1.
Coat of arms of Sweden
–
The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden has a lesser and a greater version. This includes any mark or text referring to the Swedish State which thus can give the commercial mark a sign of official endorsement and this includes municipal coats of arms which are registered. Any representation consisting of three crowns ordered two above one are considered to be the coat of arms, and its usage is therefore restricted by law 1970,498. The greater coat of arms is blazoned in Swedish law as follows, A shield azure, quartered by a cross Or with outbent arms, in the first and fourth fields three open crowns Or, placed two above one. In the second and third fields three sinisterbendwise streams argent, a lion crowned with an open crown Or armed gules, the inescutcheon is party per pale the arms for the House of Vasa, and the House of Bernadotte. The main shield is crowned by a crown and surrounded by the insignia of the Order of the Seraphim. Supported by two lions regardant, crowned and with forked tails Or armed gules, standing on a compartment Or, all surrounded by ermine mantling, crowned with a royal crown and tied up with tasseladorned strings Or. The greater arms may also be displayed only with the crowned escutcheon, while the arms have undergone significant changes over the years, such as changing the inescutcheon with the ruling dynasty, they are based on arms created by King Karl Knutsson in 1448. The escutcheon used in the greater blazon has in total five elements,4 quarterings on the main escutcheon, however, Bernadotte never used any stars in the arms of Pontecorvo contrary to the illustration below. The Big Dipper, or as it is called in Swedish, Karlavagnen, the arms are supported by two lions with forked tails, facing away from the shield and crowned with Royal Crowns. For centuries, the lion has been an important element in Swedish heraldry, the shield may be surmounted by the Collar of the Order of Seraphim, the foremost order in Sweden, and the highest honour the Swedish state can bestow on an individual. Blazon, The greater state arms consist of a shield azure, quartered by a cross or with outbent arms. In the first and fourth fields three coronets or, placed two above one, in the second and third fields three sinisterbendwise streams argent, a lion crowned with an open crown or with armaments gules. The inescutcheon is party per pale the arms for the House of Vasa, the main shield is crowned by a royal crown and surrounded by the insignia of the Order of the Seraphim. Supported by two lions regardant or crowned, with parted tails and armaments gules, standing on a postament, all surrounded by hermine mantling crowned with a royal crown and tied up with tasseled strings or. The lesser coat of arms is used by the Government of Sweden. As such it may be joined by insignias symbolising the activity of government agencies. It is, for instance, embroidered on all Swedish police uniforms, blazon, Azure, with three coronets Or, ordered two above one
2.
Excellency
–
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organisation or state. Generally people addressed as Excellency are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, and others holding equivalent rank and the FIFA President. It is sometimes misinterpreted as a title of office in itself, in reference to such an official, it takes the form His or Her Excellency, in direct address, Your Excellency, or, less formally, simply Excellency. The abbreviation HE is often used instead of His/Her Excellency, alternatively it may stand for His/Her Eminence, in most republican nations, the head of state is formally addressed as His Excellency. If a republic has a head of government, that official is often addressed as Excellency as well. If the nation is a monarchy, however, the customs may vary, in the case of Australia, all ambassadors, high commissioners, governors and the governor-general and their spouses are entitled to the use of Excellency. Governors of colonies in the British Empire were entitled to be addressed as Excellency, in various international organizations, notably the UN and its agencies, Excellency is used as a generic form of address for all republican heads of state and heads of government. Judges of the International Court of Justice are also called Your Excellency, in some monarchies the husbands, wives, or children, of a royal prince or princess, who do not possess a princely title themselves, may be entitled to the style. For example, in Spain spouses or children of a born infante or infanta are addressed as Excellency, also, former members of a royal house or family, who did have a royal title but forfeited it, may be awarded the style afterwards. Examples are former husbands or wives of a prince or princess, including Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. In some emirates, only the Emir, heir apparent and prime minister are called His Highness and their children are styled with the lower treatment of His/Her Excellency. In Spain members of the nobility, holding the dignity of grandee, are addressed as The Most Excellent Lord/Lady. Some of the high ranking counts, Excellency can also attach to a prestigious quality, notably in an order of knighthood. By a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Ceremonial of 31 December 1930 the Holy See granted bishops of the Roman Catholic Church the title of Most Reverend Excellency. In the years following the First World War, the title of Excellency. The adjective Most Reverend was intended to distinguish the title from that of Excellency given to civil officials. The instruction Ut sive sollicite of the Holy Sees Secretariat of State, dated 28 March 1969, cardinals, even those who were bishops, continued to use the title of Eminence. In some English-speaking countries, the honorific of Excellency does not apply to other than the nuncio
3.
Government of Sweden
–
The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the national cabinet and the supreme executive authority in Sweden. The short-form name Regeringen is used both in the Fundamental Laws of the Realm and in the vernacular, while the long-form is only used in international treaties, the Government is responsible for its actions to the Riksdag. Instrument of Government, Chapter 12, Article 1, the Instrument of Government —one of the Fundamental Laws of the Realm—sets out the main responsibilities and duties of the Government and how it relates to other organs of the State. Instrument of Government, Chapter 12, Article 1, most state administrative authorities, as opposed to local authorities, sorts under the Government, including the Armed Forces, Coast Guard, Customs Service and the Swedish police. While the Judiciary technically sort under the Government in the fiscal sense, the Government of Sweden is the high contracting party when entering treaties with foreign sovereign states and international organisations, as per 10,1 of the Instrument of Government. In most other systems this formal function is usually vested in the head of state. Chapter 6, Article 7 prescribes that laws and ordinances are promulgated by the Government, the nomination is then put to a vote in the chamber. Unless an absolute majority of the members votes no, the nomination is confirmed, 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. The Riksdag can cast a vote of no confidence against any single cabinet minister, to succeed a vote of no confidence must be supported by an absolute majority or it has failed. If a vote of no confidence is cast against the Prime Minister this means the government is rejected. A losing government has one week to call for an election or else the procedure of nominating a new Prime Minister starts anew. Each appointment of a new Prime Minister is considered to result in a new cabinet, however, there is no automatic resignation following a defeat in a general election, so an election does not always result in a new cabinet. Previously known as the Royal Chancery, the name was changed to the Government Offices on 1 January 1975 with the current Instrument of Government entering into effect. The Instrument of Government briefly mentions in Chapter 7, Article 1 that there is an organization supporting the Government known as the Government Offices. The present organizational charter for the Government Offices is found in the ordinance named Förordning med instruktion för Regeringskansliet, since the issuance of the beforementiond ordinance in 1996, all the ministries are entities within the Government Offices, rather than as separate organisations. Below follows a summary of the current structure. Government of Sweden - Official site Organization and Ministerial Bios - Official site
4.
European Council
–
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also takes part in its meetings. Established as a summit in 1975, the European Council was formalised as an institution in 2009 upon the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. Its current President is Donald Tusk, while the European Council has no formal legislative power, it is a strategic body that provides the union with general political directions and priorities, and acts as a collective presidency. The European Commission remains the sole initiator of legislation, but the European Council is able to provide an impetus to guide legislative policy, decisions of the European Council are taken by consensus, except where the Treaties provide otherwise. The European Council officially gained the status of an EU institution after Lisbon treaty in 2000, before that, the first summits of EU heads of state or government were held in February and July 1961. The summits were only formalised in the period between 1974 and 1988, the inaugural European Council, as it became known, was held in Dublin on 10 and 11 March 1975 during Irelands first Presidency of the Council of Ministers. In 1987, it was included in the treaties for the first time and had a role for the first time in the Maastricht Treaty. At first only a minimum of two meetings per year were required, which resulted in an average of three meetings per year being held for the 1975-1995 period, since 1996, the number of meetings were required to be minimum four per year. For the latest 2008-2014 period, this minimum was well exceeded, the seat of the Council was formalised in 2002, basing it in Brussels. Three types of European Councils exist, Informal, Scheduled and Extraordinary, some meetings of the European Council are seen by some as turning points in the history of the European Union. For example,1969, The Hague, Foreign policy and enlargement,1974, Paris, Creation of the Council. 1985, Milan, Initiate IGC leading to the Single European Act,1991, Maastricht, Agreement on the Maastricht Treaty. 1992, Edinburgh, Agreement to retain at Strasbourg the plenary seat of the European Parliament,1993, Copenhagen, Leading to the definition of the Copenhagen Criteria. 1997, Amsterdam, Agreement on the Amsterdam Treaty,1998, Brussels, Selected member states to adopt the euro. 1999, Cologne, Declaration on military forces,1999, Tampere, Institutional reform 2000, Lisbon, Lisbon Strategy 2002, Copenhagen, Agreement for May 2004 enlargement. 2007, Lisbon, Agreement on the Lisbon Treaty,2009, Brussels, Appointment of first president and merged High Representative. The Treaty of Lisbon made the European Council a formal institution distinct from the Council of the EU, as an outgrowth of the Council of the EU, the European Council had previously followed the same Presidency, rotating between each member state. Following the ratification of the treaty in December 2009, the European Council elected the then-Prime Minister of Belgium Herman Van Rompuy as its first permanent president
5.
