Examines the work of the Government

One of the Riksdag’s principal tasks is to examine the work of the Government and the public agencies. This scrutiny is known as parliamentary control.

The members of the Committee on the Constitution sit side-by-side on the platform in the former Second Chamber. Opposite them sits Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (Social Democratic Party).

The Committee on the Constitution is responsible for ensuring that the Government observes existing regulations. Here, the Committee on the Constitution is holding a public hearing with former Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (Social Democratic Party). Photo: Melker Dahlstrand

The various instruments of parliamentary control are set out in Sweden's Constitution:

  • The Committee on the Constitution has a special task to ensure that the Government observes existing regulations. All members of the Riksdag have the right to report Government ministers to the Committee on the Constitution.
  • All members of the Riksdag have the right to address questions to the Government. This is one of the ways in which the Riksdag is able to monitor the Government's actions.
  • If the Riksdag no longer has confidence in a minister or in the Prime Minister, it can decide to make a declaration of no confidence.
  • It is the task of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen to ensure that all members of the public are treated in compliance with existing laws in their dealings with public agencies. The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen is an authority under the Riksdag.
  • The National Audit Office examines what central government funds are used for and how efficiently they are used. The National Audit Office is an authority under the Riksdag.

Parliamentary control is a fundamental precondition for a democratic system of parliamentary government. Parliamentary government is founded on the fact that the Government must have the support of the Riksdag or at least be accepted by the Riksdag for it to be able to govern. By scrutinising the Government, the Riksdag can more easily determine whether it accepts the Government.

Parliamentary control is designed to help the Government and public agencies to work in an efficient manner, in conformity with the rule of law, and to help citizens feel that they can trust the way in which the public agencies exercise their powers.

Two examinations by the Committee on the Constitution

Each year, the Committee on the Constitution examines the Government to ascertain whether it has observed current rules in the handling of Government business. The Committee on the Constitution carries out two such examinations per year. The first involves ensuring that the ministers have complied with the rules that regulate the work of the Government, and that their behaviour has been appropriate in other ways. This is known as a special examination and is based on reports from members of the Riksdag when they consider that a minister has acted inappropriately and want the Committee on the Constitution to examine the matter more closely.

The second examination is known as a general examination and is focused on administrative matters. The Committee on the Constitution scrutinises various documents, for example from the Government Offices, to ensure that the Government has complied with existing laws and established practice in its handling of Government business.

Reports to the Committee on the Constitution

Members of the Riksdag can report instances of what they consider to be inappropriate behaviour to the Committee on the Constitution at any time during the year. The Committee then examines whether or not the minister in question has acted inappropriately in a specific situation.

The reports may, for example, involve a case of "ministerial rule", that is that a minister has tried to intervene in a matter that should really be determined by a public agency. Other instances could include a comment made by a minister, a trip at the expense of the state or an appointment to a top position in a public agency.

Hearings in the Committee on the Constitution

In order to carry out its examination, the Committee has the right of access to all Government documents, even if they contain classified information. If the Committee needs more information, it may address written questions to the Government or it can summon both ministers and officials to supply oral information.

It is quite common for the Committee on the Constitution to hold public hearings with government ministers and others who may be involved in a particular scrutiny matter. These hearings are open to the public and the media.

Debate in the Riksdag

When the examinations of the Government have been completed, the Committee on the Constitution presents the results to the Riksdag. The general examination is presented in the autumn and the special examination in the spring. In its report, the Committee can, for example, criticise a minister, but has no power to enforce sanctions or demand the minister's resignation. The fundamental idea here is that the criticism from the Committee on the Constitution should give the Government cause to reconsider its work procedures so as to avoid making the same mistake in the future.

Should the Committee on the Constitution conclude that a minister has committed an offence in the performance of his or her duties, it can decide to institute criminal proceedings. The case is then tried before the Supreme Court. However, this is very uncommon and has not been known to happen in modern times.

