Medborgarskapskursen

Chapter 2 of 13 in Sverige i fokus

What is democracy? Sweden's democratic system explained

Shayan Parsai, kursansvarig och kursutvecklare
Written byLinkedIn

Published: · Reading time: about 6 min

Quick answers

What is democracy?
A political system where power comes from the people. The word comes from Greek and means rule by the people (folkstyre).
What does free elections mean?
Everyone with the right to vote has one vote each, the election is secret and there are several parties to choose between. Nobody can be forced to vote.
What is rättssäkerhet?
That the laws apply to everyone and that nobody is convicted without a fair trial. In English: legal certainty, or the rule of law.
What threatens democracy?
Low voter turnout, false information and hate online, threats against politicians and journalists, and segregation.

The citizenship test (medborgarskapsprovet) is written in Swedish, so learn the Swedish key words in brackets as you read. This page is also available in Swedish: Sveriges demokratiska system.

Chapter 2 of Sverige i fokus is about democracy (demokrati). It explains what the word means, what a country needs in order to be democratic, and how you yourself can take part and have influence. The chapter also covers what can threaten a democracy. Here you get the content explained in our own words.

What is democracy?

Democracy is a political system where power comes from the people. Citizens can influence the decisions that are made. The word comes from Greek and means rule by the people (folkstyre).

In a democracy, citizens must be able to choose between several political alternatives. Those in power must be possible to replace. That is an important difference from countries where the same leader stays no matter what the people think.

The chapter’s summary puts it briefly: the people govern through free and fair elections, everyone has the right to influence, and everyone is equal before the law.

Remember that democracy is not only election day. It is also everything that happens between elections: people may criticise those in power, organise and make demands on politicians. Sverige i fokus describes democracy as something everyone in the country helps to carry, not only the politicians.

What does free elections mean?

In a democratic society people have the right to vote in free elections (fria val). Free elections means several things at once:

  • Everyone with the right to vote (rösträtt) has one vote each.
  • Everyone can say what they think without threats or force.
  • There are several parties to vote for.
  • Elections are secret. Nobody has to say how they voted.
  • You have the right not to take part in the election.

All people, groups and parties have the right to try to convince others of their political ideas. This is connected to freedom of expression (yttrandefrihet): the right to write and say what you think.

What is rättssäkerhet?

A democracy also requires that the laws apply to everyone in the country. Nobody may be convicted without a fair trial. This is called rättssäkerhet, often translated as legal certainty or the rule of law. It does not matter whether you are a minister, a police officer or newly arrived: the same law applies, and the same court tries the case. The term comes back in chapter 5 on law and justice, where you learn more about how the courts work.

How does democracy in Sweden become strong?

For a democracy to work, everyone needs to take responsibility. Education in Sweden is built on democratic values. Already in compulsory school (grundskolan), pupils learn about their rights, how society works and why it is important to take part and vote.

Democracy becomes stronger when many people vote, get involved and learn about social issues. You can, for example, join a party or an association (förening) and talk politics with others.

Sverige i fokus lists several ways to influence and take part in society:

  • Vote in political elections.
  • Become a member of a political party or an interest organisation (intresseorganisation), or start your own association.
  • Contact politicians.
  • Demonstrate.
  • Start or sign a petition (namninsamling).
  • Discuss politics with friends and acquaintances.
  • Contact journalists or write opinion pieces (debattartiklar).
  • Have influence at your workplace, for example through the trade union (fackföreningen).
  • Send views and proposals to your municipality (kommun).

The test may ask which of several options is a democratic way to have influence. All the points above count.

What threatens democracy?

There are problems that can damage democracy. Sverige i fokus takes up two.

Low voter turnout (lågt valdeltagande). When few people vote, people have less chance to influence decisions that affect their everyday lives. Low turnout can happen because people do not trust politicians, or feel that their vote makes no difference. That in turn can increase the differences between groups in society.

False information and hate. Sometimes false information and hate are spread, for example on social media, to create conflicts. Politicians, journalists and others who speak about social issues are sometimes threatened. Then they may become afraid to take part in the debate.

So for democracy to work, many people need to be able to take part and have influence, the information they get must be true, and society must protect those who take part in the debate.

What are segregation and integration?

Segregation means, among other things, that people live separately, depending on how much they earn or what ethnic background they have. Integration is the opposite: people with different backgrounds and finances live closer to each other and feel part of society. Both words are the same in Swedish.

In a segregated society, people can have different access to public services and culture. Some areas can feel less safe. Sometimes people live with very little contact with the rest of society. Then trust (förtroende) in the public authorities can fall and political engagement can shrink. That is why segregation can weaken democracy.

To counter segregation, politicians usually propose language education and mixed housing, meaning different types of housing in the same area.

How does democracy in Sweden work in practice?

Chapter 2 gives the foundation. The next three chapters show how democracy is built in Sweden:

  • Chapter 3 describes how the country is governed on three levels: the state, the regions and the municipalities.
  • Chapter 4 is about elections, the right to vote and parties.
  • Chapter 5 is about the fundamental laws and the justice system.

If you learn the Swedish words in this chapter (folkstyre, fria val, yttrandefrihet, rättssäkerhet, valdeltagande, segregation, integration), the later chapters become easier to understand, and so do the test questions.

What the test usually asks about

  • What the word democracy means and where it comes from.
  • What characterises free elections: one vote each, secret elections, several parties, nobody is forced.
  • What freedom of expression and rättssäkerhet mean.
  • Different ways to influence society, for example voting, demonstrating or contacting politicians.
  • What low voter turnout can be caused by and lead to.
  • Why false information and threats against journalists damage democracy.
  • The difference between segregation and integration.
  • What politicians usually propose against segregation: language education and different types of housing.

Practise chapter 2

Test yourself with three open questions on chapter 2; the rest are in the course. We wrote the questions in the style of the test; they are not UHR’s questions. Read the explanation after each answer and you will remember better. The full practice test mixes questions from all chapters.

Difficult words in this chapter

folkstyre
rule by the people; this is what the word democracy means
yttrandefrihet
freedom of expression, the right to say and write what you think
rättssäkerhet
legal certainty: the law applies equally to everyone and nobody is convicted without a fair trial
valdeltagande
voter turnout, the share of those allowed to vote who actually vote
segregation
segregation, when people live separately, for example by income or background
integration
integration, when people with different backgrounds live close to each other and feel part of society
namninsamling
a petition, a list where many people sign to show they support a proposal
intresseorganisation
an interest organisation, an association that works for a certain group's interests, for example a trade union
förtroende
trust, for example in politicians or public authorities

Frequently asked questions

Where does the word democracy come from?

From Greek. It means rule by the people (folkstyre).

Do you have to vote in Sweden?

No. In a democracy you have the right to vote, but also the right not to.

Why are elections secret?

So that nobody has to reveal how they vote. Then nobody can threaten or force a voter.

How can I influence society without being a politician?

Vote, join a party or an association, contact politicians, demonstrate, sign a petition, write opinion pieces or send proposals to your municipality.

What does segregation mean?

That people live separately, for example depending on how much they earn or what ethnic background they have. The opposite is integration.

The course

The full course, all 13 chapters

99SEK per month

or 499 SEK for a full year

  • Lessons for every chapter of Sverige i fokus
  • Practice questions with explanations and page references
  • A mock test in the same form as the August test
  • Difficult words explained in plain Swedish
Coming soon

Want an email when the course opens? Write to us.

Sources