Green Party (Sweden) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Green Party Miljöpartiet de gröna
Abbreviation	MP
Spokespersons	Daniel Helldén Amanda Lind
Founded	20 September 1981; 43 years ago (1981-09-20)
Headquarters	Pustegränd 1-3, Stockholm
Youth wing	Young Greens
Membership (2020)	9,530
Ideology	Green politics Ecofeminism
Political position	Centre-left
European affiliation	European Green Party
International affiliation	Global Greens
European Parliament group	Greens–European Free Alliance
Nordic affiliation	Centre Group
Colours	Green
Riksdag	18 / 349
European Parliament	3 / 21
County councils	48 / 1,696
Municipal councils	395 / 12,700

The Green Party (Swedish: Miljöpartiet de gröna lit. Environmental Party the Greens, MP), commonly referred to as Miljöpartiet in Swedish, is a political party in Sweden based on green politics.

Sparked by the anti-nuclear power movement following the 1980 nuclear power referendum, the party was founded in 1981 out of a discontent with the existing parties' environmental policies. In 1988 general election they won seats in the Swedish Riksdag for the first time, capturing 5.5 percent of the vote, and becoming the first new party to enter parliament in seventy years. Three years later, they dropped back below the 4 percent threshold.

In 1994, they returned to parliament again and since have retained representation there. The party is represented nationally by two spokespeople, always one man and one woman. These roles are currently held by Amanda Lind and Daniel Helldén.

Between 3 October 2014 and 30 November 2021, the Green Party was a part of the Social Democratic led government. This was the first time the Greens have entered government in its history. The Greens left the government after the right-wing opposition parties' budget for 2022 was passed in the Riksdag, and the government's own budget failed to pass.

In the 2018 general election, the Greens received 4.4% of the vote and 16 seats, making the party the smallest in the Riksdag. Despite this, the party was still able to maintain its place in government.

Ideology

Fundamental principles

In their party platform, the Greens describe their ideology as being based on "a solidarity that can be expressed in three ways: solidarity with animals, nature, and the ecological system", "solidarity with coming generations", and "solidarity with all of the world's people". A Green analysis of society is based on a holistic view – everything is connected and interdependent.

The platform then describes these solidarities being expressed in "several fundamental ideas", these being participatory democracy, ecological wisdom, social justice, children's rights, circular economy, global justice, nonviolence, equality and feminism, animal rights, self-reliance and self-administration, freedom, and long-sightedness. The Swedish Green Party has its roots in the environmental, solidarity, women's rights and peace movements.

Climate change and the environment

The Green Party was the first political party in Sweden to raise the issue of climate change. Fighting climate change is a major policy issue for the party. For example, the party's main criticism of The Alliance's 2010 election manifesto was the "entirely astonishing" lack of effort in fighting climate change, and in 2013, the party announced a budget proposal that was dominated by a 49 billion kronor "climate package". The party supports a general shift in taxation policy, towards high taxes on environmentally unfriendly or unsustainable products and activities, hoping to thus influence people's behavior towards the more sustainable.

Nuclear power

The anti-nuclear movement was a major factor in the party's creation. The party's party platform reads that "we oppose the construction of new reactors in Sweden, or an increase in the output of existing reactors, and instead want to begin immediately phasing out nuclear power." MP Per Bolund clarified in 2010 that the party "does not propose shutting down nuclear power reactors today, but rather phasing them out as new and renewable electricity is phased in."

European integration

The party was initially opposed to membership in the European Union, and sought a new referendum on the issue. The party's EU-opposition captured them 17 percent of the votes in the 1995 European Parliament election, the first following Sweden’s EU accession. The Greens included withdrawal from the EU in their party platform as recently as 2006.

This policy was abolished in a September 2008 internal party referendum. However, the party remains somewhat Eurosceptic. The section of the party platform on the subject opens by citing how decentralization and making decisions as locally as reasonably possible is a central part of green politics. It continues to state that the Greens "are warm adherents to international cooperation. We want to see Europe as a part of a world of democracies, where people move freely over borders, and where people and countries trade and cooperate with each other."

Symbol

The Green Party's party symbol is the dandelion.

Leadership and organisation

The Greens, like many other green parties around the world, do not have a party leader in the traditional sense. The party is represented by two spokespeople, always one male and one female. The current spokespersons are Märta Stenevi and Daniel Helldén. The spokespeople are elected annually by the party congress, up to a maximum of nine consecutive one-year terms.

The party congress, consisting of elected representatives of all of the party's local groups, is the highest decision-making organ in the Green Party. The congress, in addition to the two spokespeople, also fills many other important posts in the party, including a party board (Swedish: partistyrelse), which is the party's highest decision-making authority between party congresses, and the day-to-day operation of the party's national organisation. The congress also elects a party secretary (Swedish: partisekreterare), who is an internal, organisational leader for the party. The current party secretary, initially elected by the 2021 party congress, is Katrin Wissing.

