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Green Party (Sweden)
Encyclopedia
The Green Party is a green political party
in Sweden
. The party was founded in 1981 emerging out of the movement opposing nuclear power
in a referendum held in 1980. It won seats in the Parliament of Sweden
for the first time in 1988, failed to pass the 4% cutoff in the following election in 1991, but returned again in 1994 and has held seats since, getting around 5% in every election. In the election in 2010 they got 7.34%, making them the third biggest party in Sweden. Currently, the party garners the most support among the young, female, urban, educated, public employed demographics.
and wanted a new referendum on the issue, though this policy was abolished in a September 2008 internal party referendum. However, the party remains predominantly EU-critical. The Greens support a phasing-out of nuclear energy in Sweden and hope to replace it with alternative, sustainable energy sources. The party further supports a general shift in taxation policy, towards high taxes on environmentally unfriendly or unsustainable products and activities, hoping to thus influence people's behavior towards the more sustainable. The Green Party was the first political party in Sweden to raise the issue of climate change
.
). The current spokespersons are Gustav Fridolin
and Åsa Romson
.
The party has 25 seats in the parliament and has seats in the municipal council of most municipalities.
and libertarian socialists
, by referring to its liberal policy regarding immigration and its support of personal integrity, participation and entrepreneurship, among other issues.
, the party is in opposition in Sweden, and its prioritized issues are climate change
, anti-discrimination and equal rights
.
In the European Parliament election, 2009
, the Green Party received 11.02 % and elected 2 MEPs
.
, the Green Party is affiliated with the Miljöpartister i Svenska kyrkan nominating group
, which participates in church elections at all levels. It currently holds several seats in the General Synod since the last elections in 2009.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The party was founded in 1981 emerging out of the movement opposing nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
in a referendum held in 1980. It won seats in the Parliament of Sweden
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
for the first time in 1988, failed to pass the 4% cutoff in the following election in 1991, but returned again in 1994 and has held seats since, getting around 5% in every election. In the election in 2010 they got 7.34%, making them the third biggest party in Sweden. Currently, the party garners the most support among the young, female, urban, educated, public employed demographics.
Ideology
The Green Party builds its ideology on the three solidarities: with animals, nature and the ecological system; with future generations; with all the world's people. The party took a stand against membership in the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and wanted a new referendum on the issue, though this policy was abolished in a September 2008 internal party referendum. However, the party remains predominantly EU-critical. The Greens support a phasing-out of nuclear energy in Sweden and hope to replace it with alternative, sustainable energy sources. The party further supports a general shift in taxation policy, towards high taxes on environmentally unfriendly or unsustainable products and activities, hoping to thus influence people's behavior towards the more sustainable. The Green Party was the first political party in Sweden to raise the issue of climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
Party spokespersons
The party does not have a formalized leadership, instead having chosen a system with two party spokespersons (always one male and one female as a promotion of gendermanderingGender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
). The current spokespersons are Gustav Fridolin
Gustav Fridolin
Per Gustav Edvard Fridolin is a Swedish Green Party politician. He is a member of the Swedish parliament since the 2010 election, representing the Skåne County North and East constituency.- Biography :...
and Åsa Romson
Åsa Romson
Åsa Elisabeth Romson is a Swedish Green Party politician. She is amember of the Swedish parliament since the2010 election....
.
The party has 25 seats in the parliament and has seats in the municipal council of most municipalities.
Electoral politics
It is often believed that the party is situated on the left on a left-right scale due to its cooperation with the social democrats. While the right-left scale is primly based on which social group a party has its support base in, the Green Party bases its ideology on the idea of human race survival – which not is an idea belonging to a particular social group. The party cooperated in a red-green coalition with the center-left Social Democrats and the left-wing Left Party from October 2008 until the 2010 elections in September 2010 and has vowed to cooperate with the Socialdemocrats until 2020. In several municipalities, however, the Greens cooperate with liberal parties, and the party does not define itself as left, nor right. Rather, they place themselves on one end of a scale between sustainability and growth. In an article published in 2009, Maria Wetterstrand, then party co-spokesperson, defined the party as a natural home also for green-minded social liberalsSocial liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
and libertarian socialists
Libertarian socialism
Libertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that promote a non-hierarchical, non-bureaucratic, stateless society without private property in the means of production...
, by referring to its liberal policy regarding immigration and its support of personal integrity, participation and entrepreneurship, among other issues.
, the party is in opposition in Sweden, and its prioritized issues are climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, anti-discrimination and equal rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
.
In the European Parliament election, 2009
European Parliament election, 2009 (Sweden)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Sweden was held on 7 June 2009 and determined the makeup of the Swedish delegation to the European Parliament. The election was held using a modified form of the Sainte-Laguë method of party-list proportional representation using the entire country as a...
, the Green Party received 11.02 % and elected 2 MEPs
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
.
Church politics
In the Church of SwedenChurch of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
, the Green Party is affiliated with the Miljöpartister i Svenska kyrkan nominating group
Nominating groups
Nominating groups is the name given to political parties and other outfits that take part in the elections to the various governing bodies of the Church of Sweden....
, which participates in church elections at all levels. It currently holds several seats in the General Synod since the last elections in 2009.
Relationship with other parties
The Green Party has a good relationship with the Social Democrats, and to a lesser extent, with the Left Party. The party does not rule out participation in a government with the minor liberal and center-right parties in Sweden, but has made it clear that its members will not support a government led by the Moderate Party. However, historically there has been political deals concluded with the parties forming the non-socialist Alliance, as an example concering education, and co-operation on municipal level are in fact relatively frequent.See also
- Elections in SwedenElections in SwedenElections in the Kingdom of Sweden are held every four years, and determine the makeup of the legislative bodies on the three levels of administrative division in the country. At the highest level, these elections determine the allocation of seats in the Riksdag, the national legislative body of...
- Green politicsGreen politicsGreen politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
- Green Youth (Sweden)Green Youth (Sweden)The Young Greens of Sweden is the youth wing of the Swedish Green Party . GU does not have a program of its own, and is unique among Swedish political youth organizations by following the program and policies of the mother party....
- List of environmental organizations
- Referendums in SwedenReferendums in SwedenSince the introduction of parliamentarism in Sweden, six referendums have been held. The constitution of 1974 provides for binding referendums. However, none of the referendums held have been binding but rather have been of an advisory and consultative nature and not formally binding on the...
- Worldwide green partiesWorldwide green partiesA Green party or ecologist party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of Green politics. These principles usually include social justice, reliance on grassroots democracy, nonviolence, and an emphasis on environmentalism...