The assignment as a member of the Riksdag differs from an ordinary job. Members exercise their assignments around the clock, all year round and in various places. Here, the rules and procedures that apply to attendance, absence, leave and when a member of the Riksdag stops participating in the work of the Riksdag are described.
A clear difference compared to an ordinary job is that the members are given a mandate from the voters in connection with an election. Each member is then responsible for living up to the trust the voters have placed in him or her. At the next election the voters determine whether to renew this trust.
Attendance
The assignment of the members of the Riksdag is not limited to activities at the Riksdag, it is also exercised in other contexts, such as in their constituencies, in other places or abroad. This means that each member - usually together with his or her party - determines how to perform the assignment and what priorities to make.
Therefore, there are no formal requirements determining that members must always be present in the Riksdag, for example when there is a vote. Nor are there any general rules that a specific number of members must be present in the Chamber to enable the Riksdag to take a decision.
However, from 1 January 2022 onwards, members of the Riksdag may be obliged to return their pay in the case of a high rate of absence from votes.
This is the case if the member has been absent, without a valid reason, during two three-month periods during the same electoral period for at least 60 per cent of votes. In this case, the Speaker has to have informed the member in question of his or absence and of the obligation to return his or her pay after the first three-month period.
No register of attendance is taken at the meetings of the Chamber. The record of proceedings in the Chamber shows which members have spoken, but not which members were present without speaking. The records of committee meetings show which members have attended meetings of the parliamentary committees and the Committee on EU Affairs.
The Chamber takes breaks in its work during the summer, but the members do not have any holiday. During the weeks in which there is a break in the work of the Chamber, the members go on study trips and visit organisations, companies and authorities. Other important tasks include constituency work, meetings with voters and party work.
Leave
If a member is granted leave for at least one month, his or her duties shall be carried out by an alternate member. Alternate members are appointed by each party in connection with parliamentary elections. Members wishing to return from their leave may do so at any time, whereupon the alternate member's assignment ends. However, it is not possible for members to temporarily return to their assignment, for example, to participate in a meeting of the Chamber or a committee.
When members take leave, they do not receive a pay from the Riksdag.
Leave of absence
Members of the Riksdag can apply for, and in certain cases be granted absence for personal or other special reasons. Special reasons may, for example, include leave of absence for a public assignment, for example, as a state secretary or an international assignment. They are not permitted to take part-time leave of absence.
In the application for leave, the member describes his or her reasons for wanting to take leave. Decisions concerning applications for leave of absence for less than one month are taken by the Speaker, and otherwise by the Riksdag.
Parental leave
Members are entitled to take parental leave. Decisions concerning parental leave are taken by the Speaker.
Absence due to illness
A member who falls ill must report this to the Riksdag Administration. Decisions concerning absence due to illness are taken by the Speaker.
Time-out does not exist in law
The concept of "time-out" is sometimes used in the media and in everyday speech to describe a member who has stopped participating in the work of the Riksdag. However, the concept does not exist in any law, in the Riksdag Act or any other statutes, and is not used by the Riksdag.
A member who stops participating in the work of the Riksdag does not lose his or her assignment, but may, after a long period of absence, have to return his or her pay. At the following election, the voters determine whether the trust they have placed in this member is to be renewed.
In June 2019, the Riksdag Board appointed an inquiry which, among other things, is considering whether to introduce economic sanctions against members who do not participate in the work of the Riksdag. The inquiry presented its assignment in September 2020.
Review of certain matters relating to the work of the Riksdag on the page Current assignments (in Swedish)
When a member leaves his or her assignment or party
Members can only leave their assignment in advance with the consent of the Riksdag. Members may also be forced to leave their assignment if they have proved themselves manifestly unfit by committing an offence. Such decisions are made by a court.
Members can leave their party but remain members of the Riksdag without a party designation. They are then referred to as independent members of the Riksdag. A member who leaves his or her party group thus also leaves assignments in committees and other Riksdag bodies, for example Riksdag boards, to which the member has been elected by the Chamber.
Pairing
Pairing means that one or more members abstain from a particular vote in the Chamber in order to compensate for the absence of members from other parties. An absent member from one party is then "paired" against a member from another party who abstains from voting.
Pairing is an agreement between the parties in the Riksdag.
Applicable rules
The rules that apply to leave, attendance and absence are set out in the following laws and regulations (in Swedish):