Riksdag
–
This is a list of Members of the Riksdag, the national parliament of Sweden. The Riksdag is an assembly with 349 Members of Parliament. In the Riksdag, Members are seated per constituency and not party, the following MPs were elected in the Swedish general election,2006 and will serve until the Swedish general election,2010. Members of the center-right Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt, the coalition during this term, are marked in bold. Members of the Riksdag in alphabetical order
6.
Official residence
–
An official residence is the residence at which a nations head of state, head of government, governor or other senior figure officially resides. It may or may not be the location where the individual conducts work-related functions or lives. This has occurred in the 21st century in Detroit and New York City, in the case of Denver, no mayor has ever lived in the official residence, the city instead makes it available to certain non-profit groups for special functions. The President uses own private residence, - Its address is 1 Cheongwadae-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. It is located next to Gyeongbokgung, the palace during the Joseon Dynasty. Cheong Nam Dae - Cheong Nam Dae used to be one of the two residences for the President of Republic of Korea. It was returned to public in 2003, - It is located in Cheongwon-gun, North Chungcheong Province. Cheong Hae Dae - Cheong Hae Dae used to be one of the two residences for the President of Republic of Korea. Although the president no longer uses this facility this compound is still under the administration of the Republic of Korea Navy, - It is located on one of the islands of Geoje-shi, South Gyeongsang Province. Chongri Gonggwan - This is the residence for the Prime Minister of Republic of Korea. The Prime Minister, however, does not work here, - Its address is 111-2 Samcheongdong-gil, Jongro-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. It is located close to Cheong Wa Dae, gukhoeuijang Gonggwan - This is the official residence for the Speaker of the National Assembly of Republic of Korea. The Speaker, also, does not work here, - It is located in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where many foreign missions to Korea are located. Daebeobwonjang Gonggwan - This is the residence for the Chief Justice of Republic of Korea. The Chief Justice, also, does not work here, - It is also located in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Most ministers of state and heads of administrative regions also have official residences, although they are not listed here. S
7.
Sager House
–
The Sager House or Sager Palace is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sweden, located at Strömgatan 18 in central Stockholm. The Sager House is located in the Stockholm borough of Norrmalm, on the street Strömgatan, the Sager House lies between, Rosenbad, the Government Chancellery, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Royal Swedish Opera on Gustav Adolfs torg. It lies across from the Parliament House building, and the Royal Palace, the first historical records of a building on the site are from the 1640s. In 1880 the property was purchased by the Sager brothers, the Sager Palace was owned by the Sager family from 1880 to 1986. In 1988 the building was purchased by the Swedish State to be turned into the residence of the Prime Minister of Sweden. Formerly there was no residence for the head of government. The first Prime Minister to use the building after a renovation for its new use was Göran Persson. Fredrik Reinfeldt moved in after the Swedish general election,2006, in 1893 Robert Sager had the palace remodeled, including the addition of a new floor within a Mansard roof and a French Baroque Revival style facade with Neo-Rococo details, that are still seen. Harpsund Manor — another official residence of the Swedish Prime Minister, Prime Minister of Sweden Government of Sweden
8.
Rosenbad
–
Rosenbad is a building in central Stockholm, precinct of Norrmalm. It is a owned by the Swedish State and serves as the seat of the Government. Rosenbad is located on Strömgatan on the side of the river Norrström. It was designed by Art Nouveau architect Ferdinand Boberg, and completed in 1902 and it originally housed a variety of functions, including a restaurant of the same name. Rosenbad now functions as the seat for Prime Ministers Office and the Government Offices and it is located close to the Sager House, the official residence of the Prime Minister. The Riksdag building and the Royal Palace are located across the waters of Stockholms ström, Government of Sweden Politics of Sweden official Rosenbad building website
9.
Stockholm
–
The city is spread across 14 islands on the coast in the southeast of Sweden at the mouth of Lake Mälaren, by the Stockholm archipelago and the Baltic Sea. The area has settled since the Stone Age, in the 6th millennium BC. It is also the capital of Stockholm County, Stockholm is the cultural, media, political, and economic centre of Sweden. The Stockholm region alone accounts for over a third of the countrys GDP and it is an important global city, and the main centre for corporate headquarters in the Nordic region. The city is home to some of Europes top ranking universities, such as the Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institute and it hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and banquet at the Stockholm Concert Hall and Stockholm City Hall. One of the citys most prized museums, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited museum in Scandinavia. The Stockholm metro, opened in 1950, is known for its decoration of the stations. Swedens national football arena is located north of the city centre, Ericsson Globe, the national indoor arena, is in the southern part of the city. The city was the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics, and hosted the equestrian portion of the 1956 Summer Olympics otherwise held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Stockholm is the seat of the Swedish government and most of its agencies, including the highest courts in the judiciary, and the official residencies of the Swedish monarch and the Prime Minister. The government has its seat in the Rosenbad building, the Riksdag is seated in the Parliament House, and the Prime Ministers residence is adjacent at the Sager House. After the Ice Age, around 8,000 BCE, there were already a number of people living in the present-day Stockholm area. Thousands of years later, as the ground thawed, the climate became tolerable, at the intersection of the Baltic Sea and lake Mälaren is an archipelago site where the Old Town of Stockholm was first built from about 1000 CE by Vikings. They had a positive impact on the area because of the trade routes they created. Stockholms location appears in Norse sagas as Agnafit, and in Heimskringla in connection with the legendary king Agne, the earliest written mention of the name Stockholm dates from 1252, by which time the mines in Bergslagen made it an important site in the iron trade. The first part of the name means log in Swedish, although it may also be connected to an old German word meaning fortification, the second part of the name means islet, and is thought to refer to the islet Helgeandsholmen in central Stockholm. Stockholms core, the present Old Town was built on the island next to Helgeandsholmen from the mid 13th century onward. The city originally rose to prominence as a result of the Baltic trade of the Hanseatic League, Stockholm developed strong economic and cultural linkages with Lübeck, Hamburg, Gdańsk, Visby, Reval, and Riga during this time
10.
Speaker of the Riksdag
–
The speaker of the Riksdag is the presiding officer of the national unicameral legislature in Sweden. The Riksdag underwent profound changes in 1867, when the medieval Riksdag of the Estates was abolished, the new form of the Riksdag included two elected chambers, each with its own speaker. Since the de facto introduction of parliamentarism in 1917, the Riksdag has properly functioned as the institution to which the Prime Minister, in 1971 the institution was transformed into a unicameral legislature with 349 members. Since 1975, in accordance with the Instrument of Government of 1974, it is the speaker and no longer the Monarch who appoints, the current speaker is Urban Ahlin, who has held the gavel since 2014. The speaker is the head and presiding officer of the Riksdag, as such he coordinates the work that takes place in the Riksdag. The office is mandated in the Swedish constitution and the duties of the office are set out on the Instrument of Government, the speaker does not take part in the debates, nor does he participate in the parliamentary committees. While the Speaker is one of the representatives of the Riksdag, he is expected to remain unbiased. The speaker has no vote in the Riksdag, but the incumbent could use his vote as a member of the Riksdag if a tie appears, the position of speaker is the second highest ranked public position in Sweden. In terms of protocol, the Monarch outranks the speaker since he is the head of state, however, since that position is hereditary a person cannot be elected to become the monarch. The Speaker outranks the Prime Minister of Sweden, one of the more important aspects of the work of the speaker is to head the negotiations concerning the forming of a new government in case there is a shift of power after an election. The speaker proposes the new prime ministerial candidate to the chamber, and following a positive vote, the Prime Minister appoints and dismisses his own cabinet ministers, forming the Government, without the involvement of the Speaker. The Prime Minister hands his letter of resignation to the speaker, in most other parliamentary systems, including other constitutional monarchies, these duties are instead handled by the head of state. Relieving the Swedish Monarch from exercise of powers, although not the key objective from the outset. The speaker is assisted by three deputy speakers who are elected by the chamber. Traditionally, the second, third and fourth largest parties gets to name of one of their members for these offices, there is some disagreement whether the largest party or the leading party of the largest party bloc should hold the speakership. Unlike the speaker, the deputy speakers are not replaced by an alternate and this would also be the case if they were all to decease. The Speaker chairs the War Delegation, when it is deemed necessary to convene, marshal of the Realm County Governors of Sweden Historical predecessor Lantmarskalk, the presiding officer of the Estate of the Nobility in the Riksdag of the Estates before 1866. The Instrument of Government, in English, The Riksdag, the Speaker - At the Riksdag
11.
