This chapter is about how political power is divided between the state, regions, and municipalities. The people decide which politicians will govern there. The politicians make decisions on laws, rules, and the budget, while the government agencies implement the decisions in practice.

The country is governed at different levels
Political responsibility in Sweden is divided between the national level (the state), the regional level (regions), and the municipal level (municipalities). In addition, Sweden is affected by decisions in the European Union (EU).

The State
What is called the state consists of the Riksdag (parliament), the Government, government agencies, and the courts. Sweden is a parliamentary representative democracy. This means that citizens vote in general elections and elect members to the Riksdag, which in turn makes decisions on laws and the state budget.
The Riksdag has 349 members who are elected every four years. They represent different parties and different parts of the country. They decide on laws and how the state’s money should be used. The Riksdag elects a Prime Minister who is tasked with forming a government. The Prime Minister then chooses the ministers in the Government.

The Parliament House in Stockholm.
Every autumn, the Government submits a proposal to the Riksdag for the state’s income and expenditure. This is called the Budget Bill (budgetproposition). The budget shows the policies the Government wants to pursue and what the state should prioritize.
The parties that do not support the Government are called the opposition. The opposition’s task is to scrutinize the Government’s work and to propose alternative policies. In the Riksdag, the governing parties and the opposition discuss and debate different proposals before the members of the Riksdag vote on them.

Government Agencies
The Government governs the country with the help of state agencies. There are several hundred government agencies in Sweden. Some examples are the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen), the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket), the Swedish Police Authority (Polismyndigheten), and the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). If a person applies for parental benefit, for example, it is the Social Insurance Agency that makes the decision.
The agencies must follow the law and the instructions they have received from the Government. There are special agencies that monitor that other agencies are acting correctly, including the Parliamentary Ombudsmen (JO) and the Chancellor of Justice (JK).

Regions and municipalities
Sweden is divided into 21 regions. They are governed by politicians elected by the residents of the region in the regional election. The politicians make decisions in the regional assembly (regionfullmäktige). The primary task of the regions is to be responsible for health and medical care in the region. The regions also ensure that there is public transport, such as buses, trams, and subways. They are also responsible for the county museums.
The responsibilities of the municipalities
Sweden is also divided into 290 municipalities. The largest municipality is Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, where almost one million people live. The smallest municipality is Dorotea in Västerbotten County, which has fewer than 3,000 residents.
The municipalities are governed by politicians elected by the residents in the municipal election. They make decisions in the municipal assembly (kommunfullmäktige). Most politicians in the municipality have regular jobs and work with politics in their free time. In the municipality, there are committees (nämnder) that are responsible for different areas. For example, the cultural committee is responsible for the libraries, and the education committee is responsible for the schools in the municipality. The members of the committees are elected by the municipal assembly.

The municipalities are responsible for much of the service provided to residents, such as water and sewage, care for the elderly and children, snow removal, park maintenance, and adult education. Decisions in the municipality therefore often affect people’s everyday lives more directly than decisions in the Riksdag.

Sweden’s form of government
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the head of state is a king or queen who has no political power. The King serves as a symbol for Sweden, makes state visits to other countries, and receives heads of state from other countries when they visit Sweden.

Sweden’s King is named Carl XVI Gustaf, and his firstborn daughter, Victoria, is the Crown Princess. Next in line to become monarch is Victoria’s daughter, Estelle.