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Committee on the Constitution

{{short description|Swedish parliamentary committee}}

{{more citations needed|date=September 2020}}

{{Committees in the Riksdag}}

The Committee on the Constitution{{cite book |url=https://www.regeringen.se/contentassets/e27ee47ea294461bbb0f39b68d31c540/utrikes-namnbok-uppdaterad-juli-2013-sv.pdf |title=Utrikes namnbok. [Elektronisk resurs] : svenska myndigheter, organisationer, titlar, EU- och EG-organ, EU-titlar och länder på engelska, tyska, franska, spanska, finska och ryska |edition=9th, rev. |year=2013 |publisher=Utrikesdepartementet, Regeringskansliet |location=Stockholm |language=sv |id={{SELIBR|14986186}} |page=19}} ({{langx|sv|konstitutionsutskottet}}) (KU) is a parliamentary committee in the Swedish Riksdag. The committee's responsibilities include examining issues relating to the Swedish Constitution and Administrative laws, as well as examining the Prime Minister's performance of duties and the handling of government matters. The committee's activities are regulated by the Riksdag.

Given the committee's significant power, it has been agreed since 1991 that the Speaker of the committee shall come from the opposition party. Since October 2022, the Speaker of the committee has been Ida Karkiainen from the Social Democratic Party, and the vice-Speaker of the committee is "to be elected" from the Moderate Party.

The committee is made up of seventeen elected members of the Riksdag with representation from all political parties.

History

The first Swedish legislative committee founded for the purpose of watching over the constitution was in May 1809, at the time of the Riksdag of the Estates.{{cite web |title=Regeringsformen |url=https://riksarkivet.se/regeringsformen |website=riksarkivet.se}} The committee played an important role in the development of the new form of government that was adopted on 6 June in the same year. The first Speaker of the committee was Lars August Mannerheim, and the first Secretary of the committee was Hans Järta.

The committee was permanently established by the Instrument of Government, [https://sv.wikisource.org/wiki/Regeringsform_1809#%C2%A753. §53], in 1809, which describes the committee's function:

To bring issues concerning changes in the constitutions and opinions thereof to the attention of the estates of the state, and to review the minutes kept by the Government

Its tasks are similarly set out by §§ 105-107 of the Riksdagsstadgan (parliamentary rules):

The principal function remains unchanged, but a function has to adapt itself to modern society's conditions and the change in state.

Tasks

{{Cquote|The Constitution Committee shall examine the performance of the duties of the Prime Minister and the handling of government matters. The committee has the right to obtain for review the minutes of decisions in government matters, documents that belong to these matters, and the government's other documents that the committee finds necessary for its review.

Other committees and each member of the Riksdag may raise questions in writing with the Constitution Committee about the Minister's performance of duties or the handling of government matters. Law: (2010: 1408).

|author=Kungörelse (1974:152)

|source="[https://lagen.nu/1974:152#K13R1 Kungörelse (1974:152) om beslutad ny regeringsform 13 kapitel [on deciding on a new form of government, Chapter 13]]", lagen.nu. Accessed the September 30, 2020.

}}

The concerns of the Committee on the Constitution are the Swedish constitutions and the Riksdag's rules of procedure, and the committee is an important element of the Riksdag's power. The committee oversees legislation on the constitution and administrative law; on television, radio and film; press and party support; the Riksdag, offices in the Riksdag, such as the National Audit Office and the Ombudsman (but not the Riksbank); review of government ministers; freedom of the press and expression; municipal self-government; opinion formation; and freedom of religion.[https://www.riksdagen.se/en/committees/the-15-parliamentary-committees/ The 15 parliamentary committees]

