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56-756: Persson was first elected to the Swedish Parliament in 1979, representing Södermanland County but left in 1985 to serve as Municipal Commissioner of Katrineholm , which he did from 1985 to 1989. In 1991, he was re-elected to the Parliament and represented the same constituency. He served as Minister for Schools from 1989 to 1991 in Ingvar Carlsson 's first and second cabinets . From 1994 to 1996, Persson served as Minister for Finance in Carlsson's third cabinet . After Ingvar Carlsson announced his retirement from

112-507: A unicameral assembly with 350 seats. The following general election to the unicameral Riksdag in 1973 gave the Government the support of only 175 members, while the opposition could mobilize an equal force of 175 members. In a number of cases a tied vote ensued, and the final decision had to be determined by lot. To avoid any recurrence of this unstable situation, the number of seats in the Riksdag

168-465: A vote of no confidence against any single cabinet minister ( Swedish : statsråd ), thus forcing a resignation. To succeed, a vote of no confidence must be supported by an absolute majority (175 members) or it has failed. If a vote of no confidence is cast against the Prime Minister this means the entire government is rejected. A losing government has one week to call for a general election or else

224-666: A Prime Minister without casting any "yes" votes. After being elected the Prime Minister appoints the cabinet ministers and announces them to the Riksdag. The new Government takes office at a special council held at the Royal Palace before the Monarch , at which the Speaker of the Riksdag formally announces to the Monarch that the Riksdag has elected a new Prime Minister and that the Prime Minister has chosen his cabinet ministers. The Riksdag can cast

280-825: A consultant for the Stockholm-based PR firm JKL. He published a book in October 2007, "Min väg, mina val" (My path, my choices). In 2008 he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Sveaskog by the Swedish Government . He has been a member of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation since 2007, and a member of the board of World Resources Institute since 2010. Persson was born in Vingåker in Södermanland , Sweden, in

336-530: A huge budget deficit. Prime minister Carl Bildt relied at the time on a fragile coalition between the Moderate Party and three other liberal or conservative parties with a strained degree of cooperation. The outcome of the 1994 election proved a success for the Social Democrats when they gained more than 45 per cent of the votes. Upon returning to government in 1994, Persson was made Minister for Finance,

392-796: A majority representation of female MPs as of 2022: the Left Party (17 of 24, 70.8%), the Green Party (12 of 18, 66.7%), the Liberals (9 of 16, 56.3%), the Center Party (13 of 24, 54.2%), and the Social Democratic Party (55 of 107, 51.4%). The party with the lowest share of female MPs is the Sweden Democrats (18 of 73, 24.7%). Members of the Riksdag are full-time legislators with a salary of SEK  71,500 (around $ 6,300) per month. According to

448-546: A member of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation , a not-for-profit organization established to monitor tolerance in Europe and prepare recommendations on fighting xenophobia and intolerance on the continent. In March 2010, Persson was elected to the Board of Directors of World Resources Institute . Regarding Sweden's membership in the European Union , Persson has been an advocate of an expanded Swedish role in

504-503: A minor recovery was forecast for 2002. The government was hoping that tax cuts, subsidies on child-care expenses, and wage increases would boost consumer confidence with real disposable income to increase by 5.4 per cent. Exports were also expected to pick up in 2002, helped by the weakness of the Swedish krona, which hit record lows against both the dollar and the Euro in 2001. In the 2002 election

560-598: A parliament in the modern sense until parliamentary principles were established in the political system in Sweden, in 1917. On 22 June 1866, the Riksdag decided to reconstitute itself as a bicameral legislature, consisting of Första kammaren or the First Chamber, with 155 members and Andra kammaren or the Second Chamber with 233 members. The First Chamber was indirectly elected by county and city councillors, while

616-512: A post he held until 1996. As Minister of Finance much of his job was focused on attaining a sound financial balance in the economy. Persson often emphasizes that he "cleaned up" after the Bildt government. During his time at the Finance Ministry he followed 10 "Commandments" as his guiding lights in his job. Among of these "Commandments" was one in particular which became famous in Sweden, "one who