Term of office
–
A term of office is the length of time a person serves in a particular elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subject to re-election. Some jurisdictions exercise term limits, setting a number of terms an individual may hold in a particular office. Being the origin of the Westminster system, aspects of the United Kingdoms system of government are replicated in other countries. The monarch serves as head of state until his or her death or abdication, in the United Kingdom Members of Parliament in the House of Commons are elected for the duration of the parliament. Following dissolution of the Parliament, an election is held which consists of simultaneous elections for all seats. For most MPs this means that their terms of office are identical to the duration of the Parliament, an MP elected in a by-election mid-way through a Parliament, regardless of how long they have occupied the seat, is not exempt from facing re-election at the next general election. The Septennial Act 1715 provided that a Parliament expired seven years after it had been summoned, prior to the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 parliaments had no minimum duration. Parliaments could be dissolved early by the monarch at the Prime Ministers request, the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 mandated that Parliaments should last their full five years. Early dissolution is possible, but under much more limited circumstances. Hereditary peers and life peers retain membership of the House of Lords for life, Lords Spiritual hold membership of the House of Lords until the end of their time as bishops, though a senior bishop may be made a life peer upon the end of their bishopric. The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are variations on the system of government used at Westminster, the office of the leader of the devolved administrations has no numeric term limit imposed upon it. However, in the case of the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government there are fixed terms for which the legislatures can sit and this is imposed at four years. Elections may be held before this time but only if no administration can be formed, offices of local government other regional elected officials follow similar rules to the national offices discussed above, with persons elected to fixed terms of a few years. Federal judges have different terms in office, however, the majority of the federal judiciary, Article III judges, such as those of the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, and federal district courts, serve for life. The terms of office for officials in state governments according to the provisions of state constitutions. The term for state governors is four years in all states but Vermont and New Hampshire, the National Conference of State Legislatures reported in January 2007 that among state legislatures,44 states had terms of office for the lower house of the state legislature at two years. Five had terms of office at four years,37 states had terms of office for the upper house of the state legislature at four years
12.
Basic Laws of Sweden
–
The most important of the fundamental laws is the Instrument of Government. It sets out the principles for political life in Sweden defining rights. The Prime Minister appoints members of the Government, including heads of ministries, the government collectively decides on issues after hearing the report of the head of the ministry concerned. At least five members of the government need to be present for a quorum to be made. In practice, reports are written and discussions very rare during formal cabinet meetings and it stripped the Swedish monarch of almost all of their powers, leaving them perhaps second only to the Emperor of Japan and the President of Israel in their lack of constitutional authority. The King is to be briefed on governmental issues—in the Council of State or directly by the Prime Minister. The first constitutional Instrument of Government was enacted in 1719, marking the transition from autocracy to parliamentarism, swedens bloodless coup détat of 1772 was legitimized by the Riksdag of the Estates in new versions of the Instrument of Government, making the king a constitutional autocrat. In Sweden, the loss of half the realm led to another bloodless revolution, a new royal dynasty. The councillor had to countersign a royal decision, unless it was unconstitutional, the councillor was legally responsible for his advice and was obliged to note his dissension in case he did not agree with the kings decision. This constitution put a de jure power in the king. From 1917, the king adhered to principles of parliamentarism by choosing councillors possessing direct or indirect support from a majority of the Riksdag. In 2009, the Riksdag approved Proposition 2009/10,80, A Reformed Constitution, making amendments to the Instrument of Government. The amendment modernized and simplified the text in general, and strengthened several fundamental rights, protection against unfair discrimination was extended to include discrimination based on sexual orientation. It also strengthens judicial powers to make it easier to determine whether new laws contravene the constitution or the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and these amendments took effect on 1 January 2011. Accordingly, the current 1810 Act of Succession is a treaty between the old Riksdag of the Estates and the House of Bernadotte regulating the right to accede to the Swedish throne and this meant that the throne will be inherited by the eldest child without regard to sex. Thereby Princess Victoria, the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, was created heiress apparent to the Swedish throne over her younger brother, the other two acts define the freedom of the press and other forms of expression. Publisher Lars Johan Hierta solved this by adding a different numeral to the name Aftonbladet, the right to revoke was finally abolished in 1844. The 1766 Act held for example that freedom of expression was to be uninhibited, except for violations and it also states that all public authorities must provide information promptly upon request
13.
Louis Gerhard De Geer
–
Baron Louis Gerard De Geer of Finspång was a Swedish statesman and writer. De Geer was born at Finspång Castle in Risinge parish and he was a lawyer, and in 1855 became president of the Göta hovrätt, or lord justice for the appellate court of Götaland. From 7 April 1858 to 3 June 1870 he was Prime Minister for Justice, as a member of the nobility he took part in the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates from 1851 onwards. From 1867 to 1878 he was the member for Stockholm in the first chamber in the New Riksdag and his greatest political achievement was the reform of the Swedish representative system. The reforms introduced a bi-cameral elected Riksdag replacing the cumbersome and less democratic Riksdag of the Estates. This measure was accepted by the Riksdag in December 1865, for some time after this De Geer enjoyed considerable popularity. He retired from the ministry in 1870, but took office again and he served until April 1880, when the failure of his repeated efforts to settle the armaments question again induced him to resign. From 1881 to 1888 he was Chancellor for the Universities of Uppsala and he was an advocate of free trade and economic liberalism and some argue laid the foundations for the strong economic growth in Sweden from 1870 to 1970. De Geer was a member in the Swedish Academy from 1862, in 1862, he was also elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1848 De Geer married the countess Carolina Lovisa Wachtmeister and they had three sons, of which the eldest, Gerhard Louis De Geer, was prime minister of Sweden 1920–21 and the second was Gerard De Geer, a geologist. De Geer died on 24 September 1896 at his residence Hanaskog Castle in Scania and this article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, Robert Nisbet Bain
14.
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden
–
However, if a Deputy Prime Minister has not been appointed, the Minister in the cabinet who has served the longest time takes over as head of government. Historically, under the 1809 Instrument of Government the Minister for Foreign Affairs was to function as acting Prime Minister should the Prime Minister not be not to perform his duties. Carlsson subsequently received the task of forming a new cabinet from the Speaker of the Riksdag, the cabinet was approved by the Riksdag on March 12,1986, effectively reappointing most cabinet members in their previous offices. The role and position of a Deputy Prime Minister may vary, in the five last coalition cabinets, Fälldin III, Bildt and Reinfeldt I and II, and Löfven, the Deputy Prime Minister was the head of the second-largest coalition partner. In the governments Fälldin I and II, however, the Deputy Prime Ministership belonged to the Liberal Party despite the fact that it was the smallest of the three members. The reason for this might be ascribed to an unwillingness on behalf of the Centre and Liberals to give this position to the Moderates, in all of these governments, however, the Deputy Prime Minister also had a regular Cabinet portfolio. In July 2015, the office of the Deputy Prime Minister was the subject of political debate. Effectively this makes social democratic Foreign Minister Margot Wallström the actual deputy of the Prime Minister and it also rendered the title of Vice statsminister an honorary title, for the most senior member of the party functioning as junior partner in the governing coalition, rather than an actual function. Color key Independent Social Democratic Moderate Centre Left Liberals Christian Democrats Green Sweden Democrats www. sweden. gov. se
15.