The Committee submits so-called KU-anmälningar (Constitutional Committee reports). The ongoing review is presented annually in a report, called the review report, formerly known as the "discharge report" (Swedish: dechargebetänkandet).[https://sv.wiktionary.org/wiki/dechargebet%C3%A4nkande#Substantiv dechargebetänkande] sv.wiktionary.org{{cite web |title=Konstitutionsutskottet |url=https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/utskotten-eu-namnden/konstitutionsutskottet/ |website=riksdagen.se |accessdate=2 October 2020}} Riksdagens ledamöter har rätt att anmäla ministrarna i regeringen till KU [Members of the Riksdag have the right to report government ministers to the KU] When a report about a person is sent to the committee, a hearing is then held. Since 1988, the public has been allowed to witness these hearings. It is common for the committee to criticize a government minister after a hearing, resulting in a vote of no confidence. The committee also has the last word in certain deliberations prior to a Riksdag decision.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

= Impeachments =

If impeachment should proceed against a government minister, it would be the Committee that decides this. The case would then go to Sweden's Supreme Court. The last time a minister was impeached in Sweden was during the mid-1800s, under the now-defunct impeachment law ({{ill|Riksrätt|sv}}).{{cite web |last1=Bokefors |first1=Jesper |title=Riksrätten |url=https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=8977157&fileOId=8980881 |website=lup.lub.lu.se |publisher=Lund University |accessdate=2 October 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002201254/https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=8977157&fileOId=8980881 |archivedate=2 October 2020 |location=Lund University |page=93 (8.3.2 Reformförslag) §6 |language=Swedish}}Swedish Wikipedia on impeachments{{Circular reference|date=October 2020}}

List of chairmen for the committee

= Chairmen before 1971 ([[bicameral]] Riksdag) =

  • 1809/1810: Lars August Mannerheim
  • 1823: Baltzar von Platen
  • 1828/1830: Lars August Mannerheim
  • 1834/1835: Jakob Cederström
  • 1840/1841: Carl Henrik Anckarsvärd
  • 1851–1858:Gustaf Lagerbjelke
  • 1859/1860, 1862/1863, 1867/1871: Thomas Munck af Rosenschöld
  • 1871 ({{ill|urtima Riksdag|sv}}): Gustaf af Ugglas
  • 1872/1875: Thomas Munck af Rosenschöld
  • 1876–1887B: Magnus Hallenborg
  • 1888:Gunnar Wennerberg
  • 1888–1898: Oscar Bergius
  • 1899: Gustaf Åkerhielm
  • 1900–1901: Gustaf Rudebeck
  • 1902–1905 ({{ill|Lagtima|sv}} riksdagen): Hugo Blomberg
  • 1906–1908: Hugo Blomberg
  • 1909–1910: Karl Staaff
  • 1911: Ernst Trygger
  • 1912: Carl Carlsson Bonde
  • 1912: Theodor af Callerholm
  • 1913–1917: Nils Edén
  • 1918: Otto Mannheimer
  • 1918 (urtima Riksdag): Jakob Pettersson
  • 1919 (urtima Riksdag): Jakob Pettersson
  • 1919 (urtima Riksdag)–1921: Viktor Larsson in Västerås
  • 1922–1923: Sam Clason
  • 1924: Viktor Larsson in Västerås
  • 1925–1929: Knut von Geijer
  • 1930–1938: Carl Axel Reuterskiöld
  • 1939 (lagtima riksdagen)–1958 (B): Harald Hallén
  • 1959–1964: Bengt Elmgren
  • 1965–1972: Georg Pettersson

= After 1971 ([[unicameral]] Riksdag) =

class="wikitable"
colspan="2"| Name

! Period

! Political party

bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Hilding Johansson1972–1976Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Centre Party (Sweden)}}| Karl Boo1976–1979Centre Party
bgcolor={{party color|Centre Party (Sweden)}}| Bertil Fiskesjö1979–1982Centre Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Olle Svensson1982-1991Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Thage G. Peterson1991–1994Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Liberals (Sweden)}}| Birgit Friggebo1994–1997Liberal People's Party
bgcolor={{party color|Liberals (Sweden)}}| Bo Könberg1997–1998Liberal People's Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| Per Unckel1998-2002Moderate Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| Gunnar Hökmark2002-2004Moderate Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| Göran Lennmarker2004–2006Moderate Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Berit Andnor2006–2010Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Green Party (Sweden)}}| Peter Eriksson2010–2014Green Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| Andreas Norlén2014–2018Moderate Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Hans Ekström2018–2019Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| Karin Enström2019–2022Moderate Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Hans Ekström2022Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Ida Karkiainen2022–Social Democratic Party

