Sweden political system

In the early Middle Ages , the king’s power was limited and was reduced mainly to the function of commander of troops during the war . The real political power belonged to the “lagmans,” heading the various provinces , which as early as the 13th century were for the most part independent administrative units. However, with the help of the church, central authority was strengthened. This was expressed, in particular, in the fact that in the second half of the 13th century laws were introduced that were common to the whole kingdom, as well as the Magna Magna Ericsson Magna Carta , which replaced the laws of individual provinces in 1350 .

The Magnus Ericsson Charter, which is part of the country's laws, is often called the first Swedish constitution . It contains instructions regarding the election of the king, as well as the tasks and powers of his council.

During the Middle Ages, Swedish kings were elected. To know , during the XIV and XV centuries, becoming a real aristocracy , received great political power as a result of its influence on the election of the king. Sweden became a feudal state . But before its development became the same as in the rest of Europe, the Swedish monarchs tried to strengthen central power with the help of burghers and landowner peasants . In the XV century, this led to the creation of the Riksdag (parliament), which consisted of representatives of four classes : the nobility, the clergy , burghers and peasant landowners. During the reign of Gustav Vasa ( 1521 - 1560 ), the monarchy finally strengthened, and the royal throne began to be inherited. It was the time of the Reformation , when the king made himself the head of the Swedish church, and the administration of the country became extremely centralized, following the German model.

As in most European countries, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Sweden was characterized by the emergence of an increasingly effective and centralized administration . Militarily and internationally, the situation in Sweden changed dramatically after she entered the Thirty Years War during the reign of King Gustav II Adolf ( 1611 - 1632 ). As a result of its military successes, Sweden has become a great power and a leading state in northern Europe. Although the riksrod (council of state) at that time had great influence - for example, during the reign of Queen Christina and King Charles XI - the king’s power became more and more unlimited, and since 1680 the king became God 's merciful omnipotent ruler. An important milestone of this period was the 1634 Constitution, which the riksrod used to protect his remaining powers. However, none of the subsequent monarchs, such as Queen Christina (reign of 1644 - 1654 ), Karl X Gustav (reign of 1654 - 1660 ) or Karl XI (reign of 1672 - 1697 ) did not consider himself bound by this constitution, and at the session of the Riksdag In 1680, this constitution was formally annulled and the absolute power of the king was proclaimed. The Council of State was replaced by the Royal Council, wholly subordinate to the king.

Failures and defeats in the Northern War ( 1700 - 1721 ) and the death of Charles XII in 1718 led to a violent reaction against royal absolutism, which under Charles XI and Charles XII developed into a real dictatorship . The requirements of the new form of government were expressed in the constitution of 1720 . Under this constitution, the king’s power was reduced to only two votes in the riksrode, whose leading member, the president of the chancellery , actually became the head of government. The Council, in turn, was responsible to the Riksdag, and during the so-called “Freedom Era” (1720–1772), the form of government developed in the parliamentary direction, that is, the Riksdag represented the majority in the Riksdag and its composition changed in accordance with the composition of this the majority. At the same time, the situation of the noble estates improved. When the disagreements in the Riksdag passed into conflict between the nobles and the lower classes, Gustav III (reigned 1771 - 1792 ), with the support of most nobles, seized power through a coup in 1772.

In the Gustavian period (1772-1809), the king’s power was further strengthened. The complete rejection by Gustav III and Gustav IV Adolf of the French Revolution with its ideas of the separation of powers, constitutionalism and democracy was the reason for the conflict with most of the aristocracy and non-members in Sweden. This led to the assassination of Gustav III in 1792 as a result of a conspiracy of a group of nobles who fanatically resisted the king’s autocratic rule. The defeat in the war against Russia (1808-1809), when Finland was lost, led to a coup d'etat, the overthrow of Gustav IV Adolf and the adoption of a new constitution.

