Prime Minister's monthly salary is SEK
126,000 (~US$
20,000) or SEK1,512,000 (~US$236,000) per year. This is comparable to the £
127,334 (~US$250,000) annual salary of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
or the US$400,000 annual salary of the President of the United States
.
File:Rosenbad 2006.jpg|The Rosenbad
building has functioned as the Prime Minister's Office (Statsrådsberedningen) since 1981.
File:Sagerska palatset.jpg|The Sager Palace is the Prime Minister's official residence.
File:Harpsund2.JPG|Harpsund Manor
has been used as the Prime Minister's country residence since 1953.
File:Kanslihuset 2010.jpg|Kanslihuset was where the Prime Minister's Office was located prior to 1981. Nowadays it houses offices of the Riksdag.
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
, namely the King
Monarch of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Sweden. The present monarch, Carl XVI Gustaf, has reigned since 15 September 1973. He and his immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
, in whom the executive authority was vested. Louis De Geer, the architect behind the new bicameral Parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
of 1866 that replaced the centuries old Riksdag of the Estates
Riksdag of the Estates
The Riksdag of the Estates , was the name used for the Estates of the Swedish realm when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King...
, became the first officeholder in 1876.
The current Prime Minister of Sweden is Fredrik Reinfeldt
Fredrik Reinfeldt
John Fredrik Reinfeldt is the Prime Minister of Sweden, leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party and former President of the European Council...
, leader of the Moderate Party
Moderate Party
The Moderate Party is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1904 as the General Electoral League by a group of conservatives in the Swedish parliament...
.
History
Before 1876, when the office of a single prime ministerPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
was created, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from the head of state. Historically though, the most senior member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of Sweden
The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service...
(during the absolute rule this was the Lord High Chancellor
Lord High Chancellor of Sweden
The Lord High Chancellor was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from 1561 until 1680, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Privy Council of Sweden...
) had certain similarities to the office of a head of government. This was most evident during the so called Age of Liberty from 1718 to 1772, when powers of the Monarch were greatly reduced and the President of the Privy Council became the most powerful political figure in Sweden.
At the adoption of the new Instrument of Government of 1809
Instrument of Government (1809)
The Instrument of Government adopted on 6 June 1809 by the Riksdag of the Estates was one of the fundamental laws that made up the constitution of Sweden from 1809 to 1974...
, the two offices of Prime Minister for Justice and Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs were created, though their roles were no more than just the heads of their respective ministries. When the office of the Prime Minister was created in 1876, the Prime Ministers for Justice and Foreign Affairs were thus subsequently demoted to Minister for Justice
Minister for Justice (Sweden)
The Minister for Justice is the justice minister of Sweden and head of the Ministry of Justice. The current Minister for Justice is Beatrice Ask of the Moderate Party....
and Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the foreign minister of Sweden and the head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.The office was instituted in 1809 as a result of the constitutional Instrument of Government promulgated in the same year. Until 1876 the office was called Prime Minister for Foreign...
. Unlike the Minister for Justice, the Minister for Foreign Affairs did however continue to be styled
Style (manner of address)
A style of office, or honorific, is a legal, official, or recognized title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal...
as "Excellency
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state.Usually, people styled "Excellency" are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, aristocracy, and military, and others holding equivalent rank .It is...
", an honour shared only with the Prime Minister.
From 1917 parliamentarian principles were de facto established in Sweden and the Monarch ceased to exercise his constitutional authority to appoint the Prime Minister and the Councillors of State (cabinet ministers) by his own discretion. From now on the Prime Minister depended on the support from Parliament, and in effect the Prime Minister came to exercise the Royal prerogative
Royal Prerogative
The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the sovereign alone. It is the means by which some of the executive powers of government, possessed by and...
s. However, the Swedish term used for the Government during this period, still was Kungl. Maj:t, an abbreviation of Kunglig Majestät (Royal Majesty).
Until 1974 the executive authority in Sweden had been exercised through the King in Council
King in Council (Sweden)
King in Council, was a term used in Sweden before 1975 when the new Instrument of Government came into force.-History of the term Kunglig Majestät:The term Kunglig Majestät was...
. Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
al reform provided a new Instrument of Government
Constitution of Sweden
The Swedish Constitution consists of four fundamental laws :* The 1810 Act of Succession * The 1949 Freedom of the Press Act * The 1974 Instrument of Government * The 1991 Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression...
which de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
established the parliamentary system
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
and created a cabinet government with constitutional powers not derived from the Crown, although this had been the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
case since 1917.
Office
Whenever a Prime Minister resigns, dies, or is forced from office by the Riksdag, the Speaker of the RiksdagSpeaker of the Riksdag
The Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden is the speaker of the national parliament in Sweden. The Riksdag underwent changes in 1867, when the old Riksdag of the Estates institution was abolished. The new form of the Riksdag included two chambers, each with its own Speaker...
asks him (or his deputy) to keep the government as a caretaker government
Caretaker government
Caretaker government is a type of government that rules temporarily. A caretaker government is often set up following a war until stable democratic rule can be restored, or installed, in which case it is often referred to as a provisional government...
until a successor has been elected. The speaker then holds consultations with the party leaders and appoints a Prime Minister-designate, who is submitted for approval to the Riksdag
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
. If the Prime Minister-designate is approved he or she chooses which and how many members (ministers) are to be included in his or her government.
