Prime Minister of Sweden

The Prime Minister or Statsminister is the head of Government in Sweden. Before 1876, when the office of Prime Minister was instituted, Sweden did not have a formal head of Government. The architect behind the new Riksdag of 1866, Louis de Geer became the first Prime Minister, but ironically it had been the absence of his informal leadership in the Government that had brought about the reform.

Since the Constitution of 1809 there had actually been the two titles of Prime Minister of Justice or Justitiestatsminister and Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs or Utrikesstatsminister, but their roles had merely been that of a head for respective Ministry. At the introduction of the office of Prime Minsiter these titles were changed to Minister of Justice and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Constitutional reform in 1976 Until 1976 the Government authority had been exercised through the Privy Council when constitutional reform provided a new Instrument of Government which formally established the parliamentary principles and created a Cabinet Government.

After an election the Speaker of Parliament holds consultations with the party leaders and appoints a Prime Minister-designate, who then submits a list of ministers for approval to the Parliament. If the list is approved they form a Cabinet Government under the leadership of the Prime Minister. Single ministers can be forced to resign by a vote of no confidence by Parliament, but if the Prime Minister is forced to resign the entire cabinet falls and the process starts over.

Sager house

In 1991 the Sager house[?] was acquired, and since 1995 it has served as residence for the Prime Minister. The Sager house is located adjacent to Rosenbad[?], the Government chancery and straight across from the Riksdag building, which sits on its own islet, Helgeandsholmen.

Prime Ministers under the Privy Council Government

1. Louis de Geer, liberal (1876-1880)
2. Arvid Posse[?], conservative (1880-1883)
3. Carl Johan Thyselius[?], conservative (1883-1884)
4. Robert Themptander[?], liberal (1884-1888)
5. Gillis Bildt[?], conservative (1888-1889)
6. Gustaf Åkerhielm[?], protectionist (1889-1891)
7. Gustaf Boström[?], conservative (1891-1900)
8. Fredrik von Otter[?], unaffiliated (1900-1902)
9. Gustaf Boström[?], conservative (1902-1905)
10. Johan Ramstedt[?], unaffiliated (1905)
11. Christian Lundeberg[?], conservative-liberal coalition (1905)
12. Karl Staaff[?], liberal (1905-1906)
13. Arvid Lindman[?], conservative (1906-1911)
14. Karl Staaff[?], liberal (1911-1914)
15. Hjalmar Hammarskjöld[?], conservative (1914-1917)
16. Carl Swartz[?], conservative (1917)
17. Nils Edén[?], liberal-social democrat coalition (1917-1920)
18. Hjalmar Branting[?], social democrat (1920)
19. Louis de Geer (the younger)[?], unaffiliated executive government (1920-1921)
20. Oscar von Sydow[?], unaffiliated executive government (1921)
21. Hjalmar Branting[?], social democrat (1921-1923)
22. Ernst Trygger[?], conservative (1923-1924)
23. Hjalmar Branting[?], social democrat (1924-1925)
24. Rikard Sandler[?], social democrat (1925-1926)
25. Carl Ekman[?], liberal (1926-1928)
26. Arvid Lindman[?], conservative (1928-1930)
27. Carl Ekman[?], liberal (1930-1932)
28. Felix Hamrin[?], liberal (1932)
29. Per Albin Hansson, social democrat (1932-1936)
30. Axel Pehrsson[?], league of farmers (1936)
31. Per Albin Hansson, social democrat (1936-1939)
32. Per Albin Hansson, coalition government (1939-1945)
33. Per Albin Hansson, social democrat (1945-1946)
34. Tage Erlander[?], social democrat (1946-1951)
35. Tage Erlander[?], social democrat-league of farmers coalition (1951-1957)
36. Tage Erlander[?], social democrat (1957-1969)
37. Olof Palme, social democrat (1969-1976)

Prime Ministers of the Cabinet Government

1. Thorbjörn Fälldin[?], liberal-conservative coalition (1976-1978)
2. Ola Ullsten[?], liberal (1978-1979)
3. Thorbjörn Fälldin[?], liberal-conservative coalition (1979-1981)
4. Thorbjörn Fälldin[?], liberal-centrist coalition (1981-1982)
5. Olof Palme, social democrat (1982-1986)
6. Ingvar Carlsson, social democrat (1986-1991)
7. Carl Bildt, liberal-conservative coalition (1991-1994)
8. Ingvar Carlsson, social democrat (1994-1996)
9. Göran Persson, social democrat (1996-present)

See also: Politics of Sweden, List of Swedish politicians, List of Swedish monarchs