The [Parliamentary] Committee on the Constitution (, KU) is a parliamentary committee in the Swedish Riksdag. The committee's responsibilities include examining issues relating to the Swedish Constitution and Administrative laws, as well as examining the Prime Minister's performance of duties and the handling of government matters. The committee's activities are regulated by the Riksdag.
Given the committee's significant power, it has been agreed since 1991 that the Speaker of the committee shall come from the opposition party. Since October 2026, the Speaker of the committee has been Oscar Sjöstedt from the Sweden Democrats, and the vice-Speaker of the committee is Jennie Nilsson from the Social Democratic Party.
The committee is made up of seventeen elected members of the Riksdag with representation from all political parties.
History The first Swedish legislative committee founded for the purpose of watching over the constitution was in May 1809, at the time of the Riksdag of the Estates. The committee played an important role in the development of the new form of government that was adopted on 6 June in the same year. The first Speaker of the committee was Lars August Mannerheim, and the first Secretary of the committee was Hans Järta.
The committee was permanently established by the Instrument of Government, §53, in 1809, which describes the committee's function:
To bring issues concerning changes in the constitutions and opinions thereof to the attention of the estates of the state, and to review the minutes kept by the Government
Its tasks are similarly set out by §§ 105-107 of the Riksdagsstadgan (parliamentary rules):
The principal function remains unchanged, but a function has to adapt itself to modern society's conditions and the change in state.
Tasks
The concerns of the Committee on the Constitution are the Swedish constitutions and the Riksdag's rules of procedure, and the committee is an important element of the Riksdag's power. The committee oversees legislation on the constitution and administrative law; on television, radio and film; press and party support; the Riksdag, offices in the Riksdag, such as the National Audit Office and the Ombudsman (but not the Riksbank); review of government ministers; freedom of the press and expression; municipal self-government; opinion formation; and freedom of religion.The 15 parliamentary committees
The Committee submits so-called KU-anmälningar (Constitutional Committee reports). The ongoing review is presented annually in a report, called the review report, formerly known as the "discharge report" (Swedish: dechargebetänkandet).dechargebetänkande sv.wiktionary.org Riksdagens ledamöter har rätt att anmäla ministrarna i regeringen till KU [Members of the Riksdag have the right to report government ministers to the KU] When a report about a person is sent to the committee, a hearing is then held. Since 1988, the public has been allowed to witness these hearings. It is common for the committee to criticize a government minister after a hearing, resulting in a vote of no confidence. The committee also has the last word in certain deliberations prior to a Riksdag decision.
Impeachments If impeachment should proceed against a government minister, it would be the Committee that decides this. The case would then go to Sweden's Supreme Court. The last time a minister was impeached in Sweden was during the mid-1800s, under the now-defunct impeachment law ().Swedish Wikipedia on impeachments
