Politics Ledger · Europe
Sweden
Liberal democracyConstitutional monarchyUnitary
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In charge
Ulf Kristersson
Prime Minister (caretaker)
Time in power
4.0 yrs
since 2022
Government seats
32%
minority
Next national vote
2030-09
General
Governance score
92/100
composite of five indices
A former great power turned neutral, Sweden became the model social-democratic welfare state in the 20th century. It has since liberalised its economy, joined NATO and seen the populist Sweden Democrats enter the mainstream.
Leadership
Who Governs Sweden
Head of state
Carl XVI Gustaf
King
Since 15 September 1973 · 53.1 years
Age 80 (born 1946)ManRoute to power: hereditary
Head of government
Holds executive powerUlf Kristersson
Prime Minister (caretaker) · Moderate Party
Since 18 October 2022 · 4.0 years
Age 63 (born 1963)ManRoute to power: elected by parliament
Ruling coalition
Caretaker government (M, KD, L) after Kristersson resigned following the 2026 election
Main opposition
Social Democrats (Magdalena Andersson)
Last national election
13 September 2026
General
Social Democrats first with 99 seats, but neither bloc has a clear majority; Andersson's nomination was rejected 248-99 on 15 October.
Next national election
By September 2030
General
Speaker Andreas Norlén is leading talks; after four failed votes a fresh election must be called.
Recent changes (last 12 months)
Parliament
Riksdag (unicameral)
Seat distribution (Elected 13 September 2026), ordered from economic left to right.
| Party | Ideology | Seats | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democrats (S) | Social democracy | 99 | opposition |
| Moderate Party (M) | Liberal conservatism | 70 | governing |
| Sweden Democrats (SD) | National conservatism | 62 | confidence |
| Left Party (V) | Socialism, Feminism | 30 | opposition |
| Centre Party (C) | Agrarian liberalism | 25 | opposition |
| Christian Democrats (KD) | Christian democracy | 22 | coalition |
| Green Party (MP) | Green politics | 22 | opposition |
| Liberals (L) | Liberalism | 19 | coalition |
Ideology
Party Landscape
Each party placed on economic and social axes, sized by seats.
Institutions
The System
- Official name
- Kingdom of Sweden
- Capital
- Stockholm
- Population
- 10.6 million
- Statehood
- Unified kingdom from the 16th century (Gustav Vasa, 1523); Instrument of Government 1974
- System
- Constitutional monarchy
- Structure
- Unitary
- Current constitution
- 1974
- Legislature
- Riksdag
- Lower / sole chamber
- Riksdag (unicameral) (349 seats)
- Electoral system
- Open-list proportional with a 4% national threshold.
- Term limits
- None for the prime minister; fixed four-year terms.
Sources
- Sveriges riksdag
- Valmyndigheten
- Reuters, 15 Oct 2026
- EIU Democracy Index 2024; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2025; RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025; Transparency International CPI 2024; IPU Parline, 2026; V-Dem v15 Liberal Democracy Index (approximate five-year readings)
Last verified 2026-10-29. Party placements are editorial estimates.
Data as of 2026-10-29.