Three crowns, lion; national colors: blue, yellow.
Title | "Du Gamla, Du Fria" (Thou Ancient, Thou Free) |
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Lyric/music | Richard DYBECK/traditional |
Date of Independence | 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king of Sweden, marking the abolishment of the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) |
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National holiday | National Day, 6 June (1983); note - from 1916 to 1982 this date was celebrated as Swedish Flag Day |
Legal system | civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and customary law |
International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
Constitution | |
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) |
Amendments | 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; there has not been a referendum on constitutional matters; The Instrument of Government - amended several times, last in 2018; The Act of Succession - changed in 1937, 1980; The Freedom of the Press Act - amended several times, last in 2019; The Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression - amended several times, last in 2023 |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | no |
Citizenship by descent only | 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 |
Dual citizenship recognized | no, unless the other citizenship was acquired involuntarily |
Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
Executive Branch | |
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 |
Elections/appointments | the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; 310 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open party-list proportional representation vote and 39 members in "at-large" seats directly elected by open party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) |
Elections | Last held on 11 September 2022 (next to be held on 13 September 2026) |
Election results | Percent of vote by party - S/SAP 30.3%, M 19.1%, SD 20.5%, C 6.7%, V 6.7%, KD 5.3%, L 4.6%, MP 5.1%, other 1.7%; seats by party - S/SAP 107, M 68, SD 73, C 24, V 24, KD 19, L 16, MP 18; composition - men 186, women 163, percentage women 46.7% |
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 and term of office | 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; following 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 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Urban AHLIN (since 15 September 2023) |
Chancery | 2900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 467-2600 |
FAX | [1] (202) 467-2699 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/usa-washington/ |
Consulate(s) general | New York, San Francisco |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Erik D. RAMANATHAN (since 20 January 2022) |
Embassy | Dag Hammarskjolds Vag 31, SE-115 89 Stockholm |
Mailing address | 5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750 |
Telephone | [46] (08) 783-53-00 |
FAX | [46] (08) 661-19-64 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://se.usembassy.gov/ |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 15 (13 cultural, 1 natural, 1 mixed) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Royal Domain of Drottningholm (c); Laponian Area (m); High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago (n); Birka and Hovgården (c); Hanseatic Town of Visby (c); Church Town of Gammelstad, Luleå (c); Naval Port of Karlskrona (c); Rock Carvings in Tanum (c); Engelsberg Ironworks (c); Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun (c) |
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