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, which means Environmental Party the Greens), often called Miljöpartiet in Sweden, is a political group in Sweden. It focuses on green politics, which means caring for the environment and promoting a fair society.

The party started in 1981. This happened after a big discussion in 1980 about nuclear power (a way to make electricity). Many people were worried about the environment, and they felt that other political parties weren't doing enough.

In 1988, the Green Party won seats in the Swedish Parliament for the first time. This was a big deal because they were the first new party to get into parliament in 70 years! They got 5.5% of the votes. However, three years later, they didn't get enough votes to stay in parliament.

But in 1994, they returned to parliament and have been there ever since. The party has two main leaders, called spokespeople, always one man and one woman. Right now, these roles are held by Amanda Lind and Daniel Helldén.

From 2014 to 2021, the Green Party was part of the government led by the Social Democrats. This was the first time the Greens had ever been in government. They left the government when their budget plans didn't pass in parliament.

In the 2018 election, the Greens got 4.4% of the votes and 16 seats, making them the smallest party in the Riksdag. Even so, they managed to stay in the government for a while longer.

What the Green Party Believes In
How the Green Party is Organised
Current Status and Connections
How the Green Party Does in Elections
See also

What the Green Party Believes In

Core Ideas

The Green Party's main ideas are about being kind and fair to everyone and everything. They call this "solidarity," and it means:

Being kind to animals, nature, and the planet's environment.
Thinking about future generations and making sure the planet is healthy for them.
Being fair to all people around the world.

They believe that everything in society is connected. Their main ideas include:

Participatory democracy: Everyone should have a say in decisions.
Ecological wisdom: Understanding and respecting nature.
Social justice: Making sure everyone is treated fairly.
Children's rights: Protecting the rights of young people.
Circular economy: Reusing and recycling things instead of throwing them away.
Global justice: Fairness for people all over the world.
Nonviolence: Solving problems without fighting.
Equality and feminism: Everyone, no matter their gender, should be equal.
Animal rights: Protecting animals.
Self-reliance: Being able to take care of yourself and your community.
Freedom: People should be free to make their own choices.
Long-sightedness: Thinking about the long-term future, not just today.

The Green Party started from movements that cared about the environment, fairness, women's rights, and peace.

Climate Change and the Environment

The Green Party was the first political group in Sweden to talk about climate change. Fighting climate change is one of their most important goals. For example, they often suggest plans to spend money on climate solutions.

They want to change how taxes work. They believe that things that harm the environment should have higher taxes. This would encourage people to choose more eco-friendly products and activities.

Nuclear Power

The Green Party was created partly because people were against nuclear power. Their party platform says they don't want new nuclear power plants built in Sweden. They also don't want existing ones to produce more energy. Instead, they want to slowly stop using nuclear power as new, clean energy sources become available.

European Union (EU)

When the Green Party first started, they didn't want Sweden to join the European Union. They even wanted a new vote on whether Sweden should leave the EU. However, in 2008, they changed their minds and decided not to push for leaving the EU anymore.

Even so, they still believe that decisions should be made as locally as possible. They support international cooperation and want to see Europe as a place where people can move freely and countries can trade and work together.

Party Symbol

The Green Party's symbol is the dandelion.

How the Green Party is Organised

The Green Party is a bit different from other parties. They don't have just one leader. Instead, they have two spokespeople, one man and one woman. These spokespeople are chosen every year by the party's members. The current spokespersons are Märta Stenevi and Daniel Helldén.

The most important group in the Green Party is the party congress. This group is made up of people chosen from local Green Party groups. The congress makes the big decisions for the party. It also chooses the spokespeople and a party board. The party board makes decisions when the congress isn't meeting. There's also a party secretary who helps manage the party's daily work. The current party secretary is Katrin Wissing.

Current Status and Connections

Today, the Swedish Green Party has about 9,500 members. It's especially popular among young people and women.

Here are some groups 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 also part of the European Green Party, which connects green parties across Europe.

How the Green Party Does in Elections

The Green Party is often seen as being on the "left" side of politics because they have worked with the Social Democrats. They even formed a group called the Red-Greens with the Social Democrats and the Left Party for a while.

However, the Green Party doesn't see itself as strictly "left" or "right." They focus on a scale between "sustainability" (caring for the planet long-term) and "growth" (making the economy bigger). They believe their ideas can appeal to people with different political views, including those who care about personal freedom and new ideas.

Working with Other Parties

The Green Party generally gets along well with the Social Democrats and, to some extent, the Left Party. They are open to working with other parties too, even some that are more liberal or conservative.

When they first entered parliament, they sometimes worked with conservative parties against the Social Democrats. They have also made deals with other parties on things like education. In many local areas, the Green Party often works with more conservative parties.

Parliament (Riksdag) Results

The Green Party has had ups and downs in the Swedish Parliament. They first got seats in 1988, lost them in 1991, and then returned in 1994. Since then, they have always had representatives in parliament. Their highest number of seats was 25 in 2010 and 2014. In the 2022 election, they won 18 seats.

European Parliament Results

The Green Party also takes part in elections for the European Parliament. In 1995, they did very well, getting 17.2% of the votes and 4 seats. Their support has changed over the years, and in the 2019 election, they won 2 seats. After Brexit in 2020, they gained another seat, bringing their total to 3.

Green Party (Sweden) facts for kids

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