Swedish krona
–
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code SEK and currency sign kr are in use, the former precedes or follows the value. In English, the currency is referred to as the Swedish crown. The Swedish krona was the 11th most traded currency in the world by value in April 2013, one krona is subdivided into 100 öre. However, all öre coins have been discontinued as of 30 September 2010, goods can still be priced in öre, but all sums are rounded to the nearest krona when paying with cash. The introduction of the krona, which replaced at par the riksdaler, was a result of the Scandinavian Monetary Union, which came into effect in 1876 and lasted until the beginning of World War I. The parties to the union were the Scandinavian countries, where the name was krona in Sweden and krone in Denmark and Norway, the three currencies were on the gold standard, with the krona/krone defined as 1⁄2480 of a kilogram of pure gold. After dissolution of the union in August 1914, Sweden, Denmark. On 11 September 2012, the Riksbank announced a new series of coins with new sizes to replace the 1 and 5 kronor coins which arrived in October 2016. The design of the coins follows the theme of singer-songwriter Ted Gärdestads song, Sol, vind och vatten and this also included the reintroduction of the 2 kronor coin, while the current 10 kronor coin remained the same. The new coins also have a new portrait of the king in the design, one of the reasons for a new series of coins is to end the use of nickel. It is expected that vending machines and parking meters will to a high degree stop accepting coins. Cash is already used in Sweden, with many young people avoiding cash as much as possible. Between 1873 and 1876, coins in denominations of 1,2,5,10,25, and 50 öre and 1,2,10, and 20 kronor were introduced. The 1,2 and 5 öre were in bronze, the 10,25,50 öre and 1 krona and 2 kronor were in silver, gold 5 kronor coins were added in 1881. In 1873 the Scandinavian Monetary Union currency was fixed so that 248,000 öre purchased 1 kg of gold, in 2017 the price of gold is 365,289 kronor per kg. So one öre in 1873 bought as much gold as 1.47 krona in 2017, so if it is reasonable to have the smallest denomination coin 1 krona today, in 1873 a reasonable smallest denomination coin was 1 öre. A10 kr gold coin weighed 4.4803 grams with 900 finess so that the weight was 4.03327 grams or exactly 1/248th of a kilogram
16.
Euro
–
Outside of Europe, a number of overseas territories of EU members also use the euro as their currency. Additionally,210 million people worldwide as of 2013 use currencies pegged to the euro, the euro is the second largest reserve currency as well as the second most traded currency in the world after the United States dollar. The name euro was adopted on 16 December 1995 in Madrid. The euro was introduced to world markets as an accounting currency on 1 January 1999. While the euro dropped subsequently to US$0.8252 within two years, it has traded above the U. S. dollar since the end of 2002, peaking at US$1.6038 on 18 July 2008. In July 2012, the euro fell below US$1.21 for the first time in two years, following concerns raised over Greek debt and Spains troubled banking sector, as of 26 March 2017, the euro–dollar exchange rate stands at ~ US$1.07. The euro is managed and administered by the Frankfurt-based European Central Bank, as an independent central bank, the ECB has sole authority to set monetary policy. The Eurosystem participates in the printing, minting and distribution of notes and coins in all states. The 1992 Maastricht Treaty obliges most EU member states to adopt the euro upon meeting certain monetary and budgetary convergence criteria, all nations that have joined the EU since 1993 have pledged to adopt the euro in due course. Since 5 January 2002, the central banks and the ECB have issued euro banknotes on a joint basis. Euro banknotes do not show which central bank issued them, Eurosystem NCBs are required to accept euro banknotes put into circulation by other Eurosystem members and these banknotes are not repatriated. The ECB issues 8% of the value of banknotes issued by the Eurosystem. In practice, the ECBs banknotes are put into circulation by the NCBs and these liabilities carry interest at the main refinancing rate of the ECB. The euro is divided into 100 cents, in Community legislative acts the plural forms of euro and cent are spelled without the s, notwithstanding normal English usage. Otherwise, normal English plurals are used, with many local variations such as centime in France. All circulating coins have a side showing the denomination or value. Due to the plurality in the European Union, the Latin alphabet version of euro is used. For the denominations except the 1-, 2- and 5-cent coins, beginning in 2007 or 2008 the old map is being replaced by a map of Europe also showing countries outside the Union like Norway
17.
United States dollar
–
The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and its insular territories per the United States Constitution. It is divided into 100 smaller cent units, the circulating paper money consists of Federal Reserve Notes that are denominated in United States dollars. The U. S. dollar was originally commodity money of silver as enacted by the Coinage Act of 1792 which determined the dollar to be 371 4/16 grain pure or 416 grain standard silver, the currency most used in international transactions, it is the worlds primary reserve currency. Several countries use it as their currency, and in many others it is the de facto currency. Besides the United States, it is used as the sole currency in two British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. A few countries use the Federal Reserve Notes for paper money, while the country mints its own coins, or also accepts U. S. coins that can be used as payment in U. S. dollars. After Nixon shock of 1971, USD became fiat currency, Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution provides that the Congress has the power To coin money, laws implementing this power are currently codified at 31 U. S. C. Section 5112 prescribes the forms in which the United States dollars should be issued and these coins are both designated in Section 5112 as legal tender in payment of debts. The Sacagawea dollar is one example of the copper alloy dollar, the pure silver dollar is known as the American Silver Eagle. Section 5112 also provides for the minting and issuance of other coins and these other coins are more fully described in Coins of the United States dollar. The Constitution provides that a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and that provision of the Constitution is made specific by Section 331 of Title 31 of the United States Code. The sums of money reported in the Statements are currently being expressed in U. S. dollars, the U. S. dollar may therefore be described as the unit of account of the United States. The word dollar is one of the words in the first paragraph of Section 9 of Article I of the Constitution, there, dollars is a reference to the Spanish milled dollar, a coin that had a monetary value of 8 Spanish units of currency, or reales. In 1792 the U. S. Congress passed a Coinage Act, Section 20 of the act provided, That the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars, or units. And that all accounts in the offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation. In other words, this act designated the United States dollar as the unit of currency of the United States, unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U. S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the form is significantly more common
18.
Pound sterling
–
It is subdivided into 100 pence. A number of nations that do not use sterling also have called the pound. At various times, the sterling was commodity money or bank notes backed by silver or gold. The pound sterling is the worlds oldest currency still in use, the British Crown dependencies of Guernsey and Jersey produce their own local issues of sterling, the Guernsey pound and the Jersey pound. The pound sterling is also used in the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, the Bank of England is the central bank for the pound sterling, issuing its own coins and banknotes, and regulating issuance of banknotes by private banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Sterling is the fourth most-traded currency in the exchange market, after the United States dollar, the euro. Together with those three currencies it forms the basket of currencies which calculate the value of IMF special drawing rights, Sterling is also the third most-held reserve currency in global reserves. The full, official name, pound sterling, is used mainly in formal contexts, otherwise the term pound is normally used. The abbreviations ster. or stg. are sometimes used, the term British pound is commonly used in less formal contexts, although it is not an official name of the currency. The pound sterling is also referred to as cable amongst forex traders, the origins of this term are attributed to the fact that in the 1800s, the dollar/pound sterling exchange rate was transmitted via transatlantic cable. Forex brokers are sometimes referred to as cable dealers, as another established source notes, the compound expression was then derived, silver coins known as sterlings were issued in the Saxon kingdoms,240 of them being minted from a pound of silver. Hence, large payments came to be reckoned in pounds of sterlings, in 1260, Henry III granted them a charter of protection. And because the Leagues money was not frequently debased like that of England, English traders stipulated to be paid in pounds of the Easterlings, and land for their Kontor, the Steelyard of London, which by the 1340s was also called Easterlings Hall, or Esterlingeshalle. For further discussion of the etymology of sterling, see sterling silver, the currency sign for the pound sign is £, which is usually written with a single cross-bar, though a version with a double cross-bar is also sometimes seen. The ISO4217 currency code is GBP, occasionally, the abbreviation UKP is used but this is non-standard because the ISO3166 country code for the United Kingdom is GB. The Crown dependencies use their own codes, GGP, JEP, stocks are often traded in pence, so traders may refer to pence sterling, GBX, when listing stock prices. A common slang term for the pound sterling or pound is quid, since decimalisation in 1971, the pound has been divided into 100 pence. The symbol for the penny is p, hence an amount such as 50p properly pronounced fifty pence is more colloquially, quite often, pronounced fifty pee /fɪfti, pi and this also helped to distinguish between new and old pence amounts during the changeover to the decimal system
19.
