Amendment to legislation on waiting periods for ministers and senior civil servants

The plan is based on the idea that democratically elected decision-makers adapt to powerful economic interests and that the role of politics must be restored by holding accountable those who decide. Sharper cooling-off rules with sanctions and broader reporting requirements for transitions between politics and business are precisely such a limitation of capital's influence over politics. The plan is however silent on the technical design of cooling-off legislation.

• capital's power over politicsdecisive»beslutsfattare anpassar sig till mäktiga ekonomiska intressen bortom« (party programme ↗)“decision-makers adapt to powerful economic interests beyond”
• hold powerholders accountable»Att återupprätta politikens roll, och utkräva ansvar från de som bestämmer, är något som du är med och gör.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To restore the role of politics, and hold accountable those who decide, is something you are part of doing.”
• political and economic elite»De som är ansvariga för att det ser ut så här är de politiker och den ekonomiska elit som styrt Sverige.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Those responsible for how this looks are the politicians and economic elite who have ruled Sweden.”

The plan places on parties, public bodies and law enforcement authorities a joint responsibility to with all force prevent all forms of improper influence, and builds trust in democracy on open reporting of politicians' assignments and contributions. A toothless regulatory framework without sanctions for transitions between politics and business stands in conflict with that. Tightening supervision thus aligns with the plan.

• prevent improper influencedecisive»ett gemensamt ansvar att med all kraft förhindra all form av otillbörlig påverkan« (party programme ↗)“a joint responsibility to with all force prevent all forms of improper influence”
• trust in elected officials»Tilliten till demokratin bygger på att medborgarna kan lita på att de valda politikerna« (party programme ↗)“Trust in democracy is built on the fact that citizens can trust that elected politicians”
• open reporting of contributions»Partierna ska vara skyldiga att öppet redovisa de bidrag de erhåller« (party programme ↗)“Parties shall be obligated to openly report the contributions they receive”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme states that all forms of corruption must be combated, especially in the political sphere, and that citizens must always be able to scrutinize power. Stricter rules with sanctions at transitions between politics and business is a direct application of that commitment, as is the requirement for transparency about parties' donors.

• corruption in politics combateddecisive»Alla former av korruption måste motarbetas. Det gäller inte minst inom den politiska sfären.« (party programme ↗)“All forms of corruption must be combated. This especially applies to the political sphere.”
• citizen scrutiny of power»Medborgarna ska alltid kunna granska makten.« (party programme ↗)“Citizens must always be able to scrutinize power.”
• principle of public access protected»Offentlighetsprincipen och meddelarfriheten måste värnas och stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“The principle of public access and whistleblower protection must be protected and strengthened.”
• transparency about party donations»Vi vill ha en lag om att politiska partier och enskilda kandidater ska offentliggöra sina bidragsgivare.« (party programme ↗)“We want a law so that political parties and individual candidates must disclose their donors.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto wants to establish an anti-corruption authority, tighten rules against corruption and introduce a lobbying register, with the aim that Sweden becomes even more transparent. A toothless regulation without sanctions and without mandatory reporting upon transitions to the public sector does not live up to that commitment, so a tightening of oversight is in line with the plan. The party programme makes openness a protection against corruption and abuse.

• tightened anti-corruption rulesdecisive»Vi vill inrätta en antikorruptionsmyndighet, skärpa regler mot korruption och införa ett lobbyregister.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to establish an anti-corruption authority, tighten rules against corruption and introduce a lobbying register.”
• increased transparency»Sverige ska bli ännu mer transparent.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden should become even more transparent.”
• openness against corruption»Öppenhet och transparens är grundförutsättningar för frihet, demokrati och för att förhindra korruption och övergrepp.« (party programme ↗)“Openness and transparency are fundamental prerequisites for freedom, democracy and to prevent corruption and abuse.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan explicitly requires a waiting period rule for cabinet ministers and state secretaries who move on to private assignments where sensitive government information could be used. A set of rules without sanctions and without reporting obligations when transitioning to the public sector does not fulfill that commitment. The plan's demands for strengthened oversight and for transparency as the basis for scrutiny point in the same direction.