After the special examination has been carried out, the members of the Committee on the Constitution normally hold a press conference, at which they present the main findings of their examination. Before the matter is closed, the scrutiny report is debated in the Chamber. The general examination is also debated in the Chamber.

Members’ questions to the Government

The right to address questions to the Government is the most frequently used of all parliamentary control instruments. Several thousand questions are addressed to the Government each parliamentary year.

The questions may involve any subject from youth unemployment and student accommodation to foreign policy and the situation for asylum seekers. By addressing questions to the Government, members of the Riksdag can find out what the Government intends to do about a specific problem. It is also a way for members of the Riksdag to attract attention to an issue and to sway public opinion.

The right to address questions to the Government is used mainly by members of the opposition who make use of this opportunity to put questions to the Government. Sometimes, however, questions may come from a member of the party or parties in Government, for example, if he or she considers the matter to have been neglected by the Government.

Interpellations are debated regularly

An interpellation is are a kind of question which is used as the basis of debates in the Chamber almost every week. A member submits his or her question – the interpellation – in writing, to a minister, but receives the answer both in writing and directly from the minister who attends a meeting of the Chamber.

The minister should answer within 14 days, and if the minister is unable to do so, he or she must explain why the answer has been delayed. All members of the Riksdag receive the answers to interpellations in writing in advance and are informed when the minister intends to visit the Riksdag to reply.

For his or her first address, the minister has six minutes in which to read his or her answer to the interpellation. During the debate, the member who has submitted the question and others wishing to speak have four minutes each. This is followed by a second and third, shorter, round. The minister gets the final closing reply.

Interpellations (in Swedish)

Minister for Justice Morgan Johansson (SocDem) in a debate with Niels Paarup-Petersen (Cen) in the Chamber of the Riksdag.

Minister for Justice Morgan Johansson (SocDem) answers an interpellation on the EU Copyright Directive from Niels Paarup-Petersen (Cen). The Minister was asked to give an answer regarding the Government’s plans for implementation of the Copyright Directive in Sweden. Photo: Anders Löwdin

On-the-spot questions at Question Time

Every Thursday, Question Time is held at the Riksdag. About once a month, the Prime Minister comes to the Chamber to answer questions. Four ministers are in attendance on the other Thursdays. This is an opportunity for members of the Riksdag to ask questions without advance notice. To give them time to prepare their questions, they are informed which ministers will be attending in good time. The questions asked during Question Time often concern highly topical issues.

Question time sessions should proceed at a rapid rate and all questions and answers should be brief. The session lasts for about one hour, and it is up to the Speaker to decide how many times the ministers and members are allowed to speak.

Written questions without any debate

Written questions can be posed to the ministers at any time during the year. The time available for the minister to answer depends on when the question is submitted. Written questions which are submitted before 10 a.m. on Thursday are to be answered no later than 12 noon the following Wednesday. During the summer, however, the ministers have more time to answer. The ministers reply in writing and no debate is held afterwards.

Written questions (in Swedish)

Declaration of no confidence

If it no longer has confidence in the Prime Minister or in a particular minister, the Riksdag can force the Government's or minister's resignation by deciding on a declaration of no confidence.

The procedure for a declaration of no confidence is as follows:

For a vote on a declaration of no confidence to be held, at least 35 members of the Riksdag must collectively support a proposal for such a vote. At least 175 members must then vote in favour of the proposal if the Riksdag is to declare that the Government or a particular minister no longer has its confidence. This represents a majority of the Riksdag's 349 members. If the Riksdag decides that it does not have confidence in the Prime Minister, the entire Government must resign or call an extraordinary election. If the Riksdag decides that it does not have confidence in a minister, the minister must resign.

Thirteen times 

The Riksdag has voted on a declaration of no confidence thirteen times. In one of these, the Riksdag voted in favour of a declaration of no confidence. On 21 June 2021, the Riksdag voted in favour of a call for a declaration of no confidence in the former Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (Social Democratic Party).