Sweden
–
Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the east, at 450,295 square kilometres, Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of 10.0 million. Sweden consequently has a low density of 22 inhabitants per square kilometre. Approximately 85% of the lives in urban areas. Germanic peoples have inhabited Sweden since prehistoric times, emerging into history as the Geats/Götar and Swedes/Svear, Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, while the north is heavily forested. Sweden is part of the area of Fennoscandia. The climate is in very mild for its northerly latitude due to significant maritime influence. Today, Sweden is a monarchy and parliamentary democracy, with a monarch as head of state. The capital city is Stockholm, which is also the most populous city in the country, legislative power is vested in the 349-member unicameral Riksdag. Executive power is exercised by the government chaired by the prime minister, Sweden is a unitary state, currently divided into 21 counties and 290 municipalities. Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages, in the 17th century, it expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire, which became one of the great powers of Europe until the early 18th century. Swedish territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were gradually lost during the 18th and 19th centuries, the last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Norway was militarily forced into personal union. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, maintaining a policy of neutrality in foreign affairs. The union with Norway was peacefully dissolved in 1905, leading to Swedens current borders, though Sweden was formally neutral through both world wars, Sweden engaged in humanitarian efforts, such as taking in refugees from German-occupied Europe. After the end of the Cold War, Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995 and it is also a member of the United Nations, the Nordic Council, Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Sweden maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides health care. The modern name Sweden is derived through back-formation from Old English Swēoþēod and this word is derived from Sweon/Sweonas. The Swedish name Sverige literally means Realm of the Swedes, excluding the Geats in Götaland, the etymology of Swedes, and thus Sweden, is generally not agreed upon but may derive from Proto-Germanic Swihoniz meaning ones own, referring to ones own Germanic tribe
20.
Politics of Sweden
–
Politics of Sweden takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the government, led by the Prime Minister of Sweden, legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, elected within a multi-party system. The Judiciary is independent, appointed by the government and employed until retirement, the current democratic regime is a product of a stable development of successively added democratic institutions introduced during the 19th century up to 1921, when womens suffrage was introduced. The Government of Sweden has adhered to parliamentarism — de jure since 1975, since the Great Depression, Swedish national politics has largely been dominated by the Social Democratic Workers Party, which has held a plurality in parliament since 1917. The Constitution of Sweden consists of four fundamental laws, the most important is the Instrument of Government of 1974 which sets out the basic principles of political life in Sweden, defining rights and freedoms. The Act of Succession is a treaty between the old Riksdag of the Estates and House of Bernadotte regulating their rights to accede to the Swedish throne and his authority is formal, symbolic, and representational. Heiress apparent to the throne is Crown Princess Victoria since 1980, following the general elections held on 26 September 2014, Stefan Löfven of the Swedish Social Democratic Party was elected Prime Minister of Sweden by the new parliament on 2 October. Together with the Green Party, Löfven presides over a minority government, the Deputy Prime Minister is Isabella Lövin of the Green Party. The highest executive authority of the State is vested in the Government, the Ministers are appointed at the sole discretion of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is nominated by the Speaker and appointed following a vote in the Riksdag itself, the Monarch plays no part in this process. The only way to get rid of a government is through a motion of no confidence in the Riksdag and this motion must get a majority of the total amount of votes in the Riksdag. Another example of the power the legislature has given the Government is the adoption of the budget in the Riksdag, the Governments proposition to budget is adopted, unless a majority of the members of the Riksdag vote against it. This to make it possible to even in minority. The unicameral Riksdag has 349 members, popularly elected every 4 years and it is in session generally from September through mid-June. Legislation may be initiated by the Cabinet or by members of the Riksdag, members are elected on the basis of proportional representation for a four-year term. The Riksdag can alter the Constitution of Sweden, but only with approval by a supermajority, the Swedish Social Democratic Party has played a leading political role since 1917, after Reformists confirmed their strength and the revolutionaries left the party. After 1932, the Cabinets have been dominated by the Social Democrats, only five general elections have given the centre-right bloc enough seats in the Riksdag to form a government. This is considered one reason for the Swedish post-war welfare state, Election turnout in Sweden has always been high in international comparisons, although it has declined in recent decades, and is around 82 percent
21.
Swedish Act of Succession
–
The 1810 Act of Succession is one of four Fundamental Laws of the Realm and thus forms part of the Swedish Constitution. The Act regulates the line of succession to the Swedish Throne, the Act of Succession was adopted by the Riksdag of the Estates assembled at Örebro in 1810, upon electing Charles XIV John as the heir to King Charles XIII. This happened at a time for Sweden, as only one year earlier the former king, Gustav IV Adolf had been deposed and replaced by his childless uncle. At the same time the Finnish War was coming to an end and Finland, the authoritarian constitution of 1772 was abolished and power was returned to parliament by the new Instrument of Government adopted on June 6,1809. From 1814 to 1905 the Act of Succession also regulated succession to the Norwegian throne, the Act in the current version specifies that, Only children born in wedlock may inherit the Throne. Only the descendants of Carl XVI Gustaf may inherit the Throne, the offspring of an approved marriage must be brought up within Sweden. A prince or princess may not marry and remain in the line of succession without having received consent, upon application of the Monarch, from the Government of Sweden. A prince or princess is also prevented from becoming monarch of another country, either by election or marriage, without the consent of the Monarch, if any of these provisions are violated, all rights of succession for the person concerned and all descendants are lost. In its original version, the Act mandated that a Swedish prince could only marry into families deemed to be of equal rank, or forfeit for himself and his future descendants all dynastic rights. The key wording was private mans daughter, a term which in Swedish jurisprudence was understood to include all non-royal persons, in 1938 the statutory provision which required a spouse of royal birth was changed and the prohibition only extended to a private Swedish mans daughter. A total of five Swedish princes lost their rights of due to violation of that provision, Oscar in 1888, Lennart in 1932, Sigvard in 1934, Carl in 1937. There is since 1980 no statutory limitation, based on nationality or royal rank, on whom a prince or princess can marry. In 1980, the rule of succession was changed from agnatic primogeniture to absolute primogeniture and this change in effect created Victoria heir apparent, passing over her younger brother Prince Carl Philip. 1809 Instrument of Government List of Swedish monarchs Monarchy of Sweden Act of Succession - at the Riksdag
22.
Monarchy of Sweden
–
The Monarchy of Sweden concerns the monarchical head of state of Sweden, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Kingdom of Sweden has been a monarchy since time immemorial, Sweden in the present day is a representative democracy in a parliamentary system based on popular sovereignty, as defined in the current Instrument of Government. The monarch and the members of the Royal Family undertake a variety of official, unofficial and other duties within Sweden. Carl XVI Gustaf became King on 15 September 1973 on the death of his grandfather, Sweden has been a kingdom since prehistoric times. Originally, the Swedish king had combined powers limited to that of a war chief, a judge, the Royal Court of Sweden, however, does count Olofs father as Swedens first king. The king was elected from a favored dynasty at the Stones of Mora. The ceremonial stones were destroyed around 1515 and that dynasty formed a pre-Kalmar Union Sweden into a strong state, and finally king Magnus IV even ruled Norway and Scania. Following the Black Death, the union was weakened, and Scania was reunited with Denmark. In 1397, after the Black Death and domestic power struggles, Queen Margaret I of Denmark united Sweden, Denmark, continual tension within each country and the union led to open conflict between the Swedes and the Danes in the 15th century. The unions final disintegration in the early 16th century led to prolonged rivalry between Denmark-Norway and Sweden for centuries to come. Catholic bishops had supported the King of Denmark, Christian II, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden by the Estates of the Realm, assembled in Strängnäs on 6 June 1523. Inspired by the teachings of Martin Luther, Gustav I used the Protestant Reformation to curb the power of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1527 he persuaded the Estates of the Realm, assembled in the city of Västerås, to church lands. At the same time, he broke with the papacy and established a state church. Legally Sweden has only been a monarchy since 1544 when the Riksdag of the Estates, through Västerås arvförening. Crown tax revenues increased, but more importantly the new system was perceived as fairer, a war with Lübeck in 1535 resulted in the expulsion of the Hanseatic traders, who previously had had a monopoly on foreign trade. With its own burghers in charge, Swedens economic strength grew rapidly, Sweden now built the first modern army in Europe, supported by a sophisticated tax system and an efficient bureaucracy. At the death of King Gustav I in 1560, he was succeeded by his oldest son Eric XIV and his reign was marked by Swedens entrance into the Livonian War and the Northern Seven Years War
23.