The 1809 Constitution was in force until 1975 and was thus the fourth in the world after the US Constitution , the Commonwealth and France (see French Constitution 1791 ). It was formulated in accordance with the Montesquieu theory of separation of powers, taking into account the constitutional development of Sweden. The king was the only ruler of the country, but with him was the Council of Ministers, which was supposed to sign, that is, approve all decisions. Legislative power was divided equally between the king and the Riksdag, while only the Riksdag could levy taxes .

After the coup of 1809, when Gustav IV Adolf was overthrown, the king was his uncle, Duke Karl , who ascended the throne under the name of Charles XIII. Since Charles XIII was old and had no children, it was necessary to find a successor to him. At first the choice fell on the Danish Prince Carl Augustus of Augustenburg , but he soon died on arrival in Sweden, and in 1810 , French Marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte , who took the name of Carl Johan, was elected heir to the Swedish throne . One of the reasons for this choice was the desire to enter into an alliance with France and Napoleon , in the hope of gaining the support of the latter and recapturing Finland. After his arrival in Sweden, Crown Prince Carl Johan actually became the king of the state. In 1812 , he began to pursue a completely different policy , joined the coalition against Napoleon, recaptured Norway from Denmark under the Kiel Peace Treaty , and after a short campaign forced Norway to enter into a union with Sweden in 1814 . The union lasted until 1905 .

The arrival of Carl Johan in Sweden was also the beginning of a new era in domestic politics. The interpretation of the Constitution of 1809 and the practical measures carried out within it, to a greater extent bear the imprint of personal ideas and desires of the king throughout his reign ( 1818 - 1844 ).

Karl Johan himself owes his career to the French Revolution. Without her, he, not being a nobleman, would never have risen above the non-commissioned officer rank. And yet, despite his background and career, it was difficult for Karl Johan from the very beginning to tolerate the limitations of his power recorded in the Swedish constitution. Even when he was his crown prince, he acted against the more independent members of the Council.

When, after the death of Charles XIII in 1818, he became king, Charles XIV Johan increasingly chose his ministers among the loyal bureaucrats who carried out his orders without objection. Over time, he became increasingly autocratic. The former revolutionary turned into the sovereign monarch of the old style.

With the spread of liberalism in the mid- 19th century, a struggle began over the question of the personal power of the king. From the moment Crown Prince Charles took over in 1857 until the final surrender of Gustaf V to the demands of parliamentarism and democracy in 1918 , the struggle for royal power was the main theme of the history of the Swedish monarchs.

Despite the fact that after the department reform of 1840 , the status of ministers was strengthened (now each minister headed his own department ), they remained mainly servants of the king during the reign of Oscar I (1844-1859). He appointed them, and they were politically dependent on him. The Council as an independent factor in power played a subordinate role. There was no real cabinet of ministers in the full sense of the word under Oscar I.

The situation changed during the reign of Charles XV (1859–1872). From the very beginning, the Council acted as a whole and in many cases played a decisive role in Swedish politics. For example, in such vital issues as relations with Norway between 1858 and 1860 and Denmark's assistance in the war with Germany in 1864 . As for the parliamentary reform of 1866 , it was the Council and the Riksdag, and not the king, that shaped the Swedish policy and made critical decisions in critical situations.

Oscar II (reigned 1872-1907), on the contrary, sought to play a more active role in leading development than his brother and predecessor. On his own initiative, he met with leading politicians and tried to influence them in private conversations. In his relations with the Council, he tried to use the royal power to establish his opinion in making political decisions.

However, the aspirations of Oscar II to establish his personal power were not crowned with great success. Mainly because after the reform of 1866, which meant the abolition of the old estate and the creation of a new bicameral Riksdag, the Riksdag became stronger and supported the Council against the king.

The restriction of suffrage and elective qualifications recorded in the Riksdag Act of 1866 meant that the first chamber was a forum for landowners , prominent officials , businessmen, and industrialists , while the majority in the second chamber were landowners.

