# Government of Sweden

The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sveriges regering) is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority.
The Government consists of the Prime Minister and their cabinet ministers (Swedish: statsråd). The Government is responsible for its actions to the Riksdag.
The Prime Minister is nominated by the Speaker of the Riksdag, and is elected and discharged by vote of the Riksdag. The cabinet ministers are appointed and dismissed at the discretion of the Prime Minister. The Speaker shall discharge cabinet ministers that have lost a vote of confidence in the Riksdag.
The short-form name Regeringen ("the Government") is used both in the Basic Laws of Sweden and in the vernacular, while the long-form is only used in international treaties.

## Organization

The Government governs the country and is responsible for its actions to the Riksdag. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers (Swedish: statsråd), and operates as a collegial body with collective responsibility.

### The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is nominated by the Speaker of the Riksdag, following formal consultations with representatives of the partygroups of the Riksdag. Within four days, the Riksdag proceeds to a vote on the proposal. Unless more than half of the members of the Riksdag vote against the proposal, the nominee is approved and the Speaker proceeds to appoint their nominee as Prime Minister. Thus, the Prime Minister may be elected without a majority of the Riksdag voting for them.
The Prime Minister may appoint a designated Deputy among their ministers, to deputise for them in case of absence. Failing to do so, or in the case of the Deputy being unable to deputise at a given time, the Prime Minister's duties will be assumed by the minister currently in office that has served as minister for the longest period of time.

### The Cabinet Ministers and Heads of Ministries

The Prime Minister appoints their cabinet ministers, organizes the Government Office into ministries (Swedish: departement), and appoints heads of ministries among their cabinet ministers.
Cabinet ministers are dismissed at the discretion of the Prime Minister or, by law, at the request of the minister themself. The Riksdag may vote to declare that a minister not longer enjoys the Riksdag's confidence. In such a case, the Speaker discharges said minister.

### Role of the Head of State

The constitutional head of state is the ruling Swedish Monarch. Following the adoption of the 1974 Instrument of Government on 1 January 1975, the monarch is no longer vested with any executive powers at all with respect to the governance of the Realm, be it nominal or formal powers. They continue to serve as a strictly ceremonial head of state.
The Prime Minister shall keep the Head of State informed regarding the country's affairs.
The Head of State chairs the Council of State, which meets at the convening of the Government. The change of hands of government takes effect at such a Council of State.

## History

The present Government is formed according to the laws set out in the 1974 Instrument of Government. But it traces its history back to the Middle Ages when the Privy Council of Sweden was formed in the 12th century. It functioned in this capacity until 1789 when King Gustav III had it abolished when the Riksdag passed the Union and Security Act. The old privy council had only had members from the aristocracy. Gustav III instead instituted Rikets allmänna ärendens beredning. It functioned as the Government until 1809 when a new Instrument of Government was introduced, thus creating the present government's predecessor, the Council of State. It acted as the Government of Sweden until 31 December 1974.

## Role and scope

The Government has a stronger constitutional position than the cabinets in the other Scandinavian monarchies. This is because under the Instrument of Government (Swedish: regeringsformen)—one of the Fundamental Laws of the Realm—the Government is both the de jure and de facto executive authority in Sweden. In Denmark and Norway, the monarch is at least the nominal chief executive, but is bound by convention to act on the advice of the cabinet. However, Chapter 1, Article 6 of the Instrument of Government explicitly states:
   The Government governs the Realm. It is accountable to the Riksdag
The Instrument of Government sets out the main responsibilities and duties of the Government (including the Prime Minister's and other cabinet ministers') and how it relates to other organs of the State.
   The Chancellor of Justice and other State administrative authorities come under the Government, unless they are authorities under the Riksdag according to the present Instrument of Government or by virtue of other law.
Most state administrative authorities (statliga förvaltningsmyndigheter), as opposed to local authorities (kommuner), sorts under the Government, including the Armed Forces, Coast Guard, Customs Service and the police.
While the judiciary technically sort under the Government in the fiscal sense, Chapter 11 of the Instrument of Government provides safeguards to ensure its independence.
In a unique feature of the Swedish constitutional system, individual cabinet ministers do not bear any individual ministerial responsibility for the performance of the agencies within their portfolio; as the director-generals and other heads of government agencies report directly to the Government as a whole, the ministers also cannot intervene in matters that are to be handled by the specific government agencies, unless otherwise provided for in law; thus the origin of the pejorative, in Swedish political parlance, ministerstyre (English: "ministerial rule").

### High Contracting Party

The Government of Sweden is the high contracting party when entering treaties with foreign sovereign states and international organisations (such as the European Union), as per 10:1 of the Instrument of Government. In most other parliamentary systems (monarchies and republics alike) this formal function is usually vested in the head of state but exercised by ministers in such name.