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
–
Carl XVI Gustaf is the King of Sweden. He ascended the throne upon the death of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf on 15 September 1973 and he is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The Kings heir apparent, upon passage on 1 January 1980 of a new law establishing absolute primogeniture, is Crown Princess Victoria, Carl Gustaf was born on 30 April 1946 at 10,20 in Haga Palace in Solna, Stockholm County. He was the youngest of five children and the son of Swedens Prince Gustaf Adolf. He was christened at the Royal Chapel on 7 June 1946 by the Archbishop of Uppsala and he was baptized in Charles XIs baptismal font, which stood on Gustav IIIs carpet and he lay in Charles XIs cradle with Oscar IIs crown beside him. The same christening gown in white linen batiste which the prince carried had been worn by his father in 1906, Prince Carl Gustaf was also given the title of the Duke of Jämtland. His father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, was killed in a crash on 26 January 1947. His fathers death had left the prince second in line for the throne, behind his grandfather. When his great-grandfather Gustaf V died in 1950, the prince became the heir apparent of Sweden. Carl Gustaf was seven years old before he was told about his fathers death, after graduating from high school, Carl Gustaf completed two and a half years of education in the Royal Swedish Army, the Royal Swedish Navy, and the Royal Swedish Air Force. He received his commission as an officer in all three services in 1968, and he rose to the rank of captain and lieutenant. He has also completed his studies in history, sociology, political science, tax law. In addition, he studied the affairs of the Riksdag, Government. On 15 September 1973, Carl Gustaf became King of Sweden upon the death of his grandfather, on September 19, he took the required regal assurance during an extraordinary meeting of the cabinet. Afterwards, he appeared before the parliament, diplomatic corps, court, both the cabinet meeting and ceremony at the Hall were broadcast live on television. Following the ceremonies, he appeared on the balcony to acknowledge gathered crowds, at the cabinet meeting, the King declared that his name would be Carl XVI Gustaf and that his title would be King of Sweden. He adopted, For Sweden – With the times as his personal motto, when Carl Gustaf ascended the throne, plans were already in place to replace the 1809 Instrument of Government which gave the King extensive involvement with government. Though the King was a near-autocrat on paper, the Riksdags authority grew steadily into the early 20th century, in 1914, Gustaf V made a speech which resulted in what is known as the Courtyard Crisis wherein he was accused of interfering with politics
24.
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
–
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland, is the eldest child and heir apparent of King Carl XVI Gustaf. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Swedens fourth queen regnant and the first since 1720. Victoria was born on 14 July 1977 at 21,45 CET at the Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Stockholm County, Sweden and she is a member of the Royal House of Bernadotte. Born as a Princess of Sweden, she was designated Crown Princess in 1979 ahead of her younger brother and her place as first in the line of succession formally went into effect on 1 January 1980 with the parliamentary change to the Act of Succession that introduced absolute primogeniture. Her given names honour various relatives and she was christened at The Royal Palace Church on 27 September 1977. Her godparents were Crown Prince Harald of Norway, her uncle, Ralf Sommerlath, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands. The Crown Princess was confirmed in the summer of 1992 at Räpplinge church on the island of Öland. Victoria studied for a year at the Université Catholique de lOuest at Angers in France, from 1998 to 2000, Victoria resided in the United States, where she studied various subjects at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. In May 1999, she was an intern at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, Victoria completed a study program at the Government Offices in 2001. In 2003, Victorias education continued with visits to Swedish businesses, in 2006, Victoria enrolled in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Diplomat Program, running from September 2006 to June 2007. The program is a program for young future diplomats and gives an insight to the ministrys work, Swedish foreign and security policies. In June 2009, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Uppsala University and she speaks Swedish, English, French and German. She was made Crown Princess and heir apparent on 1 January 1980 by the 1979 change to the Act of Succession of 1810 and this constitutional reform meant that the throne would be inherited by the monarchs eldest child without regard to gender. King Carl XVI Gustaf objected to the reform after it occurred because he favoured tradition, when she became heir, she also was made titular Duchess of Västergötland, one of the historical provinces of Sweden. Prior to this change, the heir apparent to the throne was her younger brother. He is now fourth in line to the throne, behind the Crown Princesss daughter and she is one of only three female heirs apparent in the world – the other two being her goddaughter Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, and Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant. Victorias declaration of majority took place in the Hall of State at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on 14 July 1995, as of the day she turned 18, she became eligible to act as Head of State when the King is not in country. Victoria made her first public speech on this occasion, located on the dais in the background was the same silver throne on which her father was seated at his enthronement, in actual use from 1650 and up until this ceremony
25.
Royal Court of Sweden
–
The Royal Court of Sweden is the official name for the organisation that supports the monarch, and the royal house. The incumbent monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf, is head of the Royal Court, the Marshal of the Realm is the head of all operations, with all other departments within the Royal Court reporting directly to him. He is accountable to The King for the activities of the entire Royal Court organization, curia regis Royal court Swedish Royal Academies Royal Court of Sweden
26.
Marshal of the Realm
–
The Marshal of the Realm is the highest official in the Royal Court of Sweden. Press releases and official statements from the Swedish Royal Family to the press, the incumbent is in formal writing entitled the style of Excellency, and is today, apart from Swedish ambassadors, the only officeholder to use this style. Until the 1970s the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs also used this style, the present officeholder, Svante Lindqvist, was appointed in 2010. Lesser Officers of The Realm Over-Governor of Stockholm Reichsmarschall Office of the Marshal of the Realm
27.
Svante Lindqvist
–
Lars Svante Albert Lindqvist is a Swedish historian who has been the Marshal of the Realm of Sweden and chief of the Royal Court of Sweden since 1 January 2010. Lindqvist is the son of architect Åke E. Lindqvist and Barbro Åström and he holds an MSE in engineering physics from the Royal Institute of Technology since 1977. After contact with Torsten Althin, he had written a thesis with focus on historical technology and he holds a Ph. D in science and ideas history from Uppsala University since 1984. His doctoral dissertation was about the introduction of the engine in Sweden in the early 18th century. Lindqvist later became a professor of art history at the Royal Institute of Technology, but left in 1998 to become head of the Nobel Museum, on 1 July 2009 he was appointed the KVAs praeses, for a three-year term. He was succeeded by Barbara Cannon on 1 July 2012, the Kings Medal of the 12th size in the Order of the Seraphim ribbon for significant contributions in the museum sector and in the subject of technology history, on 28 January 2010. Member 1st Class of Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana in connection with the Estonian state visit on 18 January 2011
28.
Legislature
–
A legislature is a deliberative assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. Legislatures form important parts of most governments, in the separation of model, they are often contrasted with the executive. Laws enacted by legislatures are known as legislation, legislatures observe and steer governing actions and usually have exclusive authority to amend the budget or budgets involved in the process. The members of a legislature are called legislators, each chamber of legislature consists of a number of legislators who use some form of parliamentary procedure to debate political issues and vote on proposed legislation. There must be a number of legislators present to carry out these activities. Some of the responsibilities of a legislature, such as giving first consideration to newly proposed legislation, are delegated to committees made up of small selections of the legislators. The members of a legislature usually represent different political parties, the members from each party generally meet as a caucus to organize their internal affairs, the internal organization of a legislature is also shaped by the informal norms that are shared by its members. Legislatures vary widely in the amount of power they wield, compared to other political players such as judiciaries, militaries. In 2009, political scientists M. Steven Fish and Matthew Kroenig constructed a Parliamentary Powers Index in an attempt to quantify the different degrees of power among national legislatures, such a system renders the legislature more powerful. Legislatures will sometime delegate their legislative power to administrative or executive agencies, legislatures are made up of individual members, known as legislators, who vote on proposed laws. For example, a legislature that has 100 seats has 100 members, by extension, an electoral district that elects a single legislator can also be described as a seat, as, for, example, in the phrases safe seat and marginal seat. In parliamentary systems of government, the executive is responsible to the legislature which may remove it with a vote of no confidence, names for national legislatures include parliament, congress, diet and assembly. A legislature which operates as a unit is unicameral, one divided into two chambers is bicameral, and one divided into three chambers is tricameral. In bicameral legislatures, one chamber is considered the upper house. In federations, the upper house typically represents the component states. This is a case with the legislature of the European Union. Tricameral legislatures are rare, the Massachusetts Governors Council still exists, tetracameral legislatures no longer exist, but they were previously used in Scandinavia. Legislatures vary widely in their size, among national legislatures, Chinas National Peoples Congress is the largest with 2987 members, while Vatican Citys Pontifical Commission is the smallest with 7
29.
