At stake in this election:

• 349 seats in the Parliament (Riksdag)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: King CARL XVI GUSTAF
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Goran PERSSON
• Assembly: Sweden has a unicameral Parliament (Riksdag) with 349 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The King is hereditary.
• Prime Minister is elected by parliament.
• In the Parliament (Riksdag) 349 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Social Democratic Party (SAP)
  • Leader: Göran PERSSON
  • Seats won in this election: 144
  • Seats won in last election: 131
• Party: Moderate (Conservative) Party (MS)
  • Leader: Bo LUNDGREN
  • Seats won in this election: 55
  • Seats won in last election: 82
• Party: Liberal People's Party (EP)
  • Leader: Lars LEIJONBORG
  • Seats won in this election: 48
  • Seats won in last election: 17
• Party: Christian Democrats (KD)
  • Leader: Alf SVENSSON
  • Seats won in this election: 33
  • Seats won in last election: 42
• Party: Left Party (VP)
  • Leader: Gudrun SCHYMAN
  • Seats won in this election: 30
  • Seats won in last election: 43
• Party: Centre Party (CP)
  • Leader: Maud OLOFSSON
  • Seats won in this election: 22
  • Seats won in last election: 18
• Party: Green Party (MPG)
  • Leader: Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON
  • Seats won in this election: 17
  • Seats won in last election: 16
• Party: Other Parties
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections last held on September 20, 1998.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 8,924,958 (2002)
• Registered Voters: 6,722,152 (2002)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population:4,508,841 (2002)

·         Is Sweden a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (7 March 1980)

·         Has Sweden ratified CEDAW: Yes (2 July 1980)

·         Gender Quota: No (there are some political parties that have adopted voluntary quotas)

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 158 (following the 2002 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 14 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Sweden a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Sweden ratified CRPD: Yes (15 December 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 1,338,743 (est.)