Sweden is governed at 3 levels: the state, the regions and the municipalities. Here you learn who decides at each level, and what the agencies and the king do.
Different levels, and the EU
The state is responsible for the whole country. The regions and the kommuner (municipalities) are each responsible for their own part of Sweden. At all 3 levels, it is the people who elect the politicians. The European Union (EU) also makes decisions that affect Sweden.
Politicians decide which laws and rules apply. They also decide the budget, that is, what the money should be spent on. Then it is the agencies that do the practical work. An agency is an organisation within the state that makes sure decisions are carried out.
The Riksdag and the Government
The state is more than riksdagen (the Swedish parliament) and regeringen (the Government). The agencies and the courts also belong to the state. In the courts, judges rule according to the law. Democracy in Sweden is both representative and parliamentary. Representative means that the people elect people who decide on their behalf.
In general elections, citizens elect 349 members to riksdagen. The members are elected for a 4 year term. They belong to different parties and come from all parts of Sweden. Riksdagen passes laws, that is, decides which laws Sweden will have. It also decides the state budget.
Riksdagen also elects a Prime Minister. This is the person who will lead regeringen. The fact that riksdagen elects the Prime Minister is part of what is called parliamentarism. The Prime Minister then forms regeringen and chooses their own ministers.
The budget and the opposition
Every autumn, regeringen proposes a budget for the state. This proposal is called the budget bill. A bill is a proposal from regeringen to riksdagen. It states how much money the state will take in and pay out. The budget shows the Government's policies and what it wants to prioritise most.
Not all parties support regeringen. Those that do not are in opposition. The opposition must scrutinise regeringen, that is, carefully check what it does. It must also show what policies it wants instead. Before riksdagen votes on a proposal, a debate is held, in which both the Government's parties and the opposition take part.
The agencies
Sweden has several hundred state agencies, and through them regeringen governs the country. You may know Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency), Polismyndigheten (the Swedish Police Authority), Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency), Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency) and Arbetsförmedlingen (the Swedish Public Employment Service). Försäkringskassan, for example, decides on parental benefit, money for parents who stay home with their child.
An agency must follow the law. It must also follow the instructions of regeringen. Some agencies have the task of scrutinising the other agencies. Among them are Justitieombudsmannen (JO, the Parliamentary Ombudsman) and Justitiekanslern (JK, the Chancellor of Justice).
The regions
Sweden has 21 regions. The residents of a region elect their politicians in the region election. The elected politicians meet in regionfullmäktige (the regional council) and make decisions there. Regionfullmäktige is a popularly elected assembly, that is, a group chosen by the people.
The most important task for a region is healthcare. The regions also run public transport, meaning transport that everyone can use, for example buses, trams and the underground. The regional museums also fall under the regions' responsibility.
The municipalities
Sweden has 290 kommuner (municipalities). The capital, Stockholm, is the largest, with almost 1 million inhabitants. Dorotea, in Västerbotten county, is the smallest, with under 3,000 inhabitants. The residents of each kommun elect their politicians in the municipal election. A kommun's decisions are made in kommunfullmäktige (the municipal council), which is also a popularly elected assembly.
Most of a kommun's politicians are part time politicians. They have an ordinary job and do their political work in their spare time. The kommun also has committees, that is, groups that are each responsible for one area. Libraries, for example, are run by the culture committee, and schools by the education committee. Kommunfullmäktige chooses who will sit on the committees.
Much of everyday service comes from the kommun. One example is water and sewage, that is, the water from the tap and the pipes for dirty water. The kommun also looks after elderly care and childcare. Other examples are snow clearance, park maintenance and adult education. What the kommun decides is therefore often felt more directly in everyday life than what riksdagen decides.
The king and the form of government
The form of government means what kind of rule a country has. Sweden's form of government is called a constitutional monarchy. This means the country's head of state is a monarch, that is, a king or a queen. But the head of state does not decide on politics.
The king is a symbol for the whole country. He travels on state visits to other countries. When other countries' heads of state visit Sweden, it is the king who receives them.
Carl XVI Gustaf is the King of Sweden. His eldest daughter is named Victoria and is Crown Princess. This means she is next in line to become head of state. After her comes her daughter, Princess Estelle. The rules for who becomes monarch are set out in successionsordningen (the Act of Succession).