Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1352

 1300 SWEDEN

Constitution and Government.

The fundamental laws of the Kingdom of Sweden are : — 1. The Constitution or Regerings-formen of June 6, 1809 ; 2. The amended regulations for the formation of the Diet of June 22, 1866 (modified under an act passed in 1909) ; 3. The law of royal succession of September 26, 1810 ; and 4. The law on the liberty of the press of July 16, 1812. The King must be a member of the Lutheran Church. His Constitutional power is exercised in conjunction with the Council of State or (in legislation) in concert with the Diet, and every new law must have the assent of the crown. The right of imposing taxes is, however, vested in the Diet. This Diet, or Parliament of the realm, consists of two Chambers, both elected by the people. The First Chamber consists of 150 members. Their election takes place by the members of the 'Landstings,' or provincial representations, and electors of six towns, not represented in the ' Land- stings,' viz., Stockholm, Goteborg, Malmd, Norrkoping, Halsingborg and Gavle. The Constituencies are 19, arranged in 8 groups, in one of which an election takes place in September every year. The manner of the election is proportional and regulated by a special election law. All members of the First Chamber must be above 35 years of age, and must have possessed for at least three years previous to the election either real property to the taxed value of 50,000 kronor (2,7771.), or an annual income of 3,000 kronor (166J. ). They are elected for the term of eight years. The Second Chamber consists of 230 members elected for 4 years by universal suffrage, every man and woman over 23 years of age, and not under legal disability, having the right to vote. The country is divided into 56 constituencies, in each of which one member is elected for every 230th part of the population of the Kingdom it contains. The method of election is proportional, and the voter may (or may not) indicate on the ballot paper the party to which the candidates he votes for belong. On the voting paper the names of the candidates must appear in vertical succession and these names may not exceed in number the number to be elected by more than two. In the counting of votes, papers with the indication of party are grouped according to parties and the order of candidates within each group determined ; papers with no party indication are counted separately in a 'free group.' The places to be given to the different groups of voting papers are decided according to the d'Hondt rule. Representatives and their substitutes are chosen in the same election. The members of both Chambers obtain salaries, free of income tax, for their services, at the rate of 3,400 kr. (24 kr. a day) and 4,500 kr. (32 kr. a day) for members living in or outside the capital, lor each ordinary session, or, in the case of an extra session, 24 or 32 kr. a day, besides travelling expenses. The salaries and travelling expenses of the deputies are paid out of the public purse.

The executive power isiu the hands of the King, who acts under the advice of a Council of State, the head of which is the Minister of State. The Ministry, appointed l'Vlnuary 23, 1921, is composed as follows : —

Minister of State (I'remtir).— Oskar F. von Sydow. Minister for Foreign Affairs. — Count II. Wrangcl. Minister of Jicsticc. — 15. Ekaberg.

Minister of Xte/cHrc — General C. (!. \V. IIu mniarskiuld. Minister for Social Affairs — H. Elmipiist.