Strengthened constitutional preparedness (KU8)
Published:
The Riksdag and the Government will be given better preconditions for fulfilling their duties in the event of war and other difficult crises and to take necessary decisions based on law. The Riksdag voted in favour of adopting as a pending decision the Government’s proposals for amendments to the Instrument of Government and the Riksdag Act regarding the main provisions.
The Government’s proposals mean:
- the Riksdag will be given improved opportunities to meet;
- the Riksdag’s War Delegation will be retained for situations of war and danger of war, and the rules on delegation will be adjusted; Among other things, the Speaker will be given a role corresponding to that in the Riksdag. Furthermore, a member of the Riksdag who becomes a government minister will no longer be able to be a member of the War Delegation;
- new provisions on regulatory powers in situations of serious peacetime crisis will be introduced. According to the provisions, the Riksdag will be able, by qualified majority, to give the Government special powers to issue regulations if required in order to deal with a crisis situation. These powers can be revoked by the Riksdag at any time.
Since the proposal applies to amendments to the Constitution, the Riksdag is required to vote twice on the proposal with a parliamentary election in between. This is the first decision on the proposal. The Riksdag agreed to adopt the proposal as pending.
It is proposed that the amendments come into force on 1 January 2027.