### Promulgation

Chapter 7, Article 7 prescribes that laws and ordinances are promulgated by the Government (by the Prime Minister or other cabinet minister), and are subsequently published in the Swedish Code of Statutes (Swedish: Svensk författningssamling).

## Formation and dismissal

Following a general election, Speaker of the Riksdag begins to hold talks with the leaders of the parties with representation in the Riksdag, the Speaker then nominates a candidate for Prime Minister (statsminister). The nomination is then put to a vote in the chamber. Unless an absolute majority of the members (175 members) votes "no", the nomination is confirmed, otherwise it is rejected. The Speaker must then find a new nominee. This means the Riksdag can consent to a Prime Minister without casting any "yes" votes.
After being elected the Prime Minister appoints the cabinet ministers and announces them to the Riksdag. Prospective ministers do not have to be sitting members of the Riksdag, but if one accepts a nomination, they would surrender their seat to a substitute member. 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 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 the procedure of nominating a new Prime Minister starts anew.

## Cabinets
### Present Cabinet

| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party |
| Prime Minister's Office ||||||
| Prime Minister | Ulf Kristersson | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Ebba Busch | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Christian Democrats |
| Minister for EU Affairs Minister for Nordic Cooperation | Jessika Roswall | 18 October 2022 | 10 September 2024 | Moderate |
| Minister for EU Affairs Minister for Nordic Cooperation | Jessica Rosencrantz | 10 September 2024 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Ministry of Justice ||||||
| Minister for Justice | Gunnar Strömmer | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Minister for Migration | Maria Malmer Stenergard | 18 October 2022 | 10 September 2024 | Moderate |
| Minister for Migration | Johan Forssell | 10 September 2024 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs ||||||
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | Tobias Billström | 18 October 2022 | 10 September 2024 | Moderate |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | Maria Malmer Stenergard | 10 September 2024 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Minister of Foreign Trade and International Development Cooperation | Johan Forssell | 18 October 2022 | 10 September 2024 | Moderate |
| Minister of Foreign Trade and International Development Cooperation | Benjamin Dousa | 10 September 2024 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Ministry of Defence ||||||
| Minister for Defence | Pål Jonson | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Minister for Civil Defence | Carl-Oskar Bohlin | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Ministry of Health and Social Affairs ||||||
| Minister for Social Affairs | Jakob Forssmed | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Christian Democrats |
| Minister for Health | Acko Ankarberg Johansson | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Christian Democrats |
| Minister for Social Services | Camilla Waltersson Grönvall | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Minister for Social Security and Pensions | Anna Tenje | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Ministry of Finance ||||||
| Minister for Finance | Elisabeth Svantesson | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Minister for Financial Markets | Niklas Wykman | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Minister for Public Administration | Erik Slottner | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Christian Democrats |
| Ministry of Education and Research ||||||
| Minister for Education | Mats Persson | 18 October 2022 | 10 September 2024 | Liberals |
| Minister for Education | Johan Pehrson | 10 September 2024 | Incumbent | Liberals |
| Minister for Schools | Lotta Edholm | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Liberals |
| Ministry of the Environment, Enterprise and Innovation ||||||
| Minister for Energy and Enterprise | Ebba Busch | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Christian Democrats |
| Minister for the Environment | Romina Pourmokhtari | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Liberals |
| Ministry of Culture ||||||
| Minister for Culture | Parisa Liljestrand | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Moderate |
| Ministry of Employment ||||||
| Minister for Employment and for Integration | Johan Pehrson | 18 October 2022 | 10 September 2024 | Liberals |
| Minister for Employment and for Integration | Mats Persson | 10 September 2024 | Incumbent | Liberals |
| Minister for Gender Equality | Paulina Brandberg | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Liberals |
| Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure ||||||
| Minister for Rural Affairs | Peter Kullgren | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Christian Democrats |
| Minister for Infrastructure and for Housing | Andreas Carlson | 18 October 2022 | Incumbent | Christian Democrats |

### Former cabinets

Each appointment of a new Prime Minister is considered to result in a new cabinet, irrespective if the Prime Minister is reappointed or not. However, there is no automatic resignation following a defeat in a general election, so an election does not always result in a new cabinet.

## Government Offices

Previously known as the Royal Chancery (Swedish: Kunglig Majestäts kansli), the name was changed to the Government Offices (Swedish: Regeringskansliet) on 1 January 1975 with the current Instrument of Government entering into effect.
The Instrument of Government briefly mentions in Chapter 7, Article 1 that there is a staff organization supporting the Government known as the Government Offices. The present organizational charter for the Government Offices is found in the ordinance named Förordning (1996:1515) med instruktion för Regeringskansliet. Since the issuance of that ordinance in 1996, all the ministries are technically entities within the Government Offices (headed by the Prime Minister), rather than as separate organisations even though they operate as such. Below follows a short summary of the current structure.