Ordinary general elections to the Swedish Parliament are held every fourth year on the third Sunday in September. County council and municipal council elections take place at the same time. The next elections will be held in September 2006. There is a barrier rule intended to prevent very small parties from gaining representation in the Parliament. A party must thus receive at least 4% of the votes in the entire country or 12% in a single electoral district to qualify for any seats.

In the 2002 election, the Social Democrats received 39.8% of the vote, up from 36.47% in 1998. The Social Democrats cooperate informally with the Left Party and the Greens, relying on them for a parliamentary majority and cooperating on social and budgetary issues. Based on the 2002 election results, seven parties are currently represented in the Parliament: the Social Democratic Party (39.8%; 144 seats), the Moderate party (15.2%; 55 seats), the Liberal party (13.3%; 48 seats), the Christian Democratic Party (9.1%; 33 seats), the Left Party (8.3%; 30 seats), the Center Party (6.1%; 22 seats), and the Green Party (4.6%; 17 seats).

The Social Democratic Party has a base of blue-collar workers, intellectuals, and public sector employees. It derives much of its power from strong links with the National Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), which represents around 90% of Sweden’s blue-collar workers. The party program combines a commitment to social welfare programs and government direction of the economy.

The Moderate Party emphasizes personal freedom, free enterprise, and reduction of the public-sector growth rate, while still supporting most of the social benefits introduced since the 1930s. The party also supports a strong defense and Sweden’s membership in the European Union (EU). Its voter base is urban business people and professionals, but the party also attracts young voters, main-street shop owners, and, to a modest extent, blue-collar workers.

The Left Party, formerly the Communist Party, is today a party which expresses some of the traditional values of the social democrats but which also is focused on the environment and opposes Swedish membership in the EU. Their voter base consists mainly of public sector employees, journalists, and former social democrats.

The Christian Democrats have their voter base among those who belong to free churches–Methodists, Baptists, etc. They seek better ethical practices in government and the teaching of traditional values in the schools. They also want to improve care for the elderly and have an extensive family policy program. They strongly support Swedish membership in the EU and the EMU.

The Center Party maintains close ties to rural Sweden. The main concerns of the Center Party are the elimination of nuclear power and increased centralization of governmental authority.

The Liberal Party’s platform is “social responsibility without socialism,” which includes a commitment to a free-market economy combined with comprehensive Swedish social welfare programs. Foreign aid and women’s equality also are popular issues. The Liberal Party base is mainly centered in educated middle-class voters.

The Green Party is an environmentalist party that attracts young people. The party takes a strong stand against EU membership and wants a new referendum on the issue. The Greens support a phasing-out of nuclear energy in Sweden and hope to replace it with alternative, environmentally friendly energy sources.

On January 1, 1995, Sweden became a member of the EU. While some argued that it went against Sweden’s historic policy of neutrality (Sweden had not joined the EU during the Cold War because it was incompatible with neutrality), others viewed the move as a natural extension of the economic cooperation that had been going on since 1972 with the EU. Sweden addressed this controversy by reserving the right not to participate in any future EU defense alliance. In membership negotiations in 1993-94, Sweden also had reserved the right to make the final decision on whether to join the third stage of the EMU (a common currency and central bank) “in light of continued developments.” In a nationwide referendum in November 1994, 52.3% of participants voted for EU membership. Voter turnout was high–83.3% of eligible voters voted.

Main Swedish concerns included winning popular support for EU cooperation, EU enlargement, and strengthening the EU in areas such as economic growth, job promotion, and environmental issues.

In polls taken a few years after the referendum, many Swedes indicated that they were unhappy with Sweden’s membership in the EU. However, after Sweden successfully hosted its first presidency of the EU in the first half of 2001, most Swedes today have a more positive attitude toward the EU. The government, with the support of the Center Party, decided in spring 1997 to remain outside of the EMU, at least until 2002. In late 2002, Prime Minister Göran Persson announced that there would be a referendum on EMU membership on September 14, 2003. In the six months prior to the EMU referendum, the “noâ€? side held a steady lead, ultimately winning the referendum 55.9% to 42%. Reasons for the EMU defeat include voter resistance to changes in a strong domestic economic climate, a long tradition of Swedish independence (notwithstanding EU membership), and the government’s inability to assure voters that EMU would not endanger the benefits of Sweden’s generous welfare state. The attack on and assassination of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh – a rising star in the ruling Social Democratic party and the government’s highest-profile campaigner for EMU – on September 10-11, 2003, only days before the referendum, may also have reinforced the voters’ desire to maintain the status quo in the face of uncertain political developments

Sweden is a member of the UN and some of its specialized and related agencies including the World Bank, GATT, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (USESCO), World Health Organization (WHO) and others; EU, European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Council of Europe, and others. Sweden also is a member of NATO’s Partnership for Peace and participates in numerous international peacekeeping operations.