POLITICS
Basic data
Area: 450.295 sq km (inland waters included)
Capital City: Stockholm (771.000 inhabitants;
1,89million inhabitants including province)
Main Cities: Göteborg (485.000 inhabitants); Malmö (271.000 inhabitants)
Official Name: Konugariket Sverige – Kingdom of Sweden
System of Government: Hereditary Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State: HM Carl XVI Gustaf
Head of Government: Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (Chairman of a
four-party right-wing coalition)
Foreign Minister: Carl Bildt
Legislative institution: Parliament consisting of a unicameral assembly with
349 members, publicly elected for 4-year terms
Legal system: Civil law, influenced by customary law
Suffrage: Universal suffrage
International Organizations membership: CBSS, CERN, EAPC, EBRD,
ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G-6, G-9, G-10, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, ISO, ITU, NAM
(as "guest"), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO.
Population and Social Indicators
Population: 9.480.205 (2011)
Growth rate: 0,72% (including net migration)
Life expectancy at birth: Women 83,15 years; Men 79,10 years
Ethnical groups: The Swedish population mainly belongs to the Germanic-
Scandinavian stock. Laplandish (Sami) and Finnish minorities are present
on the territory. Sweden hosts displaced people and political refugees from
several Countries. 19% of the population has foreign origins (either they
were born abroad or one or both their parents were). 15% of the population
is born abroad: in Finland (170.000) and in Iraq (121.000). There are 200
nationalities represented in Sweden.
Religions: 70% of the population belong to the Church of Sweden
(Protestant, Lutheran). Catholic Church consists of 97.000 members.
Official Language: Swedish. Official linguistic minorities: Laplandish
(Sami), Finnish, Meänkieli (Finnish dialect spoken in Tornedalen), Yiddish
and Romany Chib (gipsy language).
Main Political Parties: Political Parties represented in Parliament are:
Social-Democrat Party
Moderate Party
Liberal Party
Centre Party
Environmental Party
Sweden Democrats
Christian-Democrat Party
Left Party
Domestic Politics
The latest political elections of 19th September 2010 confermed the four-
party right wing coalition as the Country's government, although without an
absolute majority in Parliament.
Eight parties are represented in Parliament in this government mandate
period (2010-2014). The percentage and amount of seats for each party are as follows:
Social-democrate Party – 30,8 with 113 seats
Moderate Party – 30% with 107 seats
Green party – 7,2% with 25 seats
Liberal Party – 7,1% with 24 seats
Center Party - 6,6% with 22 seats
Christian-Democrate Party – 5,6% with 19 seats
Sweden Democrats – 5,7 with 20 seats
Left Party – 5,6% with 19 seats
THE MINISTERS IN THE SECOND REINFELDT GOVERNMENT
Prime Minister: Fredrik Reinfeldt (Moderate Party)
Minister for EU Affairs: Birgitta Ohlsson (Liberal Party)
Minister for Finance: Anders Borg (Moderate Party)
Minister for Financial Markets: Peter Norman (Moderate Party)
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Carl Bildt (Moderate Party)
Minister for Trade: Ewa Björling (Moderate Party)
Minister for International Development Cooperation: Gunilla Carlsson (Moderate Party)
Minister for Education and Research: Jan Björklund (Liberal Party)
Minister for Health and Social Affairs: Göran Hägglund (Christian Democrate Party)
Minister for Children and the Elderly: Maria Larsson (Christian Democrate Party)
Minister for Public Administration and Housing: Stefan Attefall (Christian Democrate Party)
Minister for Social Security: Ulf Kristersson (Christian Democrate Party)
Minister for the Environment: Lena Ek (Center Party)
Minister for Enterprise: Annie Lööf (Center Party)
Minister for Information Technology and Energy: Anna-Karin Hatt (Center Party)
Minister for Infrastructure: Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd (Moderate Party)
Minister for Rural Affairs: Eskil Erlandsson (Center Party)
Minister for Culture and Sports: Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth (Moderate Party)
Minister for Defence: Karin Enström (Moderate Party)
Minister for Justice: Beatrice Ask (moderate Party)
Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy: Tobias Billström (Moderate Party)
Minister for Gender Equality: Nyamko Sabuni (Liberal Party)
Minister for Employment: Hillevi Engström (Moderate Party)
Minister for Integration: Erik Ullenhag (Liberal Party)
Sweden is member of the European Union since 1995, but not part of the
Economic and Monetary Union (Eurozone). On the 14th of September
2003 a Referendum on the Euro Currency was held. Votes were distributed
as follows: - YES: 42,0% - NO: 55,9% (voter turnout: 82,6%).