Opening of Parliament, Riksdagen 2003-2024


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Why does the Opening of Parliament take place now and not when there is a new Government? Doesn't make much sense when the Prime Minster make a speech in Parliament when nobody knows how long she will remain in office.

The Prime Minister didn't give a speech at the Opening of the Riksdag. At the request if the Speaker, H.M. The King declared the 2022/23 Riksdag session open. The ceremony also included songs and music by Susanna Stern and the Adolf Fredrik's Girls' Choir and musicians from the Band of the Swedish Navy.

TT Nyhetsbyrån gallery

Silvia ger talmannen andreas Norlén nobben _*Svensk Dam

The King reminisced at his speech January 11, 1974, then the first time he opened the Riksdag.
The King said at his speech among other things
"Now we face new trials. Many big and serious issues must be resolved. The development is uncertain: security policy, economic, environmental."
"In the coming years you will be faced with many important and difficult decisions. Take on that task – your task – with thought and seriousness. Do your best for Sweden and its citizens!"
H.M. Konungens tal vid riksmötets öppnande _ Kungahuset

Det nya riksmötet öppnat av H.M. Konungen _ Kungahuset

Photos by SPA
Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5 ** Pic 6

The King and Queen were welcomed by Speaker Andreas Norlén. But unlike her husband, Queen Silvia did not take the Speaker by the hand.
The reason is that the queen has a cold.
- After covid, it is still the case that people are a bit restrictive and greet in a different way than shaking hands. The queen also has a bit of a cold - so it's out of respect for the speaker. Based on that, you have a slight cold, but she is not sick. After the pandemic, there are several ways to greet respectfully, without shaking hands. Just at the edge of autumn, there are many people who have a cold, said Margareta Thorgren.
Aftonbladet Direkt - Drottningens förkylningsåtgärd_ Tar inte i hand

Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 ** Pic 4 ** Pic 5

Legion-Media gallery
 
Last edited:
Why does the Opening of Parliament take place now and not when there is a new Government? Doesn't make much sense when the Prime Minster make a speech in Parliament when nobody knows how long she will remain in office.

Yes I thought that was strange and that it might be delayed due to the recent election.
 
The Prime Minister didn't give a speech at the Opening of the Riksdag. At the request if the Speaker, H.M. The King declared the 2022/23 Riksdag session open. The ceremony also included songs and music by Susanna Stern and the Adolf Fredrik's Girls' Choir and musicians from the Band of the Swedish Navy.


Ok i thought she would give a Speech. Still a bit strange to have it so soon after an election and with now new Governemnt in place.
 
Ok i thought she would give a Speech. Still a bit strange to have it so soon after an election and with now new Governemnt in place.
Parliament has to be formally opened to be able to do their job and approve a new government.
 
Last edited:
The royal family arrived in the evening to the Stockholm Concert Hall to the concert in collaboration with the Opening of the Riksdag. Queen Silvia doesn't attend the concert, probably because of her cold.
Stefan Forsberg, Executive and Artistic Director of the Stockholm Concert Hall Foundation, hosts the concert which is conducted by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic's Chief Conductor Designate, Ryan Bancroft.
Profimedia gallery
ANP Foto

Kungafamiljens festkväll – men drottning Silvia saknas _*Svensk Dam

The Speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén with his wife Helena arriving to the concert.
Pic

Video

New photos
Legion-Media gallery
Legion-Media gallery

Kungafamiljen på riksdagsgudstjänst i Storkyrkan - GALA magasin
Riksmötet öppnat av Kungen - se film och bilder! - GALA magasin
Kungafamiljen på festföreställning i Konserthuset - GALA magasin

Kruununprinsessa Victoria säväytti elegantissa mustavalkoisessa puvussa – sama asu nähtiin tyylitaiturin yllä jo 11 vuotta sitten - Kuninkaalliset - Ilta-Sanomat
Prinsessornas modesuccé på riksmötets... _ Damernas Värld

Photos from the website of Stockholms domkyrkoförsamling Parish:
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/IMG_5666.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/IMG_5671.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/DSCF5979.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/DSCF5989.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/DSCF5990.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/DSCF6014.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/DSCF6010.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/DSCF6004.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/DSCF5952.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/DSCF5956.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/bilder/1010605/DSCF5959.jpg?DoProcessing=&w=1680
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Why does the Opening of Parliament take place now and not when there is a new Government? Doesn't make much sense when the Prime Minster make a speech in Parliament when nobody knows how long she will remain in office.


