A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE SWEDISH SUFFRAGE PROCESS AND THE FORCES BEHIND IT

The two chamber system meant that the people could vote directly for representatives for the second chamber of the parliament. The first chamber was appointed by the county councils and they themselves were part of another voting process by the public. Voting was however still greatly restricted. The criteria to vote for the second chamber in 1866 was that you had to be at least 21 years old, male, have property value of at least 1000 riksdaler (the current currency) or 800 riksdaler of income. About 6% of the total population at this time could pass that criteria. The criteria to be able to be elected at county level for the first chamber was 35 years of age, male, 80 000 riksdaler of property value and an income of 4000. The real effect was that the parliamentary system was now under control of two instead of four social groups. The first chamber was under the influence of the wealthy upper class while the second chamber was influenced by the middle-class and the farmers. Still this reform was supported mostly by the latter since it meant increased political influence for them.

Although restricted in many ways parliamentary change spurred the political involvement of the general masses in Sweden. People became more and more politically aware and started to cooperate to voice their opinion. In 1889 the Social Democrats formed the first party outside the government. The increasing support for the Social Democrats can be linked to the growth of the industrial revolution in Sweden. At the time of the implementation of the new parliament system Sweden was still mainly an agricultural nation with more than 70% of the population working within the farming sector. But the industrial revolution and its social changes would dominate the rest of the nineteenth century and thus create a strong and numerous working class. They were gaining support from precisely that group and worked closely together with the union movement within the country at that time. The correlation of the new government system and the social changes created a new political climate where the Social Democrats were the first offspring and more parties soon would follow. As an example of the industrial age the working masses demand for a general right to vote was spurred even further.

About a decade after "the first party" the liberal forces joined to form the Liberal Party and they as well pushed for the general right to vote, as well as demanding a conversion into a true parliamentary government to strengthen the influence of the two chambers and reduce the power of the king. Nine years later a conservative government under Arvid Lindman convinced the parliament to accept a general voting reform for males for the second chamber. Strangely enough textbooks still refer to this as a reform of "true universal suffrage" because the criteria for the right to vote only eased in the economic aspect, where you now were not allowed to have a criminal record or debts to the state. The minimum age to vote was in fact raised to 24 years old. You also had to have completed conscript service for the military.

In January 1914 the path towards a parliamentary government took one step forward when the king, Gustav V, held a public speech where he criticized the governments military policies. The king firmly believed that he should have the right to voice other opinions than those presented by the government. The turbulence and instability that shook the world during the following world war convinced the government that this had to be dealt with to ensure political stability within Sweden. In 1917 the king was forced to accept he could not interfere in politics ever again. Apart from leading to a "true parliamentary government" the war also spurred the democratic process onwards in other areas. The civil war in Finland and the Russian revolution, both close neighbours to Sweden, created a political stress and public turbulence. To appease the public and keep Sweden away from similar events (the communist threat was one thing that encouraged the government) suggestions for democratic reforms were presented. Between the years 1918 to 1921 a reform process ensured the right for all citizens, both male and female, above the age of 23, to vote for the second chamber.
Otherwise the economic criteria were the same as those of 1909 (and completed conscript service for males).

In 1970 a reform changed the two-chamber system to consist of one single chamber with public elections held every third year, and in 1994 this was changed back to every fourth year. At present the criteria for the right to vote for the parliament is set at 18 years of age and the holding of Swedish citizenship.