Prime Minister of Sweden
| Prime Minister of Sweden Sveriges statsminister |
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| Residence | Sager House |
| Appointer | The Riksdag, the Swedish Parliament |
| Term length | Four years, unlimited renewable |
| Inaugural holder | Louis Gerhard De Geer |
| Formation | 20 March 1876 |
| Website | www.sweden.gov.se |
| Kingdom of Sweden |
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The Prime Minister (Swedish: statsminister, literally "Minister of the State") is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested. Louis De Geer, the architect behind the new bicameral Parliament of 1866 that replaced the centuries old Riksdag of the Estates, became the first officeholder in 1876.
The current Prime Minister of Sweden is Fredrik Reinfeldt, leader of the Moderate Party.
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History
Before 1876, when the office of a single prime minister was created, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from the head of state. Historically though, the most senior member of the Privy Council (during the absolute rule this was the Lord High Chancellor) had certain similarities to the office of a head of government. This was most evident during the so called Age of Liberty from 1718 to 1772, when powers of the Monarch were greatly reduced and the President of the Privy Council became the most powerful political figure in Sweden.
At the adoption of the new Instrument of Government of 1809, the two offices of Prime Minister for Justice (Swedish: Justitiestatsminister) and Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs (Swedish: Utrikesstatsminister) were created, though their roles were no more than just the heads of their respective ministries. When the office of the Prime Minister was created in 1876, the Prime Ministers for Justice and Foreign Affairs were thus subsequently demoted to Minister for Justice and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Unlike the Minister for Justice, the Minister for Foreign Affairs did however continue to be styled as "Excellency", an honour shared only with the Prime Minister.
From 1917 parliamentarian principles were de facto established in Sweden and the Monarch ceased to exercise his constitutional authority to appoint the Prime Minister and the Councillors of State (cabinet ministers) by his free will. From now on the Prime Minister depended on the support from Parliament, and in effect the Prime Minister came to exercise the Royal prerogatives. However, the Swedish term used for the Government during this period, still was Kungl. Maj:t, an abbreviation of Kunglig Majestät (English: Royal Majesty).
Until 1974 the executive authority in Sweden had been exercised through the King in Council. Constitutional reform provided a new Instrument of Government which de jure established the parliamentary system and created a cabinet government, although this had been the de facto case since 1917.
Office
Whenever a Prime Minister resigns, dies, or is forced from office by the Riksdag, the Speaker of the Riksdag asks him (or his deputy) to keep the government as a caretaker government until a successor has been elected. The speaker then holds consultations with the party leaders and appoints a Prime Minister-designate, who is submitted for approval to the Riksdag. If the Prime Minister-designate is approved he or she chooses which and how many members (ministers) are to be included in his or her government.[1]
With the exception of the Prime Minister, ministers of the government do not need the approval of the Riksdag but can be forced to resign by a vote of no confidence. If the Prime Minister is forced by a vote of no confidence to resign the entire cabinet falls and the process of electing a Prime minister starts over. The Prime Minister can dissolve the parliament even after receiving a vote of no confidence except the first three months after an election.
The Swedish constitution requires that the Prime Minister appoints one of the ministers in the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister, in case the Prime Minister for some reason is prevented from performing his or her duties. However, if a Deputy Prime Minister is absent or hasn't been appointed, the minister in the cabinet who has served the longest time – and if there are several with equal experience, the one who is oldest – takes over as acting head of government (see Swedish governmental line of succession for the present governmental line of succession).
Official residences
The government offices, including the Prime Minister's office, is located at Rosenbad in central Stockholm, straight across the water from Helgeandsholmen with the parliament building.
In 1991 the Sager House (or the "Sager Palace" as it was previously called) was acquired, and since 1995 it has served as the private residence of the Prime Minister. The Sager House is located adjacent to Rosenbad and the parliament building.
Harpsund, a manor house in Flen Municipality, Södermanland County, has served as a country residence for the Prime Minister since 1953. The manor is also frequently used for governmental conferences and informal summits between the government, industry and organizations in Sweden.
Salary
The salaries of the cabinet ministers, including the Prime Minister, is decided by and is the subject of annual review by the Statsrådsarvodesnämnden ("Cabinet Ministers' Salary Committee") of the Swedish parliament. Since 1 July 2007, the Prime Minister's monthly salary is SEK126,000 (~US$20,000) or SEK1,512,000 (~US$236,000) per year.[2] This is comparable to the £127,334 (~US$250,000) annual salary of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom or the US$400,000 annual salary of the President of the United States.
Gallery
 The Rosenbad building has functioned as the Prime Minister's Office (Statsrådsberedningen) since 1981. |
 The Sager Palace is the Prime Minister's official residence. |
 Harpsund Manor has been used as the Prime Minister's country residence since 1953. |
 Kanslihuset (to the right) was where the Prime Minister's Office was located prior to 1981. Nowdays it houses offices of the Riksdag. |
Notes
- ↑ "How a Government is formed". Government Offices of Sweden. 2006-08-02. http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/2856/a/18332. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ↑ "Om Regeringskansliet" (in Swedish). Government Offices of Sweden. 2007-10-30. http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/2511. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
See also
- List of Prime Ministers of Sweden
- Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden
- Swedish governmental line of succession
- Elections in Sweden
- Living Prime Ministers of Sweden
- List of cabinets of Sweden
- List of Swedish politicians
External links
- Prime Minister's Office, official website
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