General elections and referendums

General elections

There are four types of general elections:

  • to the Riksdag,
  • the municipal council,
  • the county council and
  • the European Parliament.

Regular elections to the Riksdag, the municipal councils and the county councils are held on the second Sunday of September every fourth year.

Regular elections to the European Parliament are held in all the member states of the European Union in June every five years. In Sweden the election is always held on a Sunday.

Voters vote for a party and can at the same time vote for a specific candidate (preference vote) on the ballot paper by marking a cross in front of the candidate’s name.

The electoral system is proportional. This means that the number of members that the parties get elected to, for example, the Riksdag, is in proportion to the number of votes that the parties have received.

Referendums

In Sweden there are two kinds of referendums that apply to the whole country: consultative referendums and constitutional referendums. It is the Riksdag that decides whether a national referendum is to be held. The Riksdag also decides who is entitled to vote and which alternative replies are to be presented.

National referendums are basically subject to the same rules as Riksdag elections with regard to electoral districts and voting in and outside Sweden etc.

A referendum in one municipality or county council is always consultative. It is for the municipalities and the county councils to decide whether such referendums should be held.