Response to interpellation 2023/24:55 on non-citizens' voting rights in Swedish elections
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
I believe that foreign citizens have had the right to vote in municipal and regional elections since 1976 and that the regulation corresponds to those of the Nordic neighboring countries 1. I believe it is reasonable to distinguish between national affairs, where citizenship is a prerequisite, and local issues where persons with a strong connection have a legitimate claim to influence 1. I see participation in local decisions as an important way into society 2. I believe it is reasonable to raise the requirements for citizenship, safeguard the exclusivity of national voting rights 3, as well as introduce a possibility to review a citizenship 4. SD believes that the waiting period for citizenship should be increased to eight years with requirements for livelihood, conduct, language skills, and social studies 5. SD argues that foreign citizens should not have power over political governance and that the right to vote should be exclusively for Swedish citizens because a country is shaped by its population 6 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)
Madam Speaker! Pontus Andersson Garpvall has asked the Minister for Civil Affairs about the government and he intends to remove non-citizens' possibility to vote in municipal and regional elections.
The work within the government is distributed in such a way that it is I who shall answer the interpellation.
First, a brief background: We can state that foreign citizens have had the right to vote in elections to municipal and regional councils since 1976. Citizens of any of the EU's member states and citizens of Iceland and Norway have the right to vote in these elections under the same conditions as Swedish citizens. Other foreign citizens must have been registered in the population register in Sweden for at least three consecutive years before election day and are thus covered by a so-called three-year rule. In elections to the Riksdag, however, it applies that only Swedish citizens have the right to vote.
The question of the voting rights of foreign citizens in municipal and regional elections has been the subject of evaluation and consideration by several parliamentary committees. The Constitutional Commission considered in its report from 2008 whether the so-called three-year rule should be abolished but judged that it should remain.
Furthermore, it can be said that the Swedish regulation corresponds to that which exists in our Nordic neighboring countries. It is based on what I consider to be a sound basic principle, namely that there are reasons to distinguish between, on the one hand, local and regional matters and issues, where everyone who has a sufficiently strong connection to the municipality or region where they live has an entitled claim to political influence, and on the other hand, national matters, where citizenship is the principled prerequisite for direct political influence over societal development.
In this context, it can also be mentioned that Sweden has entered into various international obligations that are significant for this issue. When it comes to citizens of other EU countries, according to the EU treaties, every union citizen who is resident in a member state where the person is not a citizen shall have the right to vote and be eligible for election in municipal elections on the same terms as the citizens of that state. And when it comes to other foreign citizens, Sweden has ratified the Council of Europe's convention on the participation of foreigners in community life at the local level, according to which foreign citizens shall have the right to vote and stand for election in municipal elections.
The question of the right to vote in municipal and regional elections has been anchored in broad parliamentary consensus over the years. In view of this and our international obligations, I have no intention of taking any initiatives in this area.
Pontus Andersson Garpvall (SD)
Madam Speaker! The Government and the Sweden Democrats have signaled that Swedish citizenship shall be strengthened. In order to do this, a number of measures have been presented to make it more difficult to become a Swedish citizen.
The period of residency in Sweden shall be extended from five to at least eight years, one shall have self-sufficiency and honest conduct, one shall be unconvicted and not least there shall be requirements for knowledge in both Swedish and social studies.
But the question is not only about qualifying for citizenship but also about what benefits come with a citizenship. One will have to qualify for parts of the welfare. The old expression that Sweden is the whole world's social service will become a mere memory with the new government.
Citizenship shall also be able to be revoked for those who have committed system-threatening crime or whose citizenship was granted on incorrect grounds.
Madam Speaker! It is with pleasure that we Sweden Democrats see how our party and the government are step by step introducing measures that will take Sweden in the right direction.
Despite the fact that the Tidö Agreement goes far in terms of strengthening the importance of citizenship, there are still many policy areas where the government and the Sverigedemokraterna are not in agreement. One of these issues is precisely the voting rights of non-citizens in Swedish elections. Today, it is sufficient to have been folkbokförd in a municipality in Sweden for three consecutive years before election day to have the right to vote in municipal and regional elections. In other words, people who immigrated to Sweden this summer will, at the election in the autumn of 2026, have a vote in municipal and regional elections that is just as much worth as a Swedish citizen's.
We consider this to be a fundamentally important issue, not least because it is Swedes who shall decide Sweden's future. In the election to the Riksdag, it is precisely only Swedish citizens who have the right to vote, and so should it be in elections to municipalities and regions. It is in my opinion not reasonable that persons who lack citizenship should be involved in deciding whether people who are in Sweden illegally shall receive social assistance, whether mosques shall be allowed to be built, or whether grants to Islamist study associations shall be provided.
