How Sweden is governed: riksdag, regering and kommuner on the citizenship test

Chapter 3 of Sverige i fokus, pages 12 to 13, explains who actually decides what in Sweden: the state, the regions and the municipalities. For the medborgarskapsprov this is one of the most fact-dense chapters, and the relationships between institutions are exactly the kind of thing multiple-choice questions test.

What the test can ask

• The three levels: national (the state), regional (21 regioner) and municipal (290 kommuner), plus the EU's influence.
• The chain of power: citizens elect the riksdag (349 members, every four years), the Riksdag elects the statsminister, and the prime minister picks the ministers. Who chooses whom is classic test material.
• The budget cycle: every autumn the government hands the Riksdag its budgetproposition, and the opposition's job is to scrutinize and propose alternatives.
• The authorities: several hundred state myndigheter carry out decisions. Knowing which authority does what (Försäkringskassan for parental benefit, for example) is a typical question, as is who watches the authorities: JO and JK.
• What regions do (healthcare above all, public transport, county museums) versus what municipalities do (schools, childcare, elderly care, water, snow clearing).
• The form of state: a constitutional monarchy where the king is a symbol without political power, and the order of succession runs from Carl XVI Gustaf to Victoria to Estelle.

Terms worth knowing

regionfullmäktige and kommunfullmäktige (the elected councils), nämnd (committee), statsskick (form of government).

How to study it

The module Så här styrs Sverige covers the chapter in simple Swedish with cited practice questions. Then try the free mini mock.

Source: Sverige i fokus (UHR, 2026), pp. 12-13.

Independent study material. Not affiliated with UHR or Migrationsverket. Not legal advice.