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672-530: A projected 2.6 per cent of GDP in 1997, which placed Sweden in a position to qualify for the European Economic and Monetary Union . However, the cost was high: unemployment rose, hovering persistently around 13 per cent, then suddenly fell to about 6.5 per cent the same year. In the 1998 general election , the Social Democrats gained even fewer votes than in the 1991 general election , when they got voted out of office. Persson could remain as prime minister with

728-501: A projected 2.6 per cent of GDP in 1997, which put Sweden in a position to qualify for the European economic and monetary union. However, the cost was high: unemployment rose, hovering persistently around 13 per cent, then suddenly fell to about 6.5 per cent the same year. In the 1998 election the Social Democrats gained even fewer votes than in the 1991 election , when they got voted out of office. Thanks to support that came primarily from

784-733: A special party congress in March 2007. On 13 April 2007, Persson also announced his resignation from the Riksdag (where he had served 1979–1985 and from 1991) to be succeeded by Caroline Helmersson Olsson from his native Vingåker . In October 2007, Persson released his memoirs, "Min väg, mina val" (My path, my choices). [1] In March 2007 a documentary series consisting of four one-hour episodes aired on SVT , chronicling Persson's time in office. The documentary became controversial due to Persson's negative comments about both his party members and staff and against his political opponents. Persson left his seat in

840-452: A survey investigation by the sociologist Jenny Hansson, Members of the Riksdag have an average work week of 66 hours, including side responsibilities. Hansson's investigation further reports that the average member sleeps 6.5 hours per night. The presidium consists of a speaker and three deputy speakers . They are elected for a 4-year term . The Speaker is not allowed to vote, but the three deputies are allowed to vote. The speaker of

896-931: A working-class home. He has in recent years revealed that he wanted to become a priest as a young man; however, he applied to the college in Örebro where he took courses in social science (main sociology). He completed 80 college credits (120 ECTS credits) in the subject before he left the college in 1971 without graduating. As the college later received credentials as a full university, the renamed Örebro University gave him an honorary Ph.D. in medicine in February 2005, an award that provoked some controversy. He first married Gunnel (née Claesson) in 1978, with whom he has two daughters. They divorced in 1994. On 10 March 1994, he married Annika Barthine , whom he divorced in December 2003. On 6 December 2003, Persson married Anitra Steen , who became his third wife. In 2004, Persson and Steen purchased

952-605: Is in debt is not free" ( in Swedish ;: "Den som är satt i skuld är icke fri" ) In 1996, Persson was chosen over Mona Sahlin , the Deputy Prime Minister, to lead the country after Carlsson retired. Persson began where he left off as finance minister – by continuing to spearhead government efforts to alleviate Sweden's chronic budget deficit. In 1994, the annual shortfall was about 13 per cent of GDP. But, after implementing welfare cuts and tax increases, it fell to

1008-791: Is known for his oratorical prowess, often dispensing with prepared speeches or preparing them without the aid of his staff. During his time, he has faced several shocking incidents, such as the Gothenburg riots in June 2001, the murder of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh in September 2003, Asian tsunami disaster in December 2004 during the Boxing Day , and the conflict over the publication of satirical Muhammed cartoons in Danish newspapers, leading to threats of violence against Scandinavians and burning of embassies in

1064-451: Is the parliament and the supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden . Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members ( riksdagsledamöter ), elected proportionally and serving, since 1994, fixed four-year terms. The 2022 Swedish general election is the most recent general election . The constitutional mandates of the Riksdag are enumerated in

1120-639: Is typically only used for Sweden's legislature and certain related institutions. In addition to Sweden's parliament, it is also used for the Parliament of Finland and the Estonian Riigikogu , as well as the historical German Reichstag and the Danish Rigsdagen . In Swedish use, riksdagen is usually not capitalised. Riksdag derives from the genitive of rike , referring to royal power, and dag , meaning diet or conference;

1176-553: The Instrument of Government ( Regeringsformen ), and its internal workings are specified in greater detail in the Riksdag Act ( Riksdagsordningen ). The seat of the Riksdag is at Parliament House ( Riksdagshuset ), on the island of Helgeandsholmen in central Stockholm , in Gamla stan , the old town of Stockholm. The Riksdag has its institutional roots in the feudal Riksdag of