Here is a conjecture, which may be wrong as I am not Swedish.



If the Prime Minister does not resign, a vote has to be held in Parliament within two weeks from the new Parliament convening for the first time to ascertain if the incumbent Prime Minister has the confidence of the MPs to stay in office or not. That is not possible unless a new session of Parliament has officially begun.


On the other hand, if the Prime Minister resigns, the Speaker of the Parliament has to nominate a candidate to replace her, who also needs in turn to go through a confirmation vote in the Parliament. Again, Parliament has to be in session for such vote to be held.
 
Last edited:
Here is a conjecture, which may be wrong as I am not Swedish.



If the Prime Minister does not resign, a vote has to be held in Parliament within two weeks from the new Parliament convening for the first time to ascertain if the incumbent Prime Minister has the confidence of the MPs to stay in office or not. That is not possible unless a new session of Parliament has officially begun.


On the other hand, if the Prime Minister resigns, the Speaker of the Parliament has to nominate a candidate to replace her, who also needs in turn to go through a confirmation vote in the Parliament. Again, Parliament has to be in session for such vote to be held.


Ok maybe it is similar to the constituent session of the Bundestag here in Germany. The difference however is that only takes place after an election and not every year.

In it among others the President of the Bundestag is elected.
 
Here is a conjecture, which may be wrong as I am not Swedish.

If the Prime Minister does not resign, a vote has to be held in Parliament within two weeks from the new Parliament convening for the first time to ascertain if the incumbent Prime Minister has the confidence of the MPs to stay in office or not. That is not possible unless a new session of Parliament has officially begun.


On the other hand, if the Prime Minister resigns, the Speaker of the Parliament has to nominate a candidate to replace her, who also needs in turn to go through a confirmation vote in the Parliament. Again, Parliament has to be in session for such vote to be held.

The prime minister (Magdalena Andersson) has resigned. She did that a couple of days after the election when the results were clear. But she's formally still the acting prime minister until a new government is formed.

And as others have mentioned, the opening of the Parliment has to be done so that they can technically go to work and - among other things - approve a new PM and government.
 
[QUOTE
The Royal Family arrives soon to the Opening of the Riksdag, it starts at 14.00.
Live broadcast
SVT Play
Interpreted to english
Riksdagen[/QUOTE]

There aren't many people on the streets to watch the procession, unlike in Oslo or the Hague.
 
The Royal Family arrives soon to the Opening of the Riksdag, it starts at 14.00.
Live broadcast
SVT Play
Interpreted to english
Riksdagen

There aren't many people on the streets to watch the procession, unlike in Oslo or the Hague.
The Riksdaghuset is practically opposite Stockholms Slot, just crossing the Norrbro bridge before the palace and then some 300-400 metres or so. The Riksdag is on an isle in the Norrström. My guess is that because the royal cortège is so short, there is little to see.
 
The Riksdaghuset is practically opposite Stockholms Slot, just crossing the Norrbro bridge before the palace and then some 300-400 metres or so. The Riksdag is on an isle in the Norrström. My guess is that because the royal cortège is so short, there is little to see.

You could be right about that, although I had wondered if it had something to do with the fact that the opening of Parliament used to take place in the Royal Palace. That meant there was no tradition of folk turning up as there nothing to see on the street.
 
You could be right about that, although I had wondered if it had something to do with the fact that the opening of Parliament used to take place in the Royal Palace. That meant there was no tradition of folk turning up as there nothing to see on the street.


I think you're right about there being no tradition to turn up for this. I've lived most of my life in Stockholm and it never entered my mind to go and see this, even though my work was within a walking distance from the Palace and the Riksdag.

It's also a normal work day for everybody.
 
Video published by The Riksdag
The opening of the Riksdag then and now
 
The Riksdag will open again on Tuesday 12 September. The opening marks the start of the new parliamentary working year, the 2023/24 Riksdag session, for both the Riksdag and its 349 members.
Programme
At 1 p.m., the webcast from the opening of the Riksdag session will start. The guests will arrive at Riksplan.
At 2 p.m., the opening ceremony will begin. At the request of the Speaker, H.M. The King will declare the 2023/24 Riksdag session open. Then, the Prime Minister will present the Statement of Government Policy, outlining the policies the Government intends to pursue during the coming year.
The programme in the Chamber will also include the Royal Anthem, musical performances, the National Anthem and exit music.
In the evening, there will be a concert in collaboration with Konserthuset – the Stockholm Concert Hall – and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for members of the Riksdag and invited guests.
The opening of the Riksdag session _ Sveriges riksdag
Information to the media about the opening of the 2023 Riksdag session _ Sveriges riksdag