My view is that today's system damages trust in the democratic system. The Government and the Sweden Democrats are, as stated, in agreement that one must qualify for parts of the welfare system. My view is that one should also have to qualify to fully participate in our democratic system.
Madam Speaker! In order to have the right to vote in municipal and regional elections, the only requirement is that one must have been folkbokförd in a Swedish municipality for three years before election day. Three years is a short time. According to SCB, only just over half of immigrants have jobs after ten years in Sweden. For 20 percent of the participants at SFI, it takes over three years to pass the first course. These persons would not qualify for Swedish citizenship when we make it harder for people to become citizens in Sweden. But according to the government, it is reasonable that these persons have the right to vote in municipal and regional elections in the same way as Swedish citizens.
I would therefore like to ask the Minister for Justice the following: Does the government intend to review how we have implemented the international obligations and conventions that Sweden has entered into regarding the participation of foreigners, in order to thereby remove non-citizens' possibility to vote in Swedish elections?
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Madam Speaker! It is a problem that foreign citizens who have not formally become members of the Swedish community are allowed to exercise political power in Sweden. That is exactly what one does when one votes in municipal and regional elections; one exercises political power.
That foreign citizens are allowed to vote is risky in our time. The Islamist party Nyans had its strongest footholds precisely in those areas where many foreign citizens with a Muslim background live. It is risky that people who often cannot speak the Swedish language and do not get to take part in a lot of information about societal developments are allowed to vote in Sweden, given that they can be manipulated. It is a risk that people who often do not feel a loyalty towards Swedish society are allowed to influence society by voting in municipal and regional elections.
The concept of democracy means roughly rule by the people. To be part of the people who rule must at least mean a citizenship. It cannot be that anyone can come to Sweden and influence our political choices. It cannot be a human right to manipulate Swedish elections.
Becoming a Swedish citizen means that one fully receives the rights and obligations that come with citizenship. Political exercise is one of the heaviest rights one can have as a part of society. A heavy responsibility should accompany the right to vote. In that case, it is strange that one is allowed to vote even before one has become a citizen.
Madam Speaker! It cannot be right that a person who does not see themselves as a part of this country should be allowed to vote in municipal and regional elections. What is the argument for allowing such a regulatory framework regarding the right to vote?
Citizenship must entail a certain exclusivity and community. We are talking about Swedish citizens and not about world citizens. Where is the community if even foreign citizens can vote in our municipal and regional elections and influence our Swedish community? A citizen often has a long-term and stable connection to Sweden. This means that one might perhaps think of one's children and grandchildren when voting. One might perhaps think about what lies in the nation's interest. It is difficult to elevate the common good when voting if one is not a part of the common good through citizenship.
The arguments for that the right to vote should be restricted to only apply to Swedish citizens are many. But the most important argument is perhaps that we have certain parties in this country that use foreigners who live in cultural exclusion to increase their vote numbers. It cannot be fair that certain parties use the political power of foreign citizens in Sweden to be able to decide over Swedish citizens. It is not foreign citizens who should decide in Sweden. It is Swedish citizens who shall decide over this country.
Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the opportunity to discuss these important issues this evening.
When it comes to the significance of citizenship, I truly agree with both the interpellant and the co-debater regarding the importance of strengthening the value of citizenship, and that for a number of different reasons. It is about the value of citizenship in itself, but also about the symbolic significance of citizenship for a society. This is now also happening in different ways, both when it comes to period of residence and when it comes to the requirements that shall be imposed on the person who is to become a citizen. It concerns everything from conduct to knowledge about Swedish society.
Already today, certain rights are included with citizenship that are exclusive to citizenship. The right to vote in national elections undoubtedly belongs there. To have different trust roles in society, to sit in a government, to sit in the Riksdag, to be a military member, police officer or judge are trust roles in society that can only come into question for those who are citizens, and it is a very reasonable order.
When it comes to local political influence, it is not that Sweden stands out in any way. We can, for example, lean on our Nordic neighbors and say that it is a Nordic model to distinguish between, on one hand, national politics, where foreign and security policy are located and where the entire legislative power lies, and on the other hand, issues concerning existence as a member of the local community.
Some of these obligations we will not get around. Our EU membership is based, for example, on the fact that each of us participating in this debate tonight who moves to another EU country will not be able to vote in national elections but rather in the local elections where we live and work. There are also Nordic countries that are not members of the EU which are part of this community, and I think that fundamentally is a reasonable arrangement.