List of chairmen for the committee Chairmen before 1971 (bicameral Riksdag) 1809/1810: Lars August Mannerheim 1823: Baltzar von Platen 1828/1830: Lars August Mannerheim 1834/1835: Jakob Cederström 1840/1841: Carl Henrik Anckarsvärd 1851–1858:Gustaf Lagerbjelke 1859/1860, 1862/1863, 1867/1871: Thomas Munck af Rosenschöld 1871 (): Gustaf af Ugglas 1872/1875: Thomas Munck af Rosenschöld 1876–1887B: Magnus Hallenborg 1888:Gunnar Wennerberg 1888–1898: Oscar Bergius 1899: Gustaf Åkerhielm 1900–1901: Gustaf Rudebeck 1902–1905 ( riksdagen): Hugo Blomberg 1906–1908: Hugo Blomberg 1909–1910: Karl Staaff 1911: Ernst Trygger 1912: Carl Carlsson Bonde 1912: Theodor af Callerholm 1913–1917: Nils Edén 1918: Otto Mannheimer 1918 (urtima Riksdag): Jakob Pettersson 1919 (urtima Riksdag): Jakob Pettersson 1919 (urtima Riksdag)–1921: Viktor Larsson in Västerås 1922–1923: Sam Clason 1924: Viktor Larsson in Västerås 1925–1929: Knut von Geijer 1930–1938: Carl Axel Reuterskiöld 1939 (lagtima riksdagen)–1958 (B): Harald Hallén 1959–1964: Bengt Elmgren 1965–1972: Georg Pettersson
After 1971 (unicameral Riksdag) Name Period Political party Hilding Johansson 1972–1976 Social Democratic Party Karl Boo 1976–1979 Centre Party Bertil Fiskesjö 1979–1982 Centre Party Olle Svensson 1982-1991 Social Democratic Party Thage G. Peterson 1991–1994 Social Democratic Party Birgit Friggebo 1994–1997 Liberal People's Party Bo Könberg 1997–1998 Liberal People's Party Per Unckel 1998-2002 Moderate Party Gunnar Hökmark 2002-2004 Moderate Party Göran Lennmarker 2004–2006 Moderate Party Berit Andnor 2006–2010 Social Democratic Party Peter Eriksson 2010–2014 Green Party Andreas Norlén 2014–2018 Moderate Party Hans Ekström 2018–2019 Social Democratic Party Karin Enström 2019–2022 Moderate Party Hans Ekström 2022 Social Democratic Party Ida Karkiainen 2022–2025 Social Democratic Party Jennie Nilsson 2025–2026 Social Democratic Party Oscar Sjöstedt 2026– Sweden Democrats
List of vice-chairmen for the committee Vice-chairmen before 1971 (bicameral Riksdag) Johan Sjöberg 1869 Lars Johan Hierta 1871U Pehr von Ehrenheim 1872 -1973 Magnus Hallenborg 1874 - 1875 Johan Sjöberg 1876 - 1878 Johan Nordenfalk 1879 - 1880 Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld 1884 - 1885 Per Siljeström 1886 Axel Ljungman 1887A Johan Sjöberg 1887B Axel Ljungman 1891 - 1899 Fredrik Barnekow 1900 - 1905L Gullbrand Elowson 1905 1U - 1906 Theodor af Callerholm 1907 - 1909 Johan Fredrik Nyström 1910 Theodor af Callerholm 1911 Hjalmar Branting 1912 - 1914A Sam Clason 1914B - 1917 Viktor Larsson in Västerås 1918L - 1918U Sam Clason 1919 - 1921 Arthur Engberg 1922 - 1923 Knut von Geijer 1925 Arthur Engberg 1926 - 1928 Harald Hallén 1933 - 1938 Anton Pettersson 1939L - 1939U Gustaf Adolf Björkman 1940 - 1940U Jones Erik Andersson 1941 - 1951 John Pettersson 1952 -1960 Torsten Andersson 1961 - 1968 Gunnar Larsson 1969 - 1971
After 1971 (unicameral Riksdag) Name Period Political party Gunnar Larsson 1972–1974 Centre Party Karl Boo 1974–1976 Centre Party Hilding Johansson 1976–1982 Social Democratic Party Anders Björck 1982–1991 Moderate Party Bertil Fiskesjö 1991-1994 Centre Party Kurt Ove Johansson 1994–1998 Social Democratic Party Göran Magnusson 1998–2006 Social Democratic Party Per Bill 2006–2014 Moderate Party Björn von Sydow 2014–2018 Social Democratic Party Marta ObminskaUppsalapolitiker föreslås till ordförandepost i KU Archive 2018-09-28 2018–2019 Moderate Party Hans Ekström 2019–2022 Social Democratic Party Karin Enström 2022 Moderate Party Erik Ottoson 2022–2024 Moderate Party Louise Meijer 2024–2025 Moderate Party Mats Green 2025–2026 Moderate Party Jennie Nilsson 2026– Social Democratic Party
References
Further reading Stig Hadenius, Riksdagen : En svensk historia (Stockholm, 1994) Riksdagsordningen och Regeringsformen, 1809 års regeringsform
External links Riksdagen - Konstitutionsutskottet Riksdag website Constitution Committee website svt.se Background: Så arbetar konstitutionsutskottet (Swedish: How the Constitution Committee works) May 24, 2007