Tuesday, September 12, the Church service for the opening of the Riksdag in 2023 will take place in Stockholm Cathedral.
The service begins at 12.20.
Inbjudan till ackreditering till gudstjänst i samband med riksmötets öppnande den 12 september _ Stockholms Stift
 
Last edited:
The Royal Family arrived to the Church service on the occasion of the opening of the Riksdag, held in Stockholm Cathedral.
ANP gallery
Profimedia gallery
SPA photos

Victoria och Sofia klädkrock på gudstjänsten _*Svensk Dam
Silvias förändring på bilderna – går emot tidigare besluten _*Svensk Dam

SVT's live broadcast from the Opening of the Parliament at Riksdagshuset. The opening starts at 14.00 and the royal family arrives in a cortege just before that.
SVT Play

Screenshots
https://i.postimg.cc/SQdTGy8B/B1.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/d1BBnB72/B2.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/fbY5SZDg/B3.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/4x7WZVMG/B4.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Wb49WQwh/B5.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/J4dp9PpK/B6.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/SsqdW5KQ/B8.jpg

ANP gallery
Profimedia gallery
SPA photos
Legion-Media gallery

Från klädkrocken till kärleksgesten – snackisarna från riksmötet 2023 _*Svensk Dam
Kungafamiljen vid riksmötets öppnande 2023 Royalistan
https://imbo.vgc.no/users/bt/images...0214418bd2e79592cf98c3dd07844147e03038a5445a6

Court website
Det nya riksmötet öppnat av H.M.*Konungen _ Kungahuset

The King's speech
H.M. Konungens tal vid riksmötets öppnande _ Kungahuset

********
The concert in the evening in collaboration with the Stockholm Concert Hall and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for members of the Riksdag and invited guests.
ANP gallery
Profimedia gallery

Kungligt kaos – mitt under kungafamiljens utekväll! _*Svensk Dam
Victoria strålade vackert när kungafamiljen gick på konsert - Allt om kungligt

The concert at SVT
SVT Play

Screenshots
The King and Queen sit at the first row with the Speaker of the Riksdag Andreas Norlén and his wife.
Victoria and Daniel sit at the second row with Prime minister Ulf Kristersson and his wife.
Carl Philip and Sofia sit at the third row with The Marshal of the Realm Fredrik Wersäll and his wife.
https://i.postimg.cc/cC7rf9rW/R100.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/J7jDwnKF/R102.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/SNqXmhvx/R103.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/vZZc6vMR/R104.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Yqsz0jKx/R105.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/y83XZB7C/R106.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/hPjNNJ18/R107.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/43B6C35t/R108.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/8ztCbf42/R109.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/g07kC9f4/R110.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/XJy73HWW/R111.jpg

What a wonderful concert! Great performances from the orchestra and soloists. And Stefan Forsberg, the Executive and Artistic Director of the Concert Hall (he is also a Cabinet Chamberlain to the Royal Court) is a fantastic host for concerts.

Video from yesterday by SPA
The Royal Family leaving the Royal Palace and walking to the Stockholm Cathedral
The Royal Family arriving to Riksdagshuset to the Opening of the Riksdag
The Royal Family arriving to the concert at the Stockholm City Hall (they went in fast because it was raining).

A very good photo of the King and Victoria at court's Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxGMqKyKw6w/

Gallery from Bunte
PARLAMENTSERÖFFNUNG IM SCHWEDEN. BUNTE Moments

Legion-Media gallery

The Royal Court published today at its Youtube channel the King's speech at the Opening of the Riksdag.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Riksdag will open again on Tuesday 10 September.
At the opening of the Riksdag session, we are celebrating the fact that 50 years have passed since Sweden introduced its current Instrument of Government. The 1974 Instrument of Government replaced the previous Instrument of Government from 1809. In the new Instrument of Government, which took two whole decades to prepare, a parliamentary system of government was finally laid down as part of Sweden’s constitutional law.
Programme
13.00 the webcast from the opening of the Riksdag session starts. The guests arrive at Riksplan.
14.00 the opening ceremony starts in the chamber. H.M. The King declares the 2024/25 Riksdag session open. The Prime Minister then presents the Statement of Government Policy, outlining the policies the Government intends to pursue during the coming year.
In the evening, a concert will be held in collaboration with the Royal Opera for members of the Riksdag and invited guests. The guests include representatives of the Royal Family and the Government.
 