The requirements of the first chamber for strengthening the country's defense and expanding the state administration were poorly linked to the strict economy and the policy against subsidies pursued by the second chamber, as well as its urgent requirements to abolish the land tax. Political life turned into a trench war between the chambers of the Riksdag. The king’s initiatives, mostly conservative in nature, mainly related to rearmament and salaries for civil servants, were nullified by the opposition of the second chamber. Only in the 1890s a compromise was found and it became possible to solve the problem of land taxes and defense. But this was no longer the king, but his prime minister. Power slipped out of the hands of an aging king.

In the end, Oscar II retreated in the struggle for personal royal power. However, the final battle broke out later - in the kingdom of his successor, Gustaf V.

When Gustaf V became king in 1907, he abstained from coronation and thus became the first uncrowned king on the Swedish throne. But this gesture of his can hardly be considered a sign of democratization of his views. It was rather a reaction to the addiction of Oscar II to various ceremonies, since Gustaf V did not like to participate in such performances.

But at the same time, he was ready to fight for the status of king as such. The first ten years of the reign of Gustaf V were marked by his efforts to affirm the personal power of the monarch. The conflict culminated in 1914 when Gustaf V made his famous speech from the balcony of the palace.

The main point of the speech was the question of the country's defense. The king demanded an immediate decision to strengthen the armed forces of Sweden, while the liberal government, which came to power partly because it promised disarmament , wanted to act gradually. In support of the king on the issue of armed forces, a so-called “peasant campaign” was organized in February 1914, in which more than 30,000 peasants from all over the country took part. They gathered in the courtyard of the royal palace in Stockholm .

But the peasant campaign in itself was not the cause of an acute political crisis , followed by a subsequent change of government, the dissolution of the Riksdag and the new general election . The reason was the king’s speech to the peasants, in which he expressed the same demands that they did — to immediately strengthen the country's armed forces.

The king’s speech was an attempt to apply extra-parliamentary methods to exercise his will on the issue of defense, without taking into account the legitimate government of the country. The cause of the conflict was now not so much a matter of defense. Now also - and above all - it was a question of who really runs the country - personally the king or the government, headed by the prime minister.

From the modern point of view, in the light of the interpretation of the Constitution that has been generally accepted for many decades, King Gustaf V exceeded his authority when he delivered this speech without the consent of the government. However, before the First World War, the Swedish constitution was different from the modern one. In 1914, the constitutional provision that “the king alone rules the state” was not an empty phrase.

In an appeal to the peasants from the balcony of his palace, Gustaf V convincingly and skilfully defended the king’s personal power, and yet, the struggle for royal power was doomed to defeat. The future belonged to democracy and parliamentarism.

The action of Gustaf V could easily lead to further defeats. The demands of the abdication of the king and the proclamation of a republic were already in the air. But Gustaf V saved the problem itself, in connection with which he took his action - the defense of the country. Regarding the situation in Europe, he turned out to be more insightful than leading politicians. In June 1914, a shot was fired at Sarajevo . In August, World War I broke out. Sweden announced mobilization , and the issue of defense was resolved in a spirit of unity.

However, the monarch’s sole power has sunk into oblivion.

The left wing parties , that is, liberals and social democrats , won the 1917 elections. Gustaf V was to once again recognize the liberal government, this time in a coalition with the Social Democrats, who first entered the government. Not without hesitation, the king admitted to the government representatives of the party, in the program of which one of the points was the establishment of the republic.

Таким образом, парламентаризм одержал окончательную победу; с тех пор риксдаг, а не король, решает, каким будет правительство Швеции. После окончания Первой мировой войны в конституцию был внесён ряд поправок, ещё более ослабивших позицию короля и означавших окончательную победу демократии.

Несмотря на поражение в борьбе за личную власть короля, Густав V снискал любовь народа во время своего правления (1907— 1950 ). В годы Второй мировой войны он был символом единства нации . Это значит, что монархия своими корнями уходит в личную популярность короля.