Urban Ahlin
–
Urban Christian Ahlin is a Swedish Social Democratic Party politician and the Speaker of the Riksdag since 2014. He has been a member of the Swedish parliament since 1994 and he was formerly Foreign Policy spokesman for the Social Democrats. Ahlin was born in Mariestad, Skaraborg County, Sweden, from 1981 to 1982, and again from 1984 to 1985, he was chairman of the local branch of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League in Mariestad. Between 1985 and 1990 he was chairman of the Social Democratic Youth League in Skaraborg County, between 1991 and 1998 he was chairman of the Social Democratic Party in Mariestad, Skaraborg County, and between 1999 and 2002 he was the deputy secretary general of the Social Democratic Party. Since 2005 he is chairman of the Social Democratic Party in Skaraborg County, between 1985 and 1990 Ahlin studied at the specialist teacher-training course at Karlstad University. He then worked as a teacher at an upper elementary school in Mariestad, teaching mathematics and general science. Between 2002 and 2006 Ahlin was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Swedish parliament, from 2006 to 2014, after the Social Democrats lost power in the 2006 election, he was deputy chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. During this time, Urban Ahlin was the Foreign Policy spokesperson for the Social Democrats in the Swedish Parliament, in Parliament he held a number of different positions. He was a member of the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs, a member of the War Delegation, and he was also a member of the party board of the Social Democratic Party. He has been the chair of the Socialist group in the OSCE PA and he succeeded Per Westerberg in that post. Urban Ahlin has been engaged in many mediations and negotiations, in 2007 he managed after extensive meetings and talks to get two Swedish construction workers out from the Iranian prison, Evin, in Tehran. He was the backchannel between Belarus and United States in negotiating the release of the presidential candidate in Belarus. Urban Ahlin was also the person behind the scene in the work to release the hostage at the headquarters of the Socialdemocratic Party in Stockholm, the staff had been taken hostage by a group of young members of PKK as a protest after the arrest of their leader Öcalan. Urban Ahlin was the channel talking directly to the youngsters making them to give up after Ahlin gave a promise to attend the hearings in Turkey. Which he later did together with the former Swedish minister Carl Lidbom, Urban Ahlin is and has been a member of many different non-profit organisations. He is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations ECFR. He is also a member of the Swedish group of Trilateral Commission and he has been a director of the influential American think and do tank EastWest Institute. Urban Ahlin regularly participates in programs and seminars organised by The Aspen Institute, German Marshall Fund GMF, Urban Ahlin is also a member of the International Advisory Board of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferations Studies, CSN at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA
30.
Esabelle Dingizian
–
Esabelle Dingizian is a Swedish Green Party politician. She has been a member of the Riksdag since 2006 and she became the Third Deputy Speaker of the Riksdag in 2014. Dingizian was born in Baghdad, Iraq to Armenian parents on 16 September 1962 and her grandmother was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide and eventually moved to Iraq. Her family moved to Sweden in 1965 due to her fathers career, Esabelle Dingizian entered politics in the late 1990s. In 1998 she was elected a member of the Botkyrka Municipality council and she became a member of the Riksdag in 2006 as the representative of the Stockholm County Council constituency. Dingizian became a member of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and she also worked with the Committee on the Labour Market and the Committee on Education. In 2014, Dingizian was elected the Third Deputy Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, besides Swedish, she speaks Armenian and Arabic. Till March 2008 she was known as Esabelle Reshdouni, Esabelle Dingizian at the Riksdag website
31.
Judiciary of Sweden
–
The judicial system of Sweden consists of the law of Sweden and a number of government agencies tasked with upholding security and rule of law within the country. The activities of these agencies include police and law enforcement, prosecution, courts, each of these systems has three tiers, where the top tier court of the respective system typically only will hear cases that may become precedent. The general courts deal with cases, like an act defined in the Swedish Penal Code or in another law. District courts There are 48 district courts, the district courts are the court of first instance for the general courts. In 1971, the became the district court all over Sweden. Courts of appeal There are six appellate courts, the courts of appeal are the second instance on issues relating to criminal cases, contentious cases and other judicial issues that have already been dealt with by a district court. Supreme Court The supreme court is the instance of the general courts. A leave to appeal is required and this is granted by the court itself and only done when it is deemed important to establish a precedent for the lower courts. The general administrative courts handle numerous types of cases relating to disputes between private persons and the authorities, over 500 different kinds of cases are assigned to the general administrative courts, like appeals against decisions made by the Swedish Tax Agency or the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. Administrative courts There are 12 administrative courts and they are the court of first instance for the general administrative courts. Administrative courts of appeal There are four administrative courts of appeal, a leave of appeal is only granted if theres reason to believe a decision might be overturned, or set an important precedent in a higher court. Supreme Administrative Court The Supreme Administrative Court is the instance of the general administrative courts. A permission to appeal will only be granted by the Supreme Administrative Court if there is reason to believe the case may be of importance as a precedent, simple erroneous judicial decision-making by the lower courts is usually not sufficient for the court to consider a case. There are also a number of courts, which will hear a narrower set of cases. While independent in their rulings, some of these courts are operated as divisions within courts of the general or general administrative courts, the special courts usually have a one-tier or two-tier system. Regional tenancy tribunals, of which there are eight, in the locations as regional rent tribunals. The tribunal for traffic injuries in Stockholm, if the parties dont want to accept its recommendation, the case is appealed in the district court. Other insurance matters have their own tribunals, Ansvarsförsäkringens Personskadenämnd, Ombudskostnadsnämnden, Personförsäkringsnämnden and Nämnden för rättsskyddsfrågor, the National Board for Consumer Disputes pronounces recommendation verdicts, but without imposing anything, yet are these normally respected
32.
Supreme Court of Sweden
–
The Supreme Court of Sweden is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in Sweden. Before a case can be decided by the Supreme Court, leave to appeal must be obtained, historically, all judicial power was vested in the Monarch, but in 1614 Gustavus Adolphus instituted Svea Hovrätt and authorized it to issue sentences in his name. Those not satisfied with sentencing were able to directly to the monarch, and appeals were handled by the Justice Department of the Privy Council. Under the authoritarian rule of King Gustav III, the Privy Council was suspended in 1789 on the basis of the Union, instead, on May 19, Kings Supreme Court was instituted to handle legal matters. There were twelve judges of the court, half of which was to be nobles, while in session, no more than eight judges could serve at the same time, and with equal numbers of nobles and commoners. In the court the king held two votes, as well as the vote in case of a tie. However, this right was never exercised, except on the centennial of the court. Under the 1809 Instrument of Government, the judges of the Supreme Court became salaried civil servants, in 1844 the requirement on equal numbers of noblemen and commoners in service as judges of the court was dropped. In 1909 the Supreme Administrative Court and the Council on Legislation were created to assume certain tasks that had been handled by the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court assumed responsibility for ruling on administrative cases and the Legal Council received the responsibility for judicial review. At the same time the monarch lost voting power in the court, the right to appeal cases to the Supreme Court was limited for the first time in 1915. A special dispensation was required before trying a minor civil or criminal case, dispensation was to be given when there was a ruling that could become a precedent, and in 1945 this requirement was extended to all cases. Johansson Dag Mattsson Lars Edlund Anders Eka Sten Andersson Official website
33.