There is no doubt that there are people living in our society who do not want to be a part of our society. One could also imagine people who do not want Sweden well. But I also think that one should see all people who want to be a part of our society, where also the opportunity for participation in decision-making and matters concerning citizens locally is an important way into Swedish society.
If one looks at different countries, one sees different aspects of how they also handle this influence. And one can absolutely discuss exactly how this model should look. But when we discuss the principled question, I mean that we are in a Nordic tradition and in a Nordic community where we have distinguished between, on one hand, national affairs that are exclusive to citizens and, on the other hand, that after a period of time, one can let people in to become involved in the local community in decisions that specifically affect people locally but which are not decisive for the country Sweden's path forward.
Pontus Andersson Garpvall (SD)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer. As is known, I do not agree with the Moderaterna and the Minister for Justice in their position. My view is that it is simply not interesting how our neighboring countries act in the matter or which conventions would in any way bind us to this position, except possibly the EU issue where we are somewhat more bound given our EU membership.
Non-citizens' opportunity to vote in Swedish elections comes from a different time - 1976, when Sweden looked completely different than it does now. The foreigners who lived in Sweden then were to a large extent people who came to Sweden solely to work. Most were in that way already fully involved in social life, and then perhaps there were good arguments for them to have something to say about in local democracy.
But society has, as is well known, changed. Ahead of the 2022 election, for example, a Social Democratic Member of Parliament with strong links to Hamas appeared in a video on social media where, in his native language, he trumpeted calls to his compatriots to vote for the Social Democrats. He clearly emphasized in the video that one does not need to be a Swedish citizen to do this.
When one sees these large demonstrations in Sweden in support of Hamas, where anti-Semitic chants are sung, one can imagine that many of these people are not citizens of Sweden. Nevertheless, many of them have the right to vote in Swedish elections. Many of those who participated in the Quran riots were not Swedish citizens but will be allowed to vote in our elections. In municipalities where many registered residents lack Swedish citizenship, such as Botkyrka and Landskrona, Nyans was elected to the municipal council. In Malmö, the party was only a few hundred votes away from succeeding in the same thing.
Madam Speaker! I do not think this is what the politicians wanted in 1976 when the possibility for foreigners to vote in Swedish elections was introduced. And I am sorry, but I actually cannot understand the government's position here. The government and the Sweden Democrats are, as said, in agreement on very much when it comes to the importance of citizenship, but I raise this issue precisely because I think the government has landed very wrongly. I also cannot imagine that the government's voters are cheering over this decision.
What I do, however, believe the voters are positive about is what we agree on within the Tidö Agreement, so I will take it one more time. The residency period to obtain citizenship in Sweden shall be increased from five years to eight years. One must have self-sufficiency and demonstrate honest conduct. One must be unconvicted, and one must have knowledge of Swedish and social studies to become a citizen. That is good. One must qualify for the welfare. It must also be possible to take citizenship away from those who have committed system-threatening crime or received it on false grounds.
Are there any other measures that the government could consider taking to strengthen the significance of Swedish citizenship?
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Madam Speaker! We have now put behind us a summer during which many here in Sweden have witnessed how antagonistic actors view our rights and freedoms in Sweden. They see them as tools they can use to influence the country in a destabilizing direction. This does not only concern freedom of expression but also other freedoms and rights that affect the country – for example, the right to vote in municipal and regional elections.
We already know that many mosques are financed by foreign powers, and there are institutions and foundations in Sweden that are financed by foreign powers. They could mobilize foreign citizens, often through pressure, to vote in a certain way. It is a risk, and it is a risk we do not need.
The world is not as it used to be. Sweden is today a country that has enemies - unfortunately. At the same time, we have many foreign citizens who time and again show loyalty to countries and actors other than Sweden. The celebrations after Hamas's terror attacks against Israel are one example, and Quran riots are another example.
Foreign citizens should not have power over the political governance in this country. If one wants political power and to be able to vote, one must learn the Swedish language, learn more about Swedish society and be granted a citizenship. That is what is fair, and that is how it should go. There is no reason to let foreigners influence Sweden before they have become citizens.
Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)
Madam Speaker! To begin with, I think it is extremely important to strengthen the position and significance of Swedish citizenship. We do not do this in a vacuum, but we do it to a large extent by seeing what other countries, which we normally lean on, do. This applies in particular to the Nordic community, and it applies to the European community. By looking at how other countries do it, we get guidance in our own choices of path.
That is why it is reasonable that it should take longer before one can become a Swedish citizen, in line with how it looks in comparable countries. That is why it is reasonable to raise the requirements one must meet to become a Swedish citizen. This applies to everything from the integrity check to knowledge of the Swedish language and about Swedish society. It is also why it is reasonable to safeguard the exclusivity of citizenship, the right to vote in national elections, various positions of trust in society, etcetera.