A list of all the declarations of no confidence follows:

June 2022 – Morgan Johansson

June 2021 – Stefan Löfven

November 2019 – Morgan Johansson

May 2019 – Annika Strandhäll

September 2017 – Peter Hultqvist

September 2017 – Stefan Löfven

October 2015 – Magdalena Andersson

Januari 2015 – Stefan Löfven

October 2002 – the Government

October 1998 – Göran Persson

November 1996 – Göran Persson

February 1985 – Lennart Bodström

October 1980 – Thorbjörn Fälldin

The Parliamentary Ombudsmen

The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen is an authority under the Riksdag and also part of the Riksdag's parliamentary control.

The Parliamentary Ombudsmen exist to guarantee that the treatment of all individuals by public agencies is correct and in accordance with Swedish law. If you feel that you yourself, or anyone else, have been treated unfairly by a public agency, you can lodge a complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsmen. It is not necessary for you to be a Swedish citizen or to live in Sweden to lodge a complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsmen.

Complaints should concern:

  • Central government agencies (including courts of law)
  • Municipal agencies
  • Officials employed at central government and municipal agencies
  • Other institutions which are entrusted to exercise public authority

The Parliamentary Ombudsmen give criticism and advice

It is up to the Parliamentary Ombudsmen to decide whether or not to consider incoming reports. They can also initiate inspections of various public agencies and courts themselves. If a Parliamentary Ombudsman discovers that a public agency or a court has violated a law, the Ombudsman may deliver a statement containing criticism and suggest what could have been done instead.

Since the Office of the Ombudsmen is not a court, the decisions are only recommendations and cannot be appealed. However, the public agencies generally observe the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen.

If the Parliamentary Ombudsmen consider that an official has committed a serious violation in his or her handling of a matter, they may bring charges against the individual. If they suspect that a minor breach has been committed, they may propose that, for example, a warning be issued to the person in question.

The Parliamentary Ombudsmen may also conclude that an amendment needs to be made to an existing law, in which case they may propose this to the Riksdag.

The JO in brief

  • The Parliamentary Ombudsmen receive some 8,000 reports every year.
  • They are politically neutral.
  • The Parliamentary Ombudsmen are chosen by the Riksdag.
  • There are currently four Ombudsmen.
  • The Parliamentary Ombudsmen have existed in Sweden since 1809.
  • Sweden was the first country in the world to establish an Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen. Today, there are similar institutions in hundreds of countries. They are also referred to using the Swedish word "ombudsman" in English and in several other languages.

The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen website

National Audit Office

The National Audit Office is an authority under the Riksdag. It is responsible for examining – on behalf of the public– how and for what purpose central government funds are used.

The overall objective of the National Audit Office is to help to promote good use of central government resources and an efficient public administration. It does this through independent examination of all central government activities. The independent status of the Auditors General is set out in the Instrument of Government in the Swedish Constitution.

One Auditor General

The Office is headed by one Auditor General who is elected by the Riksdag. The Auditor General decides what is to be audited, how to go about it and what conclusions to draw.

The National Audit Office carries out two main types of examination

  • An annual audit which involves examining the annual reports of all central government agencies. The Auditor General examines whether the accounting is reliable, whether the accounting records are true and fair, and whether the authorities audited have observed existing regulations;
  • A performance audit consisting of random checks of the efficiency of the administration of the Government, the Riksdag or the public agencies. The aim is to examine whether these bodies are efficiently managed and whether tax revenues are used in accordance with the Government's and Riksdag's objectives. Their examination may, for example, concern the Swedish Public Employment Service's various labour market measures, or the functioning of the pension system.

The National Audit Office presents the findings of its examinations in reports. If it identifies shortcomings, it gives recommendations to the agencies concerned and the Government, with the aim of increasing efficiency.

The National Audit Office website

Reviewed: 14 November 2022