Courts of appeal in Sweden
–
The courts of appeal in Sweden are the second instance on issues relating to criminal cases, contentious cases and other judicial issues that have already been dealt with by a district court. The next and final instance is the Supreme Court, the courts of appeal have jurisdiction in appeals from the district courts. The territorial jurisdiction, dividing Sweden into nine districts, is based on the geographic boundaries of several district courts. The courts of appeal are, The largest is Svea Court of Appeal, in the courts of appeal, a judge other than the president of a court or a division of a court is titled Judge of Appeal. A judge who presides over a division is titled Senior Judge of Appeal, approximately 650 people work for the courts of appeal in Sweden. Each court of appeal is divided into a number of departments, there are also more than 600 lay judges linked to the courts of appeal. Lay judges are laymen, not legally qualified representatives of the people, appointed by the county councils, the appellate court make use of lay judges in criminal cases only. The main rule in civil cases is that the court should consist of three legally qualified judges, but there are some exceptions to this rule. At least four legally qualified judges are required to sit for the adjudication of the case, if one of the legally qualified judges is prevented from adjudicating after the commencement of the main hearing, the bench nevertheless constitutes a quorum. In criminal cases, three qualified judges and two lay judges constitute a quorum. If there is no reason to impose a more severe than fines in a criminal case. If one of the legally qualified judges or one of the lay judges are prevented from adjudicating after the commencement of the main hearing, the Land and Environment Court of Appeal is also part of the Svea Court of Appeal. A leave to appeal is required for a case to be considered by the highest instance in civil and criminal cases and this is granted by the Supreme Court itself, and only done when it is deemed important to establish a precedent for the lower courts. The map shows geographic boundaries of the courts, i. e. the district courts and its appellate court. Judiciary of Sweden Crime in Sweden 1. ^ List of district courts on the website of the Swedish National Courts Administration
34.
District courts of Sweden
–
The district courts of Sweden are the court of first instance for the general courts in Sweden. The next instance are the courts of appeal, the district court handle criminal cases, some civil law disputes and a number of non-contentious matters. There are 48 district courts across Sweden, and the catchment area is based on the boundaries of several municipalities. The number of employees vary, from ten to several hundreds, the general courts in Sweden deal with criminal and civil cases. Civil cases are cases where two parties are in disagreement, for example, over the contents of an agreement or cases relating to family law. The district court handles a number of other non-contentious matters, such as adoption. Sweden is divided into 48 judicial districts, as prescribed by the government, the district courts are general lower courts and usually courts of first instance. In the district courts, a other than the president of a court or a division of a court is simply titled Judge. A judge who presides over a division is titled Senior Judge, each district court has a Chief Judge, and usually one or more permanent salaried judges. In order to be accepted for training as a judge one must be a Swedish citizen, hold a degree of bachelor of law at minimum, there are also more than 5,000 lay judges linked to the district courts. Lay judges are laymen, not legally qualified representatives of the people, appointed by the municipal assembly, the district court make use of lay judges in criminal cases only. The main rule in civil cases is that the court should consist of three legally qualified judges, but there are several exceptions to this rule. In simple cases, and if the parties agree to it, another exception is if the value of the claim is obviously low, then the quorum is also one legally qualified judge. If a judge is excused after the commencement of the main hearing, at main hearings in criminal cases the district courts are prescribed to consist of one legally qualified judge and three lay judges. In criminal cases where the penalty is imprisonment, the presence of lay judges is required, however, if a lay judge is unable to attend after a main hearing has commenced, the bench constitutes a quorum with one legally qualified judge and two lay judges. In simpler criminal cases, were the penalty is a fine or were the calls for imprisonment not exceeding six months. The person who has been convicted, the prosecutor and the victim of the crime can appeal against a court in the appellate court. This must be made within three weeks of the date of the judgement, if there is reason to believe that the next instance would arrive at a conclusion different to that of the district court, a leave to appeal will be granted
35.
Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden
–
The Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden is the supreme court and the third and final tier for administrative court cases in Sweden, and is located in Stockholm. It has a status to that of the Supreme Court of Sweden. It hears cases which have decided by one of the four Administrative courts of appeal. Before a case can be decided, a leave to appeal must be obtained, the bulk of its caseload consist of taxation and social security cases. By law, there shall be fourteen Justices of the Supreme Administrative Court or such a higher a number as may be required, as of 2009, there were eighteen Justices in the court. One of the Justices serves as president and head of the court, since 3rd of January,2011, Justice Mats Melin serves as the courts president. In total the court has approximately 100 employees, the court was founded in 1909. Before that, the Supreme Court of Sweden handed administrative court matters as well, from 1972 until 2009, the Supreme Administrative Court resided in the Stenbock Palace on the Riddarholmen islet in central Stockholm. Since 2011 the court sits in Kammarrättens hus and the Sparre Palace on Riddarholmen, courts of Sweden, The Supreme Administrative Court
36.
Administrative courts of appeal in Sweden
–
The administrative courts of appeal in Sweden is the second tier for the general administrative courts in Sweden. The next and final instance is the Supreme Administrative Court, there are four administrative courts of appeal, and they mostly handle cases and other judicial issues that have already been dealt with by the lower courts. In addition to this, they act as court of first instance in cases related to the principle of public access to official records. A judge who presides over a division is titled Senior Judge of Appeal, approximately 550 people work for the administrative courts of appeal in Sweden, and about 120 of them serve as permanent salaried judges. Permanent salaried judges are appointed by the Government, special provisions apply for the selection of judges and their dismissal, to guarantee the independence of the court, making them almost impossible to fire. There are also approximately 350 lay judges linked to the courts of appeal. Lay judges are laymen, not legally qualified representatives of the people, appointed by the county councils, the composition of the court varies. The bench usually constitutes a quorum with three qualified judges, however, two officers of the court is enough if they are in agreement about granting a leave to appeal. In certain cases, such as when the case involves decision about social welfare insurance and child custody cases, the Supreme Administrative Court needs to grant a leave to appeal, to consider a case. A permission to appeal will only be granted if there is reason to believe the case may be of importance as a precedent, erroneous judgement by the lower courts is usually not sufficient for the Supreme Administrative Court to consider a case. The clickable map shows geographic boundaries of the courts of appeal. ^ Described in the Instrument of Government, Chapter 11, Articles 6 and 7, the Letters Patent Act governs the dismissal of judges. ^ Map of administrative courts on the website of the Swedish National Courts Administration
37.
Administrative courts in Sweden
–
The administrative courts in Sweden are the court of first instance for the general administrative courts in Sweden. The next instance are the courts of appeal. The administrative courts handle numerous types of cases relating to disputes between private persons and the authorities, there are 12 administrative courts spread across Sweden. Over 500 different kinds of cases are assigned to the administrative courts, for example, Cases concerning the compulsory care for young people. Cases concerning adults with substance misuse problems, all decisions made by a municipality or county council can be appealed, under the Local Government Act. Cases involving the social services in a municipality, on issues like welfare, decisions made by the Swedish Tax Agency, regarding income tax, property taxes or a VAT decision, etc. Cases concerning psychiatric care, under the terms of Compulsory Psychiatric Care Act, decisions made by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. This includes sick pay, compensation for injuries, and more. Other common cases are, driving licence revocation, alcohol licensing, animal welfare issues, appeals on public procurement decisions, decisions made by these courts can be appealed at the Migration Court of Appeal, which is located at the Administrative Court of Appeal in Stockholm. Sweden is divided into 12 court districts for the administrative courts, in the administrative courts, a judge other than the president of a court or a division of a court is simply titled Judge. A judge who presides over a division is titled Senior Judge, the administrative courts have approximately 1,500 employees. About 220 of these are employed as judges, there are also lay judges linked to the administrative court. Lay judges are laymen, not legally qualified representatives of the people, appointed by the county councils, permanent salaried judges are appointed by the Government. Special provisions apply for the selection of judges and their dismissal, to guarantee the independence of the court, in most cases, the bench constitutes a quorum with one legally qualified judge and three lay judges. However, some cases may be decided on without any lay judges. The clickable map shows geographic boundaries of the courts of appeal. See also the page on Swedish National Board of Institutional Care, ^ SFS1991,1128, SFS,1991,1129 ^1991,900 - An old translation to English can be found here. ^2001,453 ^ Described in the Instrument of Government, Chapter 11, the Letters Patent Act governs the dismissal of judges
38.
Council on Legislation (Sweden)
–
The Council on Legislation is a Swedish Government Agency composed of current and former justices of the Supreme Court and Supreme Administrative Court. Its function is to pronounce on the validity of legislative proposals at the request of the Government or a Riksdag standing committee. The Councils pronouncements are not binding, but are usually adhered to, the Government is not obligated to allow the Council to review every bill, but the Government has to provide a rationale if it does not allow the Council do so. Using legal terminology, the Legislative Council carries out judicial preview or alternatively abstract legal review
.jpg)