With the exception of the Prime Minister, ministers of the government do not need the approval of the Riksdag but can be forced to resign by a vote of no confidence. If the Prime Minister is forced by a vote of no confidence to resign the entire cabinet falls and the process of electing a Prime minister starts over. The Prime Minister can dissolve the parliament even after receiving a vote of no confidence except the first three months after an election.
The Swedish constitution requires that the Prime Minister appoints one of the ministers in the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden
The Swedish constitution allows the Prime Minister to appoint one of the Ministers in the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister , in case the Prime Minister for some reason is prevented from performing his or her duties...
, in case the Prime Minister for some reason is prevented from performing his or her duties. However, if a Deputy Prime Minister is absent or has not been appointed, the minister in the cabinet who has served the longest time – and if there are several with equal experience, the one who is oldest – takes over as acting head of government (see Swedish governmental line of succession
Swedish governmental line of succession
The Swedish constitution of 1974 allows the Prime Minister of Sweden to appoint one of the Ministers in the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister , in case the Prime Minister for some reason is prevented from performing his or her duties...
for the present governmental line of succession).
Official residences
The government offices, including the Prime Minister's office, is located at RosenbadRosenbad
Rosenbad is a building in central Stockholm, precinct of Norrmalm, designed by Art Nouveau architect Ferdinand Boberg and completed in 1902. It is located on Strömgatan on the North side of the river Norrström...
in central Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, straight across the water from Helgeandsholmen
Helgeandsholmen
Helgeandsholmen is a small island in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is located north of Stadsholmen, and east of Strömsborg, with which, together with Riddarholmen, it forms Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm...
with the parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
building.
In 1991 the Sager House
Sager House
The Sager House or Sager Palace is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sweden at Strömgatan 18 in Sweden's capital Stockholm.- Location and Environment :...
(or the "Sager Palace" as it was previously called) was acquired, and since 1995 it has served as the private residence of the Prime Minister. The Sager House is located adjacent to Rosenbad and the parliament building.
Harpsund
Harpsund
Harpsund is a manor house located in Flen Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. Since May 22, 1953 Harpsund has been used as a country residence for the Prime Minister of Sweden.-History:...
, a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
in Flen Municipality
Flen Municipality
Flen Municipality is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Flen.The present municipality was formed in 1971 through the amalgamation of the City of Flen , the market town Malmköping and the surrounding countryside.-Localities:Figures from...
, Södermanland County
Södermanland County
Södermanland County is a county or län on the south east coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Östergötland, Örebro, Västmanland, Uppsala, Stockholm and to the Baltic sea....
, has served as a country residence for the Prime Minister since 1953. The manor is also frequently used for governmental conferences and informal summits between the government, industry and organisations in Sweden.
Salary
The salaries of the cabinet ministers, including the Prime Minister, is decided by and is the subject of annual review by the Statsrådsarvodesnämnden ("Cabinet Ministers' Salary Committee") of the Swedish parliamentParliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
. Since 1 July 2007, the Prime Minister's monthly salary is SEK
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
126,000 (~US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
20,000) or SEK1,512,000 (~US$236,000) per year. This is comparable to the £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
127,334 (~US$250,000) annual salary of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
or the US$400,000 annual salary of the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Gallery
File:Rosenbad 2006.jpg|The Rosenbad
Rosenbad
Rosenbad is a building in central Stockholm, precinct of Norrmalm, designed by Art Nouveau architect Ferdinand Boberg and completed in 1902. It is located on Strömgatan on the North side of the river Norrström...
building has functioned as the Prime Minister's Office (Statsrådsberedningen) since 1981.
File:Sagerska palatset.jpg|The Sager Palace is the Prime Minister's official residence.
File:Harpsund2.JPG|Harpsund Manor
Harpsund
Harpsund is a manor house located in Flen Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. Since May 22, 1953 Harpsund has been used as a country residence for the Prime Minister of Sweden.-History:...
has been used as the Prime Minister's country residence since 1953.
File:Kanslihuset 2010.jpg|Kanslihuset was where the Prime Minister's Office was located prior to 1981. Nowadays it houses offices of the Riksdag.
See also
- List of Prime Ministers of Sweden
- Deputy Prime Minister of SwedenDeputy Prime Minister of SwedenThe Swedish constitution allows the Prime Minister to appoint one of the Ministers in the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister , in case the Prime Minister for some reason is prevented from performing his or her duties...
- Swedish governmental line of successionSwedish governmental line of successionThe Swedish constitution of 1974 allows the Prime Minister of Sweden to appoint one of the Ministers in the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister , in case the Prime Minister for some reason is prevented from performing his or her duties...
- Elections in SwedenElections in SwedenElections in the Kingdom of Sweden are held every four years, and determine the makeup of the legislative bodies on the three levels of administrative division in the country. At the highest level, these elections determine the allocation of seats in the Riksdag, the national legislative body of...
- Living Prime Ministers of SwedenLiving Prime Ministers of SwedenThis is the list of all of the former or current Prime Ministers of Sweden alive during each Ministry, from the appointment of Louis De Geer as the first Prime Minister.-Trivia:...
- List of cabinets of Sweden
- List of Swedish politicians
External links
- Prime Minister's Office, official website