Sweden have a better goverment than us. This is it:
<FONT size="5">Government</FONT s>
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy. It is governed under the constitution of 1975, which superseded the Constitutional Act of 1809 and the Parliament Act of 1866, as amended. The 1975 constitution eliminated the last vestiges of monarchical power in governing the country. The monarch remained head of state, an exclusively ceremonial post, but no longer was supreme commander of the armed forces and ceased to preside over cabinet meetings. All power was defined as emanating from the people. The constitution includes a lengthy bill of rights. Succession to the throne was opened to women in 1980.
A. Executive
In Sweden executive power is vested in the cabinet, which is responsible to the national legislature, the Riksdag. The cabinet is composed of a prime minister and department ministers and ministers without portfolio. In addition to the cabinet ministries some 50 central agencies administer government-operated services, such as the telephone system and the national railroad. These agencies, which are headed by government-appointed directors, are nominally subordinate to the cabinet ministries but actually function independently of them.
B. Legislature
In 1971 the Riksdag, formerly a bicameral diet, was changed to a unicameral legislature with 350 popularly elected members; the 1975 constitution reduced the number of members to 349 to prevent tie votes. Members of the Riksdag are elected to terms of four years by the voters under a system of proportional representation. All citizens age 18 or older are eligible to vote.
C. Judiciary
The Swedish judiciary is entirely independent of the other branches of government and comprises a three-tier system of courts: the Supreme Court, six courts of appeal, and district and city courts. The Supreme Court is the court of final appeal in all cases and may also consider new evidence. The appeals courts, in addition to having appellate jurisdiction, are responsible for the administration of the court system in their areas and for the further training of judges. District and city courts are courts of first instance. They are presided over by judges who are assisted by a popularly elected panel, usually consisting of from three to five laypersons. Juries are used only in press libel suits.
A special feature of the Swedish judicial system, copied in recent years by other countries, is the official known as the ombudsman. This official's duty is to oversee how the courts and administrators observe and apply the laws. An ombudsman may investigate complaints by any citizen and initiate investigations and can bring evidence of error or wrongdoing before a court. An ombudsman is appointed by the Riksdag for a term of four years; in the early 1990s Sweden had four such officials.
D. Local Government
Each of the 24 counties (län) in Sweden is governed by an administrative board appointed by the central government, in conjunction with a popularly elected county council. Local government and taxation are provided for by the constitution. Towns, cities, and rural districts within the counties constitute communes and also have popularly elected councils.
E. Political Parties
The leading Swedish political groups are the Social Democratic Party, which won the largest number of seats in the Riksdag in the 1998 elections, and the Moderate Party. Other influential groups included the Left, Christian Democratic, Center, Liberal, and Green parties. There are also small extreme right-wing and left-wing parties.
F. Health and Welfare
Historically, Swedish social-welfare legislation has been extensive, ensuring that all citizens receive old-age pensions, health insurance, and workers' compensation disability benefits. An unemployment-insurance plan is subsidized largely by the government but administered by the trade unions. Other social-welfare provisions include subsidies to families who are raising children, maternity benefits, and government-subsidized low-rent housing. However, in response to the country's recession of the early 1990s, the government has instituted reductions in the level and range of social-welfare programs.
G. Defense
The armed forces of Sweden are headed by a supreme commander and a defense staff that coordinates the activities of the army, navy, and air force. Between 7.5 and 17.5 months of military service is compulsory for men between 18 and 47 years of age. An important component of the country's defense is the home guard, a volunteer service organized during World War II (1939-1945); the service has 125,000 members at present. In 1998 the armed forces included an army of 35,100, a navy of 9,200, and an air force of 8,800. In times of war, the armed forces can mobilize a reserve force of 570,000 people.
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Homo sum humani nil a me alienum puto
(I am man, nothing human is alien to me)
Ex Libris of Gustaf VI Adolf
