Government of Sweden
Government of the Kingdom of Sweden | |
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![]() Lesser coat of arms of Sweden | |
Overview | |
Established | 1975 |
State | Kingdom of Sweden |
Leader | Prime Minister (Statsminister) |
Appointed by | Prime Minister is elected by the Riksdag. Other ministers (statsråd) are appointed by the Prime Minister. |
Main organ | Cabinet |
Responsible to | Riksdag |
Headquarters | Rosenbad, Stockholm |
Website | www |
The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sveriges regering) is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority.
The Government consists of the
The short-form name Regeringen ("the Government") is used both in the Basic Laws of Sweden and in the vernacular, while the long-form is only used in international treaties.[2]
Organization
The Government operates as a
Following the adoption of the
History
The present Government is formed according to the laws set out in the
Role and scope
The Government has a stronger constitutional position than the cabinets in the other Scandinavian monarchies. This is because under the Instrument of Government (Swedish: Regeringsformen)—one of the Fundamental Laws of the Realm—the Government is both the de jure and de facto executive authority in Sweden. In Denmark and Norway, the monarch is at least the nominal chief executive, but is bound by convention to act on the advice of the cabinet. However, Chapter 1, Article 6 of the Instrument of Government explicitly states:[1]
The Government governs the Realm. It is accountable to the Riksdag
The Instrument of Government sets out the main responsibilities and duties of the Government (including the Prime Minister's and other cabinet ministers') and how it relates to other organs of the State.[1]
The Chancellor of Justice and other State administrative authorities come under the Government, unless they are authorities under the Riksdag according to the present Instrument of Government or by virtue of other law.
— Instrument of Government, Chapter 12, Article 1.[1]
Most state administrative authorities (statliga förvaltningsmyndigheter), as opposed to local authorities (kommuner), sorts under the Government, including the Armed Forces, Coast Guard, Customs Service and the police.
While the judiciary technically sort under the Government in the fiscal sense, Chapter 11 of the Instrument of Government provides safeguards to ensure its independence.[1][5]
In a unique feature of the Swedish constitutional system, individual cabinet ministers do not bear any
High Contracting Party

The Government of Sweden is the
Promulgation
Chapter 6, Article 7 prescribes that laws and ordinances are promulgated by the Government (by the Prime Minister or other cabinet minister),[1] and are subsequently published in the Swedish Code of Statutes (Swedish: Svensk författningssamling).[6]
Formation and dismissal
Following a general election, Speaker of the Riksdag begins to hold talks with the leaders of the parties with representation in the Riksdag, the Speaker then nominates a candidate for Prime Minister (statsminister). The nomination is then put to a vote in the chamber. Unless an absolute majority of the members (175 members) votes "no", the nomination is confirmed, otherwise it is rejected. The Speaker must then find a new nominee. This means the Riksdag can consent to a Prime Minister without casting any "yes" votes.
After being elected the Prime Minister appoints the cabinet ministers and announces them to the Riksdag. Prospective ministers do not have to be sitting members of the Riksdag, but if one accepts a nomination, they would surrender their seat to a substitute member. The new Government takes office at a special council held at the Royal Palace before the monarch, at which the Speaker of the Riksdag formally announces to the monarch that the Riksdag has elected a new Prime Minister and that the Prime Minister has chosen his cabinet ministers.
The Riksdag can cast a
If a vote of no confidence is cast against the Prime Minister this means the entire government is rejected. A losing government has one week to call for a general election or else the procedure of nominating a new Prime Minister starts anew.
Cabinets
Government of Sweden | ||
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Sveriges regering | ||
Deputy to the Prime Minister Ebba Busch | | |
Number of members | 24 | |
Administration | ||
Working language | Swedish | |
Staff organization | Government Offices (the ministries are organised as entities within it) | |
Location | Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden | |
Seat | Rosenbad (since 1981) |
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Present Cabinet
Former cabinets
Each appointment of a new Prime Minister is considered to result in a new cabinet, irrespective if the Prime Minister is reappointed or not. However, there is no automatic resignation following a defeat in a general election, so an election does not always result in a new cabinet.
Government offices

Previously known as the Royal Chancery (
The Instrument of Government briefly mentions in Chapter 7, Article 1 that there is a staff organization supporting the Government known as the Government Offices. The present organizational charter for the Government Offices is found in the
See also
- County Administrative Boards of Sweden
- Economy of Sweden
- Elections in Sweden
- Government agencies in Sweden
- History of Sweden
- List of Swedish ministries
- Municipalities of Sweden
- Politics of Sweden
- Principle of Public Access
- Referendums in Sweden
- Royal Court of Sweden
- State Secretary (Sweden)
- State-owned enterprises of Sweden
- Statens offentliga utredningar
- Swedish Code of Statutes
- Travaux préparatoires
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Instrument of Government (as of 2018)" (PDF). The Riksdag. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Treaty between Sweden and Hong Kong" (PDF). Riksdag. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- ^ "The Head of State". Government of Sweden. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- Government Offices of Sweden. Archived from the originalon 24 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- Domstolsverket. Archived from the originalon 18 June 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ^ "Lag (1976:633) om kungörande av lagar och andra författningar" (in Swedish). Notisum. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- ^ "Premises of the Government Offices". Government Offices of Sweden. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^ "History of the Government Offices". The Riksdag. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^ "Förordning (1996:1515) med instruktion för Regeringskansliet" (in Swedish). Swedish Code of Statutes. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
Notes
- ^ Not a separate minister post.
- Bibliography
- Larsson, Torbjörn; Bäck, Henry (2008). Governing and Governance in Sweden. Lund: ISBN 978-91-44-03682-3.
- Petersson, Olof (2010). Den offentliga makten (in Swedish). Stockholm: SNS Förlag. ISBN 978-91-86203-66-5.