• waiting period for ministersdecisive»En karensregel ska finnas för statsråd och statssekreterare« (party programme ↗)“A waiting period rule shall exist for cabinet ministers and state secretaries”
• strengthened oversight»Tillsynen över myndigheternas maktutövning mot enskilda behöver utvecklas« (party programme ↗)“Oversight of authorities' exercise of power over individuals needs to be developed”
• transparency and openness»Offentlighetsprincipen har en grundläggande betydelse« (party programme ↗)“The principle of transparency has fundamental importance”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The imperfection doctrine in the party programme means that too much power should not be concentrated in single hands and that balancing separation of powers and control is needed. The election manifesto highlights honesty as one of the values politics should promote. A toothless regulatory framework without sanctions at the transitions between politics and business conflicts with this, and the counter-proposal's demand for stricter oversight is therefore supported by the plan.

• separation of powers against concentrationdecisive»makt inte får läggas i en enskild människas, grupps eller partis händer.« (party programme ↗)“power should not be placed in a single person's, group's or party's hands.”
• honesty in the public sphere»främja goda värden som medmänsklighet ansvarstagande, förvaltarskap, hederlighet, måttfullhet och jämställdhet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“promote good values such as compassion, responsibility, stewardship, honesty, moderation and equality”
• rules must be upheld»Alla brott ska effektivt och utan undantag beivras« (party programme ↗)“All crimes shall be actively and without exception prosecuted”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that accountability for public decisions needs to be clarified and that civil service responsibility should be tightened, so that responsibility follows with all exercise of public power. A framework for non-compete restrictions without sanctions and without covering transitions to the public sector does not fulfill that. The counter-proposal's demand for tightened supervision therefore follows from the plan's principle of equal treatment and responsibility in the exercise of power.

• tightened civil service responsibilitydecisive»Skärpa tjänstemannaansvaret så att du som skattebetalare vet att med all offentlig maktutövning följer ett ansvar för de beslut som fattas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tighten civil service responsibility so you as a taxpayer know that responsibility follows with all exercise of public power for the decisions made”
• clearer accountability»Vi ser stora behov av att förstärka domstolarnas oberoende och förtydliga hur ansvar kan utkrävas för offentliga beslut.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We see large needs to strengthen courts' independence and clarify how responsibility can be demanded for public decisions.”
• equal treatment in exercise of power»principer om likabehandling och förutsebarhet.« (party programme ↗)“principles of equal treatment and predictability.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan seeks to introduce civil servant liability and implement measures that increase transparency and the possibility of political accountability, and criticises politicised appointment powers for making this difficult. The counter-proposal's requirement for heightened supervision with sanctions during transitions between politics and business and public sector is such a measure. The plan also generally seeks to strengthen the possibilities for accountability.

• transparency and accountabilitydecisive»Tjänstemannaansvar ska införas och åtgärder ska genomföras för att öka transparensen och möjligheten att utkräva politiskt ansvarsutkrävande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Civil servant liability shall be introduced and measures shall be implemented to increase transparency and the possibility of political accountability.”
• strengthened accountability»Sverigedemokraterna vill stärka möjligheter för ansvarsutkrävande när hanteringen av de offentliga resurserna brister.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Sweden Democrats wish to strengthen opportunities for accountability when the management of public resources falls short.”
• civil servant liability»Återinför tjänstemannaansvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reintroduce civil servant liability”
• against politicised appointment power»En politiserad utnämningsmakt tillsammans med en i hög grad informell myndighetsstyrningsmodell försvårar demokratiskt ansvarsutkrävande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A politicised appointment power together with a largely informal model of authority management makes democratic accountability difficult.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.