Swedish general election, 1921
Encyclopedia
The Swedish general election held in 1921 , was the General election to the second chamber of the Swedish Riksdag
, and the first fully democratically elected Parliament
of Sweden
. The Social Democratic Party with leader Hjalmar Branting
formed its second government.
In 1921, a universal and equal suffrage
was introduced for men and women alike, and the Riksdag finally achieved a system of democratic representation for all citizens who were at least 23 years old on election day. Nevertheless, it was still possible, even after 1921, to exclude certain groups from the right to vote. An example was individuals who had been declared incapable of managing their own affairs by a court of law. This limitation of the franchise disappeared only in 1989 when the Riksdag abolished incapacitation.
Alongside the universal franchise reform, a parliamentary system of government developed and gained acceptance, implying that the government requires the Riksdag's confidence and support for all major decisions. As of 1921, all major treaties with foreign states had to be approved by the Riksdag, and the two chambers of the Riksdag now elected their own Speakers
along with two deputy speakers each.
Before the elections in 1921, the Social Democrat Left Party
accepted Lenin's April Theses
, and accordingly split in two parties: the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Left Party
- a party which was formed by some 6,000 socialists who had been excluded by the communists as non-revolutionary elements.
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
, and the first fully democratically elected Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The Social Democratic Party with leader Hjalmar Branting
Hjalmar Branting
was a Swedish politician. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party , and Prime Minister during three separate periods . When Branting came to power in 1920, he was the first Social Democratic Prime Minister of Sweden...
formed its second government.
In 1921, a universal and equal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
was introduced for men and women alike, and the Riksdag finally achieved a system of democratic representation for all citizens who were at least 23 years old on election day. Nevertheless, it was still possible, even after 1921, to exclude certain groups from the right to vote. An example was individuals who had been declared incapable of managing their own affairs by a court of law. This limitation of the franchise disappeared only in 1989 when the Riksdag abolished incapacitation.
Alongside the universal franchise reform, a parliamentary system of government developed and gained acceptance, implying that the government requires the Riksdag's confidence and support for all major decisions. As of 1921, all major treaties with foreign states had to be approved by the Riksdag, and the two chambers of the Riksdag now elected their own Speakers
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
along with two deputy speakers each.
| Party | Leader | Votes | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | ± % | Number | ± | |||
| Social Democrats | Hjalmar Branting Hjalmar Branting was a Swedish politician. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party , and Prime Minister during three separate periods . When Branting came to power in 1920, he was the first Social Democratic Prime Minister of Sweden... |
630,855 | 39.4 | +0.1 | 93 | +18 | |
| General Electoral League Moderate Party The Moderate Party is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1904 as the General Electoral League by a group of conservatives in the Swedish parliament... |
Arvid Lindman Arvid Lindman Salomon Arvid Achates Lindman was a Swedish Rear Admiral, Industrialist and conservative politician... |
449 302 | 25.8 | -2.1 | 62 | ? | |
| Liberal Liberal People's Party (Sweden) The Liberal People's Party is a political party in Sweden. The party advocates social liberalism and is part of the governing centre-right coalition The Alliance, which achieved a majority in the general election of 17 September 2006... |
Nils Edén Nils Edén Nils Edén was a Swedish historian and liberal politician, Prime Minister of Sweden 1917–1920, and along with Hjalmar Branting acknowledged as co-architect of Sweden's transition from quasi-absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy with equal male and female suffrage.Edén was born in... |
325 608 | 19.1 | -2.7 | 41 | -6 | |
| Farmers' League | Johan Andersson | 192 269 | 11.1 | -3.1 | 21 | ? | |
| Social Democratic Left Social Democratic Left Party of Sweden (1921) Social Democratic Left Party of Sweden was a political party formed in 1921, after a split from the main SSV.When the original SSV approved the 21 thesis of the Communist International and thus changing name to SKP in 1921, an anti-ComIntern minority were expelled and founded their own "SSV".... |
Ivar Vennerström Ivar Vennerström Ivar Teodor Vennerström was a Swedish Social Democratic politician, member of the Riksdag 1915 - 1936. Vennerström joined the left opposition of the Swedish Social Democratic Party in the split of 1917, and initially supported the Bolshevik revolution in Russia... |
56,241 | 2.2 | +2.2 | 6 | +6 | |
| Communist Left Party (Sweden) The Left Party is a socialist and feminist political party in Sweden, from 1967 to 1990 known as the Left Party – The Communists .On welfare issues, the party opposes privatizations... |
Zeth Höglund Zeth Höglund Carl Zeth "Zäta" Konstantin Höglund was a leading Swedish communist politician, anti-militarist, author, journalist and mayor of Stockholm .... |
80,355 | 2.4 | -0.8 | 7 | ? | |
| No. of valid votes | ? | 100.0 | 230 | ||||
| Invalid votes | ? | ||||||
| Total | 1,747,553 (54.2%) |
||||||
Before the elections in 1921, the Social Democrat Left Party
Left Party (Sweden)
The Left Party is a socialist and feminist political party in Sweden, from 1967 to 1990 known as the Left Party – The Communists .On welfare issues, the party opposes privatizations...
accepted Lenin's April Theses
Lenin's April Theses
The April Theses were a series of directives issued by the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin upon his return to Petrograd , Russia from his exile in Switzerland. The Theses were mostly aimed at fellow Bolsheviks in Russia and returning to Russia from exile...
, and accordingly split in two parties: the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Left Party
Social Democratic Left Party of Sweden (1921)
Social Democratic Left Party of Sweden was a political party formed in 1921, after a split from the main SSV.When the original SSV approved the 21 thesis of the Communist International and thus changing name to SKP in 1921, an anti-ComIntern minority were expelled and founded their own "SSV"....
- a party which was formed by some 6,000 socialists who had been excluded by the communists as non-revolutionary elements.