When it comes to the problems that have been raised and that we have seen in our society – from Quran riots to, more recently, demonstrations where people support terrorist organizations, convey anti-Semitic messages, or spread misconceptions about Swedish social services – all such things are intended to increase insecurity in our country and undermine national security. But it is also such things that we shall attack in other ways; it could form the basis for or be part of the assessment when it comes to, for example, misconduct before a citizenship. It is also such things that in some parts are already illegal today and should lead to prosecution and punishment.
I want to emphasize that the historical distinction between the national and the local means that citizenship exclusively handles, for example, the national legislation. But it is also the case that the government's position in the matter is not unique in any way. To begin with, this is the basic agreement that has applied to Swedish society for nearly 50 years, and it is a basic agreement that applies to other Nordic countries. It is also a starting point in the European community that we will not get away with unless we leave the European community, and I believe that perhaps still does not lie in the cards in tonight's debate.
People who are citizens of other EU countries and live in Sweden have a right, according to our EU treaties, to participate municipally and regionally in the democratic conversation and, through their right to vote, to be involved and take responsibility for the local community they live in. It is a right that also applies to Swedish citizens if we settle in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, or whichever country it may be.
Furthermore, in our determination to push back both crime and other activities aimed at undermining values we hold high in our country, we must also remember that very many people who come to our country want to become a part of Swedish society. We have a much more restrictive migration policy now, which we agree that we shall have, and in the future we can assume that fewer people than today will be judged to have the right to stay in Sweden. But once we have made the assessment that someone has the right to be in Sweden, we also have a strong interest in that person entering our society. Being able to participate in the decision-making that takes place locally then has a great value both for the individual people and for Sweden as a society.
I believe that the basic model, where we strengthen the importance of citizenship and safeguard national decision-making as a part of citizenship but still have the possibility to let in people who have the right to stay in Sweden in local decision-making, is a balanced model that has a lot of proven experience behind it.
Pontus Andersson Garpvall (SD)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer. In my view, the starting point must be that it is Swedes and those who want to be a part of Swedish society who shall decide Sweden's future.
The democracy we have in Sweden is nothing we can take for granted. We Swedes did not receive it as a gift after a three-year wait; rather, it was won through centuries of struggle for freedom and popular rule. Sweden became what Sweden is through the Swedish people's striving. It was our ancestors who toiled in the fields, in the factories, and in the homes, and who demanded and finally received democracy, freedom of speech, and all other freedoms we take for granted today.
A country is shaped by its population and nothing else. That Sweden is the fantastic country it is today is due to the Swedes' collective choices historically. Sweden has been so poor that a fifth of the inhabitants left the country for the other side of the sea and went to the USA. Those who stayed behind chose hard work over a loser mentality, secularism over religious oppression, and democratic reforms over revolution.
A country is shaped by its population, and when the population changes, we must keep our eyes open. My view is that it is now more important than ever that the right to vote should be exclusively for Swedish citizens. I can only regret that the government does not agree on this issue.
Justitieministern Gunnar Strömmer (M)
Madam Speaker! For my part, I think it is extraordinarily important to strengthen the significance of citizenship. This has been one of the fundamental chords for tonight's debate.
There are many reasons for this. It is particularly significant for a society that the recognition inherent in citizenship presupposes that one meets high standards. Having a longer period of residence or a longer residency requirement than what we have today is very reasonable in that light. Setting high requirements for knowledge of the Swedish language and of Swedish society is also very reasonable from that starting point. Having high standards for conduct, i.e., for an honest way of life, is also very reasonable from that perspective.
It is also very reasonable to introduce a possibility to review a citizenship. There, Sweden stands out in an international comparison. Not being able to review a citizenship in a situation where someone has provided incorrect information or has bribed their way to a citizenship - or for that matter if someone has committed a very serious crime, for example a terror crime directed against Sweden - is liable to undermine the value of the citizenship.
It is also very important and correct that certain rights are exclusive to citizens. This applies to the right to vote in national elections and the influence over Swedish legislation, Swedish foreign and security policy, and economic policy, i.e., matters concerning our entire society. It also applies to certain positions of trust in society, ranging from national political positions of trust to roles as judges, military, or police.
But it is also the case that we have a strong interest in that people who are judged to have the right to stay in Sweden gradually enter our society. Being able to offer participation in local decision-making is, in my opinion, a part of this. There we have a long tradition in Sweden, if we are to speak of Swedish tradition. There is also a long Nordic tradition, if we are to speak of the Nordic context. I feel secure in that this is an experience that we can lean on even as we look forward.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.