Swedish elections and parties on the citizenship test: who votes, and how

Chapter 4 of Sverige i fokus, pages 14 to 15, covers elections and political parties. For anyone taking the medborgarskapsprov this chapter has a special flavor: the voting rules it describes are rules that will soon apply to you as a citizen.

What the test can ask

• Election rhythm: Riksdag, regional and municipal elections every four years, the EU Parliament every five.
• Who may vote where. This is the classic trap area: the Riksdag election requires Swedish citizenship and age 18, while municipal and regional elections are open to non-citizens who have been registered residents for three years in total, and to EU and Nordic citizens who are simply registered residents.
• Referendums: they are advisory (rådgivande), politicians are not bound by them, and the standard example is the 2003 euro referendum where Sweden voted no and kept the krona.
• The mechanics of voting: the röstkort that arrives at home, voting in advance, ballot papers, and why everyone votes behind a screen.
• Proportional elections: a party's share of votes becomes its share of seats, which is why parties cooperate to build majorities.
• The four percent rule: below four percent of the national vote a party does not enter the Riksdag, a rule that exists to keep majorities stable.
• The eight parties in the Riksdag until the 2026 election, and the fact that local parties exist in municipal and regional politics.

Terms worth knowing

rösträtt (the right to vote), folkbokförd (registered as a resident), valsedel (ballot paper), valrörelse (the campaign period).

How to study it

The module Politiska val och partier covers the chapter in simple Swedish with cited questions on exactly these distinctions. Then take the free mini mock.

Source: Sverige i fokus (UHR, 2026), pp. 14-15.

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