1921 Swedish general election

Early general elections were held in Sweden between 10 and 26 September 1921. In the first elections held under universal suffrage, the Swedish Social Democratic Party remained the largest party, winning 93 of the 230 seats in the Second Chamber of the Riksdag. Party leader Hjalmar Branting formed his second government.

1921 Swedish general election

10 September 1921
All 230 seats in the Riksdag
First party Second party Third party   Leader Hjalmar Branting Arvid Lindman Raoul Hamilton Party Social Democrats Electoral League Free-minded Last election 75 71 47 Seats won 93 62 41 Seat change 18 9 6 Popular vote 630,855 449,302 325,608 Percentage 36.22% 25.79% 18.69%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Johan Andersson Karl Kilbom Ivar Vennerström Party Farmers' League Communist SSV Last election 30 7 – Seats won 21 7 6 Seat change 9 0 New Popular vote 192,269 80,355 56,241 Percentage 11.04% 4.61% 3.23%
Largest bloc and seats won by constituency
Prime Minister before election Oscar von Sydow Independent PM-elect Hjalmar Branting Social Democrats

Background

Before the elections in 1921, the Social Democratic Left Party of Sweden accepted Lenin's April Theses. It was renamed the Communist Party of Sweden, whilst a breakaway faction of some 6,000 socialists who had been excluded by the communists as non-revolutionary elements kept the previous name.

Electoral system

Examples of ballot papers used for election

In 1921, 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.

It signified the five first women MPs to be elected to the Swedish Parliament after the women suffrage of 1919, with Kerstin Hesselgren in the Upper chamber, and Nelly Thüring (Social Democrat), Agda Östlund (Social Democrat) Elisabeth Tamm (liberal) and Bertha Wellin (Conservative) in the Lower chamber.

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.

Results

Main article: Results of the 1921 Swedish general election

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Swedish Social Democratic Party	630,855	36.22	93	+18
	General Electoral League	449,302	25.79	62	–9
	Free-minded National Association	325,608	18.69	41	–6
	Farmers' League	192,269	11.04	21	–9
	Communist Party	80,355	4.61	7	0
	Social Democratic Left Party	56,241	3.23	6	New
	Other parties	7,322	0.42	0	0
Total		1,741,952	100.00	230	0
Valid votes		1,741,952	99.68
Invalid/blank votes		5,601	0.32
Total votes		1,747,553	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		3,222,917	54.22
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Aftermath

As a result of the election Prime Minister Oscar von Sydow resigned and was replaced by Hjalmar Branting who also became Foreign Minister of Sweden. Although the non-socialist parties held a majority in the second chamber, Branting was able to hold office through being the largest party and reaching cross-ideological consensus in the chamber. The centre-right majority took over the governing in 1923 under Ernst Trygger following a parliamentary loss for the Social Democrats over unemployment protection.

References

• Nordisk familjebok, (Owl edition), 2nd ed., Stockholm : Nordisk familjeboks förlags aktiebolag, 1904-1926 (in Swedish)