The Swedish people choose which people are to represent them in the Riksdag in regularly occurring elections. The Riksdag then elects the prime minister after a proposal from the Speaker. The prime minister, in turn, appoints the government ministers.
Stefan Löfven (Social Democratic Party) shakes hands with the Speaker Andreas Norlén after it has been established that he has been chosen as Prime Minister on 18 January 2019.
Photo: Anders Löwdin
The government may be reshuffled considerably without it being a question of forming a new government. The prime minister may replace ministers, transfer ministers and increase or decrease the number of ministers without consulting the Riksdag.
The government must be tolerated by the Riksdag. If the government loses the Riksdag's support, it may be forced to resign.
How a government is formed after an election
After a parliamentary election, the incumbent prime minister can choose to remain in office or to resign, depending on the outcome of the election. The prime minister can also be forced to resign after the Riksdag has shown that it no longer has confidence in the prime minister. When a prime minister resigns, the entire government also resigns.
The prime minister can choose to remain in office
If the prime minister chooses to remain in power, a vote on the prime minister shall be held two weeks at the latest after the newly elected Riksdag has been convened. In order to remain in office, the prime minister must have sufficient support from the Riksdag. If more than half of the members of the Riksdag, i.e. 175 members, vote against the prime minister, he or she must resign. Otherwise, the prime minister may remain in office.
The prime minister can choose to resign
If the prime minister chooses to resign after an election, he or she approaches the Speaker of the Riksdag with a request to step down from office. It is the Speaker's task to prepare a proposal for a new prime minister. The Speaker then holds talks with the leaders of the parties represented in the Riksdag to find out which candidate has the greatest support among the parties and could therefore become Sweden's next prime minister and form a government that has the confidence of the Riksdag.
At the same time, the Speaker asks the incumbent government to carry on as a caretaker government. A caretaker government manages routine matters and does not take any new political initiatives.
The Speaker is elected after an election
The Riksdag elects a Speaker after each parliamentary election. If the Riksdag elects a new Speaker, it is the newly elected Speaker that presents a proposal for a new prime minister to the Riksdag. In order not to lose time, however, the resigning Speaker prepares the change of government by starting talks with the party leaders immediately after a government has resigned.
Around two weeks after the election, the newly elected members convene in the Chamber for the first time. The Riksdag then votes on who is to become the Riksdag's new Speaker and Deputy Speakers. Once this is done, the former Speaker hands over the task of forming a government to the newly elected Speaker.
The Riksdag votes on the proposal for prime minister
The new Speaker holds renewed talks with the party leaders and presents a proposal on a candidate for prime minister to the Chamber of the Riksdag. When the Speaker submits his or her proposal for a new prime minister, he or she states which parties should be included in the Government. The aim is to find the candidate for prime minister with the greatest chance of forming a government that has the confidence of the Riksdag.
The Speaker's proposal for a candidate for prime minister is examined by the members of the Riksdag by means of a vote in the Chamber. If more than half of the members of the Riksdag vote against the proposal, it is rejected. Otherwise, it is approved.
If the proposal is rejected, the Speaker must talk to the party leaders again and present a new proposal. The Speaker has four opportunities to do this. If the Riksdag rejects all proposals for a new prime minister, extraordinary elections shall be held within three months.
The prime minister appoints the government ministers
It is the task of the prime minister to determine the composition of the government. As soon as possible after the prime minister's appointment, he or she has to inform the Riksdag of the names of the ministers he or she has appointed.
The prime minister delivers a statement of government policy
The change of government formally takes place at a special meeting known as a Council of State, with the head of state, the King, presiding as chair. The Speaker gives an account of the proposal and the Riksdag's decision. The King then verifies the fact that a change of government has taken place.
When the newly elected Riksdag has been convened and a new prime minister has been appointed, the prime minister delivers a statement of government policy to the Riksdag. In this statement, the prime minister presents an outline of the government's intended policies.
A government reshuffle
A government may be reshuffled considerably without it being a question of forming a new government. The prime minister may replace ministers, transfer ministers and increase or decrease the number of ministers without consulting the Riksdag.
If a reshuffle involves a coalition government and results in the composition being changed due to the fact that all ministers from a certain party resign, the situation becomes more complicated.
When the Riksdag approves a proposal for a new prime minister, this decision is based on the fact that the Speaker also communicates which parties will be included in the government. This means that a government must resign if its composition changes due to the fact that a party has left the Government.
A government can be forced to resign
A government can remain in office for as long as it has the support of the Riksdag. Here are situations in which a government may be forced to resign:
- The composition of the government changes after a general election. The governing party, or a coalition of several parties, may lose its majority in the Riksdag at a general election. Examples of such situations include the resignation of the non-socialist four-party government after the election of 1994 and the defeats in the polls of the Social Democratic Party in 2006 and for the Alliance Government in 2014.
- Declaration of no confidence. At least 35 members of the Riksdag can request a declaration of no confidence directed towards the prime minister and thus also the government. This is known as voting on a declaration of no confidence. If at least half the total number of members, i.e. 175, vote in favour of a declaration of no confidence, the government must resign or announce an extraordinary election. No government has yet been obliged to resign in this manner.
- Cabinet matters. A government may feel compelled to resign after losing an important vote in the Riksdag. Sometimes a government may deliberately choose to jeopardise its existence by declaring that it will resign if voted down on a specific matter. Matters of this nature are known as cabinet matters. After having lost such a vote, the Social Democratic Government of Ingvar Carlsson resigned on 15 February 1990.
- The government is split from within. Internal problems and tensions can lead to a government's resignation. This especially applies to coalition government, consisting of ministers from more than one party.
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