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1232-485: The Green and Left parties, he managed to retain office but had to rely on support from at least two parties in the parliament. Later the same year, the government announced proposals for far-reaching cutbacks in Sweden's military spending. The year 1999 was seen by the Social Democrats as the vindication for the tough fiscal policies pursued since they came to office in 1994: GDP growth was estimated at 3.6 per cent, well above

1288-465: The 190-hectare agricultural property, Övre Torp, by Lake Båven in Södermanland . During 2006 the couple started the construction of a large house on the property. Besides his native Swedish, Persson also speaks English. He has maintained his Christian faith and is a member of Swedish Association of Christian Social Democrats . On 8 July 2002, Persson fell while riding his bicycle at Harpsund and broke his left clavicle . Following this accident he

1344-538: The 2018 election in which neither bloc won a majority of seats, the Social Democrats and Green Party formed a government with support from the Liberals and Centre Party, breaking the center-right Alliance. In March 2019, the Christian Democrats and Moderate Party signaled a willingness to talk with the Sweden Democrats. All 349 members of the Riksdag are elected in the general elections held every four years. All Swedish citizens who turn 18 years old no later than on

1400-517: The Estates , traditionally thought to have first assembled in Arboga in 1435. In 1866, following reforms of the 1809 Instrument of Government , that body was transformed into a bicameral legislature with an upper chamber ( första kammaren ) and a lower chamber ( andra kammaren ). The Swedish word riksdag , in definite form riksdagen , is a general term for " parliament " or "assembly", but it

1456-500: The European average, inflation remained subdued, and the budget was in surplus for the first time in the 1990s. The party proposed income tax cuts for 2000. In 2000, a strong economy, falling unemployment, and the impact of the Internet appeared to breathe new life into the "Swedish model" of a welfare society, one that had seemed dead and buried during the deep recession of the early 1990s: growth reached 4 per cent, and unemployment fell to

1512-442: The European single currency. Economically, the bursting of the dot-com boom by 2001 had marked implications for Sweden. Ericsson, the world's largest producer of mobile telecommunications equipment, shed thousands of jobs, as did the country's once fast-expanding Internet consulting firms and dot-com start-ups. Gross domestic product growth of 3.6 per cent in 2000 was expected to have fallen to around 1.5 per cent in 2001, and only

1568-534: The German word Reichstag and the Danish Rigsdag are cognate . The Oxford English Dictionary traces English use of the term "Riksdag" in reference to the Swedish assembly back to 1855. The roots of the modern Riksdag can be found in a 1435 meeting in the city of Arboga ; however, only three of the estates were probably present: the nobility , the clergy and the burghers . This informal organization

1624-582: The Holocaust to form the platform for a discussion on democracy, tolerance and the fact that every human was of equal value.' The Campaign was entitled Living History, or Levande Historia. Swedish Parliament Confidence and supply (73) Opposition (173) The Riksdag ( Swedish: [ˈrɪ̌ksdɑː(ɡ)] , lit. transl.  " diet of the realm " ; also Swedish : riksdagen [ˈrɪ̌ksdan] or Sveriges riksdag [ˈsvæ̌rjɛs ˈrɪ̌ksdɑː(ɡ)] )

1680-635: The Middle East and the resignation of Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds . In the early seventies he worked for the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League ( SSU ), and was a member of the national board from 1972 to 1975. Later, he served as a city council politician at the small municipality of Katrineholm . In 1979 he was elected Member of Parliament, but went back to local politics to serve as Municipal Commissioner ( kommunalråd ) of Katrineholm from 1985 to 1989. In 1989, he

1736-480: The Moderate Party, Liberals, Centre Party, and Christian Democrats—governed Sweden from 2006 through most of 2014 (after 2010 through a minority government ). The Red-Greens combination disbanded on 26 October 2010 but continued to be considered the main opposition until the 2014 election, following which the Social Democrats and the Green Party formed a government with support from the Left Party. In 2019, after

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1792-424: The Riksdag nominates a Prime Minister ( Swedish : statsminister , literally minister of state) after holding talks with leaders of the various party groups in the Riksdag. The nomination is then put to a vote. The nomination is rejected (meaning the Speaker must find a new nominee) only if an absolute majority of the members (175 members) vote "no"; otherwise, it is confirmed. This means the Riksdag can consent to

