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Sweden ‘world’s third most democratic country’

Sweden is the third most democratic country in the world, according to the latest edition of the Economist's Democracy Index.

Published: 9 January 2019 12:21 CET
Sweden 'world's third most democratic country'
People cast their ballots on voting day. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Only its Nordic neighbours Norway and Iceland scored higher in the ranking.

A total of 20 countries (home to only 4.5 percent of the global population) were judged to be 'fully democratic' while the rest of the 167 countries included in the survey were classed as 'flawed democracies'.

The index was based on the following categories: electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, democratic political culture and civil liberties. Overall, 2018 was the first time in three years that the overall score remained stable, with more countries improving their score than declining.

Sweden celebrated one century of democracy in 2018, and held a general election the same year. Turnout was up on the previous election, but the vote led to a very close result between the two major blocs. The country is still without a new government.

From the start of 2019, Sweden's electoral law was updated with a requirement that the area where ballot papers are located in a polling place must be hidden from view from other voters. This is in order to better guarantee voter secrecy, since Sweden's ballot papers have the name and logo of the chosen party on them.

The law change followed a report from international observers monitoring Sweden's election for the first time, which recommended improved secrecy as well as tighter rules on campaign funding.

IN DEPTH: How robust is Sweden's democracy? (Clue: not very)

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QURAN BURNINGS

Three ways Sweden could make it easier to stop Quran burnings

A new report recommends amending Sweden's Public Order Act to allow the police to prevent Quran burnings in the interest of national security.

Published: 5 July 2024 12:42 CEST
Three ways Sweden could make it easier to stop Quran burnings

The inquiry commission mandated by the Swedish government to look into whether applications for demonstrations with planned Quran burnings could be rejected on the grounds that they present a threat to national security presented its recommendations on July 5th.

The commission announced that Sweden’s Public Order Act could be amended to allow the police to prevent Quran burnings, citing national security concerns.

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The government set up the commission in response to violent protests in Muslim countries triggered by Quran burnings in Sweden in recent years.

These events included the storming of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in July 2023 and an increased terrorist threat against Sweden, prompting the authorities to investigate how the police could consider national security when deciding on permits for public gatherings, including demonstrations.

Commission recommendations

The investigation, led by Mattias Larsson, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) head, concluded that the laws could be adjusted to allow the police to factor in Sweden’s security without violating constitutional or European laws.

Its report (which you can read in full here) presented three potential approaches.

The first approach would allow the police to impose conditions on the time or place of the gathering or outright refuse permits if the event is likely to pose a significant threat to national security, such as acts of terrorism or crimes threatening Swedish interests abroad.

The second suggested that the police could set conditions other than timing or location to safeguard national security, such as banning specific acts during the demonstration, like burning books.

The third approach proposed amending the rules to give the police more power to set conditions for the time and place of the gathering without introducing new security considerations.

All three options aim to increase the ability to cancel a public gathering if necessary to protect life and health during the event. 

These legal changes are intended to take effect on July 1st, 2025, after a period of consultation.

The broader context

The move comes after Denmark passed legislation in December 2023 criminalising the “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts, effectively banning Quran burnings.

Despite this, Sweden’s Justice Minister, Gunnar Strömmer, has previously argued against following Denmark’s approach, emphasising the importance of free speech and existing laws against hate speech.

Strömmer’s stance reflects the Swedish government’s belief that a flat-out ban is unnecessary.

Instead, the focus has been on reviewing the Public Order Act to ensure that national security considerations can be integrated into decisions about demonstration permits.

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