Party funding
Independent parties, free press and news media and the free formation of opinion are fundamental elements of democracy. The parties play an important democratic role as moulders of public opinion and provide the voters with different options, knowledge and opportunities to participate and take responsibility.
The political parties therefore receive public funding. Party funding from the state and the Riksdag is the main source of income for the political parties at the national level. It enables them to pursue their political activities on a long-term basis, without being dependent on various contributors. It is written into the law and is provided in various forms:
- the state provides funding for the general activities of the political parties;
- the Riksdag provides funding to the party groups and for the work of members of the Riksdag;
- municipalities and regions are also entitled, but not obliged, to give funding to the political parties.
It is, on the whole, up to the parties themselves to decide how the funds are to be used. There is no public supervision of how public funding is used.
SEK 528 million annually
The support from the state and the Riksdag amounts to approximately SEK 528 million annually. This support is the largest source of income for the political parties. Below you can read more about how the funding from the state and the Riksdag is allocated.
The state gives money to parties with and without seats in the Riksdag
The political parties both with and without seats in the Riksdag receive funding from the state for their general activities. The election results determine how much money the parties are granted.
For parties represented in the Riksdag, the number of seats determines the size of the contribution. Parties without seats in the Riksdag also receive contributions, provided that they have obtained at least 2.5 per cent of the votes in the whole country in either of the two latest parliamentary elections.
The contributions are given for general activities via the national party organisations. It is up to the parties themselves to decide how the funds are to be used, for example for canvassing, campaigns and pay, at the local or central level.
Distribution of state funding to the Riksdag parties
State funding to the parties represented in the Riksdag is distributed to the national party organisations. It consists of party assistance and office assistance.
- Party assistance is paid as a contribution per seat in the Riksdag, taking into consideration the election results in the two latest parliamentary elections. As of 15 October 2019, the party assistance amounts to SEK 324,704 per seat and year.
- Office assistance is paid to all parties represented in the Riksdag and consists of a basic contribution and a supplementary contribution. The basic contribution is about SEK 5.8 million per party. The supplementary contribution amounts to SEK 16,350 per seat for a party in government and SEK 24,300 for the remaining Riksdag parties.
The Act on State Funding to Political Parties (1972:625) (in Swedish)
The Riksdag gives funding for the activities of members of the Riksdag and the party groups
In addition to contributions from the state for the national party organisations, the parties in the Riksdag receive funding for the activities of members of the Riksdag and the party groups. The funding consists of:
- basic funding
- funding for political advisers for the members
- funding for the members' travel abroad
- funding for language training for members
The basic funding consists of a basic amount and a supplementary amount based on the number of members in the party group. The basic amount is set at SEK 2.4 million per year. A party group representing the Government is entitled to one basic amount, while other party groups are entitled to two times the basic amount. The supplementary amount consists of SEK 79,000 per member and year.
The funding for political advisers is intended to cover costs for administrative assistance for the members. It is up to each party individually to decide how the support is used. The funding corresponds to the costs for one political adviser per member, and the calculation is based on an amount of SEK 71,100 per political adviser and month. As mentioned, it is however up to the parties to distribute the money to create a secretariat that suits their particular needs and wishes.
Funding for travel abroad is paid to enable members of the Riksdag to participate in international conferences etc. The contribution is SEK 5,000 per member for the first twenty seats in the Riksdag and SEK 2,500 for all remaining seats. The party groups also receive a contribution of SEK 2,500 per year and member for travel connected with cooperation within the EEA.
Funding for language training is paid to enable members of the Riksdag to participate in language training. Since the 2018 elections, a contribution of SEK 2,000 per year is paid during the first two years after a general election for each member belonging to a party group.
The members and party secretariats also receive access to free premises and technical equipment in the Riksdag buildings. In other words, they do not need to use the party funding for these costs.