The Speaker of the Riksdag is the presiding officer of the national unicamerallegislature in Sweden. The Riksdag underwent profound changes in 1867, when the medieval Riksdag of the Estates was abolished. The new form of the Riksdag included two elected chambers, each with its own speaker. Since the de facto introduction of parliamentarism in 1917, the Riksdag has properly functioned as the institution to which the Prime Minister and the Government are held accountable. In 1971 the institution was transformed into a unicameral legislature with 350 members, reduced to 349 in 1976 to avoid parliamentary deadlocks. Since 1975, in accordance with the Instrument of Government of 1974, it is the speaker and no longer the Monarch who appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister. The current speaker is Andreas Norlén, who has held the gavel since September 2018.
Duties of the speaker
The speaker is the head and presiding officer of the Riksdag, and is elected by the chamber as the first order of business when the Riksdag re-convenes following a general election. As such the speaker coordinates the work that takes place in the Riksdag. The office is mandated in the Swedish constitution and the duties of the office are set out on the Instrument of Government and the Riksdag Act. The speaker does not take part in the debates, nor does the speaker participate in the parliamentary committees. While the Speaker is one of the elected representatives of the Riksdag, the speaker is expected to remain unbiased and objective with regards to the political issues that are debated. The speaker has no vote in the Riksdag, but the incumbent could use their vote as a member of the Riksdag if a tie appears. The position of speaker is the second highest ranked public position in Sweden. In terms of protocol, the Monarch outranks the speaker since the Monarch is the head of state. However, since that position is hereditary a person cannot be elected to become the monarch. In turn, the Speaker nominally outranks the Prime Minister of Sweden, who since the 1974-75 reforms is the country's de jure and de facto chief executive.
Appointment and Dismissal of Prime Minister
One of the more important aspects of the work of the speaker is to head negotiations concerning the forming of a new government in case there is a shift of power after an election. The speaker can then dismiss a prime minister who is voted out of office, which happened for the first time on 25 September 2018. After the negotiations, the speaker proposes the new prime ministerial candidate to the chamber, and following a positive vote, the speaker signs the commission on behalf of the Riksdag. The Prime Minister appoints and dismisses their own cabinet ministers, forming the Government, without the involvement of the Speaker. In case of either a voluntary resignation or a vote of no confidence, the letter of resignation of a prime minister is handed to the speaker. In most other parliamentary systems, including other constitutional monarchies, these duties are instead handled by the head of state. Relieving the Swedish Monarch from exercise of political powers, although not the key objective from the outset, became nevertheless an important part on the constitutional reform in the 1970s.
Deputy speakers
The speaker is assisted by three deputy speakers who are also elected by the chamber. Traditionally, the second, third and fourth largest parties gets to name of one of their members for these offices. There is some disagreement whether the largest party or the leading party of the largest party bloc should hold the speakership. Unlike the speaker, the deputy speakers are not replaced by an alternate and remain members of the Riksdag with voting rights.
The Speaker chairs the Riksdag Board, which deliberates on the organisation of the work of the Riksdag, directs the work of the Riksdag Administration and decides upon matters of major significance concerning the international contacts programme.