List of vice-chairmen for the committee

= Vice-chairmen before 1971 (bicameral Riksdag) =

  • Johan Sjöberg 1869
  • Lars Johan Hierta 1871U
  • Pehr von Ehrenheim 1872 -1973
  • Magnus Hallenborg 1874 - 1875
  • Johan Sjöberg 1876 - 1878
  • Johan Nordenfalk 1879 - 1880
  • Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld 1884 - 1885
  • Per Siljeström 1886
  • Axel Ljungman 1887A
  • Johan Sjöberg 1887B
  • Axel Ljungman 1891 - 1899
  • Fredrik Barnekow 1900 - 1905L
  • Gullbrand Elowson 1905 1U - 1906
  • Theodor af Callerholm 1907 - 1909
  • Johan Fredrik Nyström 1910
  • Theodor af Callerholm 1911
  • Hjalmar Branting 1912 - 1914A
  • Sam Clason 1914B - 1917
  • Viktor Larsson in Västerås 1918L - 1918U
  • Sam Clason 1919 - 1921
  • Arthur Engberg 1922 - 1923
  • Knut von Geijer 1925
  • Arthur Engberg 1926 - 1928
  • Harald Hallén 1933 - 1938
  • Anton Pettersson 1939L - 1939U
  • Gustaf Adolf Björkman 1940 - 1940U
  • Jones Erik Andersson 1941 - 1951
  • John Pettersson 1952 -1960
  • Torsten Andersson 1961 - 1968
  • Gunnar Larsson 1969 - 1971

= After 1971 (unicameral Riksdag) =

class="wikitable"
colspan="2"| Name

! Period

! Political party

bgcolor={{party color|Centre Party (Sweden)}}| Gunnar Larsson1972–1974Centre Party
bgcolor={{party color|Centre Party (Sweden)}}| Karl Boo1974–1976Centre Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Hilding Johansson1976–1982Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| Anders Björck1982–1991Moderate Party
bgcolor={{party color|Centre Party (Sweden)}}| Bertil Fiskesjö1991-1994Centre Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Kurt Ove Johansson1994–1998Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Göran Magnusson1998–2006Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| Per Bill2006–2014Moderate Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Björn von Sydow2014–2018Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| Marta Obminska[https://24uppsala.se/uppsalapolitiker-foreslas-till-ordforandepost-i-ku_5f47e3f5 Uppsalapolitiker föreslås till ordförandepost i KU] [https://web.archive.org/web/20180929002702/https://24uppsala.se/uppsalapolitiker-foreslas-till-ordforandepost-i-ku_5f47e3f5 Archive] 2018-09-282018–2019Moderate Party
bgcolor={{party color|Swedish Social Democratic Party}}| Hans Ekström2019–2022Social Democratic Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| Karin Enström2022Moderate Party
bgcolor={{party color|Moderate Party}}| TBD2022–Moderate Party

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • Stig Hadenius, Riksdagen : En svensk historia (Stockholm, 1994)
  • Riksdagsordningen och Regeringsformen, 1809 års regeringsform

External links

  • [https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/utskotten-eu-namnden/konstitutionsutskottet/ Riksdagen - Konstitutionsutskottet]
  • [https://www.riksdagen.se/ Riksdag website]
  • [http://www.riksdagen.se/sv/utskotten-eu-namnden/konstitutionsutskottet/ Constitution Committee website]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070524122532/http://www.svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=46165&a=514495&lid=puff_514539&lpos=rubrik svt.se Background: Så arbetar konstitutionsutskottet] (Swedish: How the Constitution Committee works) May 24, 2007

Category:Committees of the Riksdag