1848-449: The Riksdag in April 2007. In May 2007 he announced that he would be working as a consultant for the Stockholm-based PR firm JKL in the future. In April 2008 he was installed as chairman of the board of Sveaskog , a forestry business group owned by the Swedish government. He held the post until 2015. In 2019 he became chairman of Swedbank , one of Sweden's largest banks. In late 2008, he became

1904-466: The Second Chamber was directly elected by universal suffrage. This reform was a result of great discontent with the old Estates, which, following the changes brought by the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution , was no longer able to provide representation for large segments of the population. By an amendment to the 1809 Instrument of Government , the general election of 1970 was the first to

1960-461: The Social Democrats increased their number of seats in the parliament primarily at the expense of the Left Party. Persson continued to lead a minority government instead of forming a coalition, despite earlier demands from his supporting parties to participate in the government. After the defeat at the general elections of 17 September 2006, Persson immediately filed a request for resignation, and declared his intentions to resign as party leader after

2016-479: The conditions of the donation, which states that, with the exception of the main building, the estate could be made available to governmental conferences. Harpsund would soon be a venue for informal summits between the Government , industry and labour organizations. It was called Harpsund Democracy ( Swedish : Harpsundsdemokrati ). Through the years many foreign leaders have stayed there as guests. Especially noticed

2072-430: The day of the election and have at one point been registered residents are eligible to vote. To stand for election, a candidate must be eligible to vote and be nominated by a political party. A minimum of 4% of the national vote is required for a party to enter the Riksdag, alternatively 12% or more within a constituency. Substitutes for each deputy are elected at the same time as each election, so by-elections are rare. In

2128-405: The deviations from proportional national distribution that may arise when allocating the fixed constituency seats. There is a constraint in the system that means that only a party that has received at least four per cent of the votes in the whole country participates in the distribution of seats. However, a party that has received at least twelve per cent of the votes in a constituency participates in

2184-766: The distribution of the fixed constituency seats in that constituency. Bibliography 59°19′39″N 18°04′03″E  /  59.32750°N 18.06750°E  / 59.32750; 18.06750 Harpsund Harpsund is a manor house located in Flen Municipality , Södermanland County , Sweden . Since 22 May 1953, Harpsund has been used as a country retreat for the prime minister of Sweden . The earliest known mention of Harpsund dates from 1380 when seneschal Bo Jonsson (Grip) acquired property at Harpsund by swapping land with Joon Skräddare. Axel Stålarm, president of Göta Court of Appeal and county governor, changed its name to Axelsberg when he inherited

2240-524: The establishment of an inter-governmental organisation for Holocaust education, which resulted in the founding of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (ITF). The ITF now has 27 Member States. He had already raised the issue of Holocaust education within the Swedish Parliament, initiating a national information campaign with the aim for 'facts about

2296-512: The estate to the State to be used as retreat and recreational estate for the prime minister . The donation included the entire estate, including farmland and forestry. He also wished to have Harpsund preserved the way it looked when the Wicander family lived there. The donation was approved by the Riksdag on 22 May 1953. The estate consists of 1,650 hectares (16.5 km ). Some adjustments were made in

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2352-410: The event of a snap election , the newly elected members merely serve the remainder of the four-year term. The electoral system in Sweden is proportional . Of the 349 seats in the unicameral Riksdag, 310 are fixed constituency seats allocated to 29 multi-member constituencies in relation to the number of people entitled to vote in each constituency. The remaining 39 adjustment seats are used to correct

2408-501: The lowest level in years. The Social Democrats, however, failed to capitalize on the economic boom. Around this time, the Persson government began reversing cuts by boosting child support. Opinion polls showed the party struggling to return to its post-election 36 per cent approval level. Instead, the smaller Left Party, a Social Democrat ally, picked up support with its program of increased public spending and opposition to Swedish membership in

2464-607: The organization. During Sweden's presidency of the EU in the first half of 2001, Persson with assistance from foreign minister Anna Lindh presided over the organization and contributed towards the enlargement which took place in 2004. He advocated for a Swedish entry into the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), however in a 2003 referendum a majority of Swedes voted against joining the EMU. In 1998, Prime Minister Persson initiated international talks on

