Legal System of Sweden

Sweden is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in northern europe, bordering the baltic sea, gulf of bothnia, kattegat, and skagerrak, between finland and norway. The country achieved independence on 6 june 1523 (gustav vasa elected king of sweden, marking the abolishment of the kalmar union of denmark, norway, and sweden). The capital is Stockholm.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy Chief of State: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 15 September 1973) Head of Government: Prime Minister Ulf KRISTERSSON (since 18 October 2022) Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister Administrative Divisions: 21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarna, Gavleborg, Gotland, Halland, Jamtland, Jonkoping, Kalmar, Kronoberg, Norrbotten, Orebro, Ostergotland, Skane, Sodermanland, Stockholm, Uppsala, Varmland, Vasterbotten, Vasternorrland, Vastmanland, Vastra Gotaland National Holiday: National Day, 6 June (1983) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Sweden is described as civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and customary law International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: Sweden has four fundamental laws which together make up the Constitution: The Instrument of Government (several previous; latest 1974); The Act of Succession (enacted 1810; changed in 1937 and 1980); The Freedom of the Press Act (many previous; latest in 1949); The Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression (adopted 1991) Amendment Process: proposed by Parliament; passage requires simple majority vote in two consecutive parliamentary terms with an intervening general election; passage also requires approval by simple majority vote in a referendum if Parliament approves a motion for a referendum by one third of its members; the results of such a referendum are only binding if a majority vote against the proposal

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court of Sweden (consists of 16 justices, including the court chairman); Supreme Administrative Court (consists of 18 justices, including the court president) Judge Selection: Supreme Court and Supreme Administrative Court justices nominated by the Judges Proposal Board, a 9-member nominating body consisting of high-level judges, prosecutors, and members of Parliament; justices appointed by the government; after a probationary period, justices’ appointments are permanent Subordinate Courts: first instance, appellate, general, and administrative courts; specialized courts that handle cases such as land and environment, immigration, labor, markets, and patents

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: the father must be a citizen of Sweden; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen of Sweden and the father unknown Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

A military power during the 17th century, Sweden maintained a policy of military non-alignment until it applied to join NATO in 2022. Sweden has not participated in any war for two centuries. Stockholm preserved an armed neutrality in both World Wars. Since then, Sweden has pursued a successful economic formula consisting of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Sweden based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.