The Royal Court just updated to their calendar information about the Royal family attending at the Opening of the Riksdag session on next Tuesday September 10:

Attendance at a church service on the occasion of the Opening of the Riksdag session
The Stockholm Cathedral
The King, The Queen, The Crown Princess, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O'Neill

Attendance at the Opening of the Riksdag session
The Riksdag, the Parliament House
The King, The Queen, The Crown Princess, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O'Neill

Attendance at the Riksdag's performance on the occasion of the Opening of the Riksdag
The Royal Opera
The King, The Queen, The Crown Princess, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O'Neill
Officiella program _ Kungahuset

Tuesday, September 10 the Church service for the Opening of the Riksdag in 2024 will take place in Stockholm Cathedral.
The service begins at 12.20.
 
The Royal Court just updated to their calendar information about the Royal family attending at the Opening of the Riksdag session on next Tuesday September 10:

Attendance at a church service on the occasion of the Opening of the Riksdag session
The Stockholm Cathedral
The King, The Queen, The Crown Princess, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O'Neill

Attendance at the Opening of the Riksdag session
The Riksdag, the Parliament House
The King, The Queen, The Crown Princess, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O'Neill

Attendance at the Riksdag's performance on the occasion of the Opening of the Riksdag
The Royal Opera
The King, The Queen, The Crown Princess, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O'Neill
Officiella program _ Kungahuset

Tuesday, September 10 the Church service for the Opening of the Riksdag in 2024 will take place in Stockholm Cathedral.
The service begins at 12.20.
I expected Princess Madeleine to atend, but I am surprised that Chris O'Neill will be at the Opening of the Riksdag too given that he is not an official member of the Royal House.
 
Last edited:
Is this the first time that Christopher attends opening of the parliament?
 
The Royal Family arrived to the Church service for the Opening of the Riksdag.

Profimedia gallery

SVT's live broadcast, the Royal family arrives at a cortege to the Opening of the Riksdag session at 14.00.
SVT Play

A change this year:
Carl Philip and Sofia and Madeleine and Chris came by cars to the Riksdag House.
The King and Queen and the Crown Princess Couple came at the horse-drawn cortege as always.
So no group photo of the Royal Family at the arrival now.

Broadcast at the Riksdag's website starts at 14.00.

Profimedia gallery

Victoria participates in today's ceremony, but keeps a certain distance.
On arrival, she did not take the Speaker's hand as usual.
- She has a mild cold and that's why she chose not to shake hands, says Ulrika Näsholm, information officer. at the court.
Chris listened to the speeches in headphones where the speech is directly translated into English.

The Royal House at its website:

The King's speech, he said among other things:
"In January 1975, I opened the Riksdag session for the first time according to the order prescribed in the then completely new Form of Government. It is based on the principle that all public power in Sweden emanates from the people. In a fifty-year perspective, we can state that it has served us well.
But there is no shortage of challenges. The unrest in our surrounding world, climate change, financial pressures, strained healthcare and gang crime. Difficulties that require political balances, where different societal interests must be balanced against each other."

Good photos

The Royal Family arrived in the evening to the Riksdag's performance on the Royal Opera, without queen Silvia.

- Her Majesty the Queen couldn't attend due to a cold, says the deputy director of information department Johan Tegel. (The Queen should have attended an event with the King tomorrow, but now the King goes alone).

ANP gallery
Profimedia gallery
 
Last edited:
Three galleries of the church service:


** rex gallery ** anp gallery ** gettyimages gallery **


There was climate activist protest outside the Riksdag House.

SPA's video from the whole day:


The Royal Opera at its Facebook
"We had the honor of ending the Opening of the Riksdag session with a performance with excerpts from, among others, Tosca, Carmen, Swan Lake and Midsummer Night's Dream. With soloists Miriam Treichl, Vivianne Holmberg, Lovisa Huledal, Jens Persson Hertzman, Johan Edholm, Daniel Johansson, Malin Byström, Karl-Magnus Fredriksson, Niklas Björling Rygert and ballet soloists Daria Ivanova, Anthony Lomuljo, Luiza Lopes and Kentaro Mitsumori from the Royal Ballet. Together with the Royal Swedish Orchestra and the Royal Opera's choir under the direction of Tobias Ringborg, a festive evening for a packed salon!"
 
Back
Top Bottom