Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - First part - III. Constitution and Administration - 1. Constitution - Historical Account and present Constitution, by E. Hildebrand, Ph. D., Chief of the National Record Office, Stockholm
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constitution.
1<>9
of the Lutheran Confession. The right of succession is forfeited if, for
instance, a prince marries withouth the king’s consent, or if he weds
a private man’s daughter. The sceptre of government can only be
wielded by the King when in Sweden, or — since 1815 — within
the bounds of the two united kingdoms, Sweden and Norway. When
he is beyond those boundaries, a regency must be appointed, unless
the King be absent in the event of war.
The Constitution
Act of 1809 seeks to
shield the prerogatives
of Government, but
at the same time to
prevent their abuse.
The King has the
right to »govern the
kingdom alone», but
he shall take his
decisions in the Cabinet
(Statsrådet) after
having heard the advice
of the Ministers, the
adviser’s counsel being
entered on the minutes.
The Cabinet Councilors, who shall be natural-born Swedes and adherents
of the Lutheran Confession, are appointed and dismissed by the King,
but are responsible to the Riksdag. Since 1876, one of the members of
the Cabinet is Prime Minister. Eight of the Ministers are heads of
departments and introduce matters belonging to their respective
departments to the King in Cabinet.1 The King holds the council in his own
person and comes to a decision after the matter has been set forth by the
Councilor charged with it. The Cabinet Councilors, as a rule, are not
permitted to come to a decision themselves, and even most insignificant
matters are brought under the King’s immediate notice. The King signs
the resolutions, but these have no legal force unless they are
countersigned by the minister who brought them forward, and it is his duty
and right to refuse to thus countersign the resolutions, if they are at
variance with the stipulations of the Constitution Act.
The King appoints the majority of the public officials with the
exception of the lowest grades. But all judges and most of the
officials are undismissible, unless after a judicial enquiry and
sentence against them. The cabinet ministers, the heads of institutions,
civil and military, diplomatists together with a number of other officials
specially mentioned, are the only ones whom the King can dismiss,
1 The eighth department (that of agriculture) was introduced in 1900. Up to that
year (since 1840) the members of the council were ten in number.
The Council Chamber, Royal Palace, Stockholm.
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