2520-427: The position of prime minister, Persson was chosen to become the new prime minister. Persson began as prime minister where he left office as minister for finance – by continuing to spearhead government efforts to alleviate Sweden's chronic budget deficit . In 1994, the annual shortfall was about 13 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). But after implementing welfare cuts and tax increases, it fell to

2576-431: The procedure of nominating a new Prime Minister starts anew. No party has won a single majority in the Riksdag since 1968. Political parties with similar agendas consequently cooperate on several issues, forming coalition governments or other formalized alliances. Two major blocs existed in parliament until 2019, the socialist / green Red-Greens and the conservative / liberal Alliance . The latter—consisting of

2632-417: The property from his cousin's widow and took back its old name Harpsund. At this time, the buildings were in a bad condition and the existing main building had to be torn town and rebuilt. The new main building was designed by Otar Hökerberg and was completed in 1914. When Hjalmar Wicander died in 1939, Harpsund was inherited by his son Carl August Wicander , who died 27 December 1952 and in his will donated

2688-487: The property in 1647. He also moved the buildings on the property to their current location on the northern, more sheltered side of Harpsund Bay. The oldest parts of the current mansion are from the 17th century and the Stålarm era. The Sparre family took over in 1784 and continued to own Axelsberg until 1899 when a member of the Wicander family bought it together with a business partner. Industrialist Hjalmar Wicander later bought

2744-518: The support of the Green Party and the Left Party . In the 2002 general election the Social Democrats increased their number of seats in the parliament. After the defeat at the general elections of 17 September 2006 , Persson immediately filed a request for resignation, and declared his intentions to resign as party leader after the party congress in March 2007. Since leaving office, Persson has been

2800-420: Was drunk after consuming large amounts of alcoholic beverages. Persson said in response to these claims: "I can't exactly recapitulate the event but I can say as much that I'm surprised that Pär Nuder remembers anything". In September 2003 Persson was diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis and surgery was recommended. He chose to go through Sweden's public health-care system instead of seeking private treatment; he

2856-482: Was made Minister of Schools in the Ministry of Education during the first Ingvar Carlsson cabinet, until the election in 1991 when the Social Democrats were voted out of office. Persson was one of the brains behind the "Persson-plan" which was presented in 1994 targeting the prevailing economic situation. Sweden at the time still suffered from the recession which began during the early nineties, high unemployment rates and

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2912-478: Was modified in 1527 by the first modern Swedish king, Gustav I Vasa , to include representatives from all the four social estates : the nobility , the clergy, the burghers (property-owning commoners in the towns such as merchants etc.), and the yeomanry ( freehold farmers). This form of Ständestaat representation lasted until 1866, when representation by estate was abolished and the modern bicameral parliament established. Effectively, however, it did not become

2968-409: Was put on a waiting list, and finally received a hip replacement operation in June 2004. During that 9-month period, he walked with a limp and reportedly was on strong painkillers ; he had to cancel several official trips due to the pain he was in. Persson was in office for more than ten years, making him the second-longest continuously-governing prime minister of Sweden second to Tage Erlander . He

3024-479: Was reduced to 349, from 1976 onwards. The Riksdag performs the normal functions of a legislature in a parliamentary democracy . It enacts laws, amends the constitution and appoints a government. In most parliamentary democracies, the head of state commissions a politician to form a government. Under the new Instrument of Government (one of the four fundamental laws of the Constitution) enacted in 1974, that task

3080-485: Was removed from the Monarch of Sweden and given to the Speaker of the Riksdag. To make changes to the Constitution under the new Instrument of Government, amendments must be approved twice, in two successive electoral periods with a regular general election held in between. There are 15 parliamentary committees in the Riksdag. As of September 2022, 163 members, or 46.7% of the 349 members are women. Five parties have

3136-508: Was unable to lift his left arm for some time and almost fainted during a speech in Almedalen on 10 July 2002 and after a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on 15 July 2002. Present with him during the accident was Pär Nuder , Minister of Finance, and Sten Olsson, State Secretary. Pär Nuder wrote in his book Stolt men inte nöjd ("proud but not satisfied"), released in 2008, that Persson had fallen while riding his bicycle because he

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