In Sweden ordinary general elections to the Riksdag are held every fourth year. The elections take place on the third Sunday in September. The next ordinary general election will be held in September 2002. An extraordinary general election can be announced in between two ordinary elections. Thus an extraordinary election does not affect the date of the next ordinary election.
Extraordinary elections are unusual in Sweden.
After the breakthrough of democracy in the beginning of the 20th century, an extraordinary election has been held just once, on 1 June 1958, to the Second Chamber. The foremost electoral issue at that time concerned the national supplementary pension. The Government decides The Government has the exclusive right to make decisions concerning extraordinary elections. The decision is made during a Government meeting, after which the Riksdag is informed either in an oral or a written communication. The Government's decision must include the date of the election.