The Committee on the Constitution[1] (Swedish: 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.
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.[2] 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, §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.
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.[3]
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).[4] [5] 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.
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 .[6] [7]
| Name | Period | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor= | 1972–1976 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1976–1979 | Centre Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1979–1982 | Centre Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1982-1991 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1991–1994 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1994–1997 | Liberal People's Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1997–1998 | Liberal People's Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1998-2002 | Moderate Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2002-2004 | Moderate Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2004–2006 | Moderate Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2006–2010 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2010–2014 | Green Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2014–2018 | Moderate Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2018–2019 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2019–2022 | Moderate Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2022 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2022– | Social Democratic Party | ||
| Name | Period | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor= | 1972–1974 | Centre Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1974–1976 | Centre Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1976–1982 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1982–1991 | Moderate Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1991-1994 | Centre Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1994–1998 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 1998–2006 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2006–2014 | Moderate Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2014–2018 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | Marta Obminska[8] | 2018–2019 | Moderate Party | |
| bgcolor= | 2019–2022 | Social Democratic Party | ||
| bgcolor= | 2022 | Moderate Party | ||
| bgcolor= | TBD | 2022– | Moderate Party | |