How Sweden is governed

Sweden is a parliamentary democracy, which means that all public power proceeds from the people. At the national level, the people are represented by the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) which has legislative power. The Government implements the Riksdag's decisions and draws up proposals for new laws or law amendments.

Sweden is divided into 290 municipalities and 21 regions. There is no hierarchical relation between municipalities and regions, since all have their own self-governing local authorities with responsibility for different activities.

Swedish municipalities, county councils and regions are responsible for providing a significant proportion of all public services. They have a considerable degree of autonomy, one example is building permits, and they have independent powers of taxation.

The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, SALAR, is both an employers' organisation and an organisation that represents and advocates for local government in Sweden. All of Sweden's municipalities, county councils and regions are members of SALAR.