Spokespersons of the Green Party (1984–present)

Secretary-Generals (1985–present)

Current status

Currently, the Swedish Green Party has about 10 000 members, and is a popular party foremost among young people and women.

Organisations connected to the Swedish green party:

• The Young Greens of Sweden (Grön ungdom)
• The Green Students of Sweden (Gröna studenter)
• The Green seniors of Sweden (Gröna seniorer)

The Swedish Green party is part of the European Greens.

Electoral politics

It is often believed that the party is situated on the left on a left-right scale due to its co-operation with the Social Democratic Party. The party participated in a political and electoral coalition called the Red-Greens with the Social Democrats and Left Party from October 2008 until the 2010 general election in September 2010, and has vowed to co-operate with the Social Democrats until 2020. In several municipalities, however, the Greens cooperate with liberal and conservative parties, and the party does not define itself as left, nor right. Rather, they place themselves on one end of a scale between sustainability and growth. In an article published in 2009, Maria Wetterstrand, then party co-spokesperson, defined the party as a natural home also for green-minded social liberals and libertarian socialists, by referring to its liberal policy regarding immigration and its support of personal integrity, participation and entrepreneurship, among other issues.

Church politics

The party does not directly participate in elections to the Church of Sweden. However, Greens in the Church of Sweden, an independent nominating group, participates in church elections at all levels.

Relationship with other parties

The Green Party has a good relationship with the Social Democrats, and to a lesser extent, with the Left Party. The party does not rule out participation in a government with the minor liberal and centre-right parties in Sweden. The Green Party on first entering the Riksdag, allied with the Conservative Bloc in opposition to the Social Democrats. The Green Party has made clear that its preference among cooperative arrangements with the Conservative Bloc does not include support of a government led by the liberal-conservative Moderate Party. However, historically there have been political deals concluded with the parties forming the centre-right Alliance as an example concerning education. Co-operation with the Moderate Party on the municipal level are relatively frequent.

Membership

Electoral results

Parliament (Riksdag)

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Status
1982	91,787	1.7 (#7)	0 / 349		Extra-parliamentary
1985	83,645	1.5 (#7)	0 / 349		Extra-parliamentary
1988	296,935	5.5 (#6)	20 / 349	20	Opposition
1991	185,051	3.4 (#8)	0 / 349	20	Extra-parliamentary
1994	279,042	5.0 (#6)	18 / 349	18	Opposition
1998	236,699	4.5 (#7)	16 / 349	2	External support
2002	246,392	4.7 (#7)	17 / 349	1	External support
2006	291,121	5.2 (#7)	19 / 349	2	Opposition
2010	437,435	7.3 (#3)	25 / 349	6	Opposition
2014	408,365	6.8 (#4)	25 / 349	0	Coalition
2018	285,899	4.4 (#8)	16 / 349	9	Coalition (2018-2021)
					External support (2021-2022)
2022	329,242	5.1 (#7)	18 / 349	2	Opposition

Regional councils

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
1982	98,042	1.9	0 / 1,717
1985	104,166	2.0	0 / 1,733
1988	237,556	4.8	73 / 1,743	73
1991	156,594	3.1	34 / 1,763	39
1994	236,666	4.6	78 / 1,777	44
1998	226,398	4.4	70 / 1,646	8
2002	204,169	3.9	55 / 1,656	15
2006	256,547	4.74	68 / 1,656	13
2010	398,782	6.9	104 / 1,662	36
2014	442,760	7.2	106 / 1,678	2
2018	265,522	4.1	48 / 1,696	58
2022			31 / 1,696	17

Municipal councils

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
1982	91,842	1.6	129 / 13,500	129
1985	142,498	2.5	237 / 13,520	108
1988	302,797	5.6	693 / 13,564	456
1991	199,207	3.6	389 / 13,526	304
1994	298,044	5.3	616 / 13,550	230
1998	252,675	4.8	559 / 13,388	8
2002	227,189	4.2	443 / 13,274	116
2006	269,560	4.8	436 / 13,092	7
2010	418,362	7.1	686 / 12,978	250
2014	483,529	7.7	732 / 12,780	46
2018	301,825	4.6	395 / 12,700	337

European Parliament

Year	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
1995	462,092	17.2	4 / 22
1999	239,946	9.5	2 / 22	2
2004	149,603	6.0	1 / 19	1
2009 2011	349,114	11.0	2 / 18 2 / 20	1 0
2014	572,591	15.4	4 / 20	2
2019 2020	478,258	11.5	2 / 20 3 / 21	2 1

See also

In Spanish: Partido Verde (Suecia) para niños

• Elections in Sweden
• Green politics
• Green Youth (Sweden)
• List of environmental organizations
• Referendums in Sweden
• Worldwide green parties