APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090019-6
Annual sessions of the Riksdag generally occupy 7 months. The first session convenes in early January and recesses in June. After this break the Riksdag reconvenes in October for a short fall session that usually ends before the Christmas holiday. The government has the right to dissolve the Riksdag and call for extraordinary elections. Such action, which in the past had been resorted to only infrequently, is facilitated by the new constitutional reforms.
The Riksdag is permitted to continue to work for as long as 5 months after the date for new elections has been set. If it is out of session during this interval, the Prime Minister may reconvene it. During the interim between the call for new elections and actual election, the terms of office for members remain in force and are terminated only when the newly elected representatives actually begin their tenures.
The Riksdag may censure the cabinet or any one of the ministers by calling for a vote of confidence. In calling for such a vote, the member must have the support of at least 10% of the Riksdag. The reasons for questioning an individual minister are never stated, and the voting issue is described by simply stating the minister's name. The motion is tabled until the second meeting after the one in which it is introduced, and the motion is subject to a vote not later than at the third meeting after the one in which it was introduced. The charge may be directed against the Prime Minister or against an individual minister. The entire cabinet but resign if an absolute majority votes against the Prime Minister. An absolute majority is also required to censure an individual minister, but only the minister in question is required to resign. In both cases, however, the Prime Minister has the right to decide within 10 days if the Riksdag is to be dissolved and if new elections are to be held.
Under the old bicameral system every member of the Riksdag was entitled to express his opinion on the floor without fear of interruption. It was not possible, however, to avoid a legislative decision by filibustering or otherwise prolonging debate. Parliamentary rules governing such conduct have long been detailed and specific. Because of the marked increase in size of the new parliament, some restrictions have been imposed on the time allowed for debate, in the interest of providing an opportunity for all members to speak. The speaker may suggest that during a particular session the Riksdag decide beforehand just how long each speaker is permitted to hold the floor. In such instances the limitations apply to all speakers, including ministers and party leaders.
Perhaps the most important single characteristic of the Riksdag is its system of standing committees, which number 16. The Committee of Supply, which deals with government appropriations, is the largest, with 45 members, followed by the Committees on the Constitution and Taxation (Ways and Means), with 27 members each. The other committees have 17 members each. Ad hoc committees to address special questions may be formed. The chairmanship and composition of the committees are distributed among all the parties; representation is usually in proportion to strength. Cabinet ministers are not permitted to be present at committee meetings but may be called upon to provide information to the committees. The speaker of the Riksdag and the three deputy speakers are also nominated through inter-party agreements and are decided upon by a voice vote in the Riksdag, unless a secret ballot is requested by any one member.
During the first 15 days of each session every member is entitled to introduce motions on any subject. When government bills are introduced, members have from 10 to 15 days to offer amendments before the bills are referred to committee for thorough discussion. Committees often invite written comments on motions or occasionally hold closed door hearings on government bills. After a second reading, further amendments or adjustments may be made and then reconciled in committee. A bill must be passed or rejected on the third reading.
It is not possible to kill bills in committee, because all of them must be reported out of committee to the Riksdag in plenary session. Only rarely, and reportedly never for political reasons, is a bill held over and referred to the next session.
4. Judicial system
Swedish jurisprudence, which traces its origins to Old Norse common law, was first codified nationwide in the National Legal Codes of King Magnus Eriksson (c. 1350). New codification, the General Code of 1734, was prompted by concepts of Roman law and by influences of the Enlightenment introduced by increased contacts with Europe south of the Baltic. Although complete penal and criminal procedure codes were included, they were almost immediately subject to revision because of the continuing strong influence of the Enlightenment. Most notable were the impact of the Italian criminologist Beccaria, the British jurist Blackstone, the French political philosopher Montesquieu, and the evolving German criminal law theories. British penology, relatively advanced for the period, also left its mark. Although continental influences continued to be felt in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras, reformist impulses, indigenous and from across the North Sea,
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090019-6