Король Густав VI Адольф строго соблюдал правила относительно конституционной монархии, сформулированные во время его правления (1950—1973). Он, возможно, более, чем другие, и надо признать, немногие современные монархи, помог создать новый тип монархии — демократическую монархию.

Почти на протяжении всего царствования Густава VI Адольфа шла работа над новой конституцией, которая была принята в 1975 году вместо конституции 1809 года. В период подготовки конституционной реформы никто, возможно, не сыграл такой важной роли для сохранения монархии в Швеции, как Густав VI Адольф.

Есть несколько причин, почему, несмотря на требования провозглашения республики, ему удалось направить практически единодушное общественное мнение на пользу сохранения монархии. Основной причиной этого были личные качества короля.

Одним из факторов, имевших, несомненно, большое значение в этой связи, была широкая образованность Густава VI Адольфа и его интересы в областях, выходивших далеко за пределы его собственного «призвания». Так, его имя пользовалось глубоким уважением среди археологов .

Другим свойством личности короля, в высшей степени способствовавшим его популярности, была его естественная, непринуждённая манера общения с людьми. Он намеренно избегал церемониальности и пышности.

Большим вкладом Густава VI Адольфа в историю Швеции было то, что во время его правления он сумел трансформировать монархию в соответствии с изменениями в современном шведском обществе и таким образом создать условия для сохранения монархии в Швеции и членов династии Бернадотов на шведском троне.

Положения конституции 1809 года, регулирующие обязанности короля, открываются словами: «Король единолично управляет государством». Это его право было ограничено лишь тем, что он был обязан консультироваться с Советом, который он сам же и назначал.

Однако задолго до принятия новой конституции 1975 года, процесс превращения Швеции в парламентарное и демократическое государство сделал право короля «единолично управлять государством» пустой фразой.

Конституция 1975 года открывается словами: «Вся государственная власть в Швеции исходит от народа», и, соответственно, вся политическая власть находится в руках риксдага и правительства.

По новой конституции обязанности короля состоят в следующем:

• Король является главой государства .
• Он открывает риксдаг каждый год в октябре.
• Он председательствует на специальных заседаниях кабинета министров при смене правительства, а также во время так называемых информационных заседаний кабинета, где члены правительства информируют его о текущих событиях в стране.
• Он является председателем Консультативного внешнеполитического комитета, то есть комитета, избранного риксдагом для консультаций между правительством и риксдагом по внешнеполитическим вопросам.
• Король имеет наивысшее воинское звание . Однако вооружённые силы страны подчиняются только правительству.
• В качестве главы государства он принимает верительные грамоты от иностранных дипломатов и подписывает верительные грамоты шведских послов .

Согласно новой конституции, таким образом, обязанности короля носят в основном представительский и церемониальный характер. По просьбе правительства король принимает глав других государств и выезжает с государственными визитами в другие страны. Как правило, во время этих визитов короля сопровождают один или два члена правительства, которые обсуждают вопросы политики, экономики и культуры , с представителями правительства принимающей страны.

Король обладает неприкосновенностью перед законом, то есть не может быть привлечён к ответственности за свои поступки в соответствии с уголовным правом , однако ему может быть предъявлен иск в суде в соответствии с гражданским правом. Король обязан представлять декларацию о своих личных доходах и имуществе и платить налоги, как и все граждане Швеции.

Каждый год риксдаг решает, какая сумма будет выделена королю для выполнения его обязанностей. Члены королевской семьи имеют право голоса , но по установившейся традиции воздерживаются от голосования .

Согласно новому Акту о престолонаследии 1980 года, сменившему Акт 1810 года, шведский трон наследуется в порядке первородства , то есть трон наследует старший из детей короля и королевы, независимо от его пола. Таким образом, принцесса Виктория , родившаяся 14 июля 1977 года, является наследницей шведского трона.

Информация из брошюры Шведского института из серии «Общие данные о Швеции».