Measures against alcohol and drugs in traffic

The party programme establishes that legal security shall be maintained through citizen transparency and independent oversight, which is precisely what the counter-proposal requests of the agency's use of alcohol tests. That people lose their jobs on incorrect grounds is moreover the kind of arbitrariness the plan wants to protect wage earners from. The plan does not take a position on PEth tests as such, but the oversight principle is clear.

• independent oversightdecisive»insyn och oberoende granskning.« (party programme ↗)“transparency and independent oversight.”
• legal security in official decisions»Rättssäkerheten behöver upprätthållas genom rättshjälp, medborgerlig« (party programme ↗)“Legal security needs to be maintained through legal aid, citizen”
• accountability»höga krav på fungerande ansvarsutkrävande vid lagbrott.« (party programme ↗)“high demands on functioning accountability for violations of law.”
• restrictive alcohol policy»Vi vill se en restriktiv reglering av alkohol och tobak.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see restrictive regulation of alcohol and tobacco.”

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 does not address driving licence interventions, but it upholds the principles of the rule of law, equality before the law for all and protection of civil rights. That an authority revokes a driving licence in contravention of its own guidelines, with lost employment as a consequence, is precisely such a legal security issue. An independent review is therefore supported based on the closest principle.

• principles of the rule of lawdecisive»Slå vakt om rättsstatens principer.« (party programme ↗)“Uphold the principles of the rule of law.”
• equality before the law»En rättsordning som bygger på allas likhet inför lagen.« (party programme ↗)“A legal order based on equality before the law for all.”
• protected rights»Skydd för medborgerliga fri- och rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of civil liberties and rights.”
• the right to work»Rätt till arbete för alla, och goda förutsättningar att delta i arbetslivet.« (party programme ↗)“Right to work for all, and good conditions to participate in working life.”

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 requires that all are equal before the law, that legal certainty is guaranteed throughout the legal system and that law enforcement authorities act independently and in a legally secure manner. An independent review of how an authority uses alcohol tests to withdraw driving licences is an application of that principle. The plan does not address the question directly, but the direction follows from the rule of law commitment.

• guaranteed legal certaintydecisive»Alla ska vara lika inför lagen och rättssäkerheten måste garanteras i hela rättssystemet.« (party programme ↗)“All shall be equal before the law and legal certainty must be guaranteed throughout the legal system.”
• legally secure authority action»Domstolarnas oberoende ska värnas, och rättsvårdande myndigheter ska agera självständigt och rättssäkert.« (party programme ↗)“The independence of the courts shall be protected, and law enforcement authorities shall act independently and in a legally secure manner.”
• independent oversight»Ett sätt att värna integriteten är en stark, oberoende tillsyn över användningen av exempelvis hemliga tvångsmedel – för att säkerställa rättssäkerhet, proportionalitet och demokratiskt ansvarstagande.« (party programme ↗)“One way to protect integrity is strong, independent oversight of the use of, for example, secret coercive measures – to ensure legal certainty, proportionality and democratic accountability.”

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 establishes that the rule of law and the individual's rights against the state must be defended and that everyone living in Sweden should be able to have their case heard. A driving licence being revoked in breach of the agency's own guidelines, with lost employment as consequence, is precisely such a rule-of-law problem. An independent review of the agency's implementation thus follows from the plan's requirement to control the power the state exercises.

• individual's right against the statedecisive»Rättsstaten och individens rättigheter gentemot staten måste försvaras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rule of law and the individual's rights against the state must be defended.”
• enforceable rights»Vi vill se en rättighetslagstiftning, ett tydligt samhällskontrakt med utkrävbara rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see a rights-based legislation, a clear social contract with enforceable rights.”
• right to examination»Alla som bor i Sverige ska kunna få sin sak prövad. Ledtiderna för handläggning och myndighetsutövning i domstolar och myndigheter måste kortas och tillgången till ombud förbättras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Everyone living in Sweden should be able to have their case heard. Processing times for handling and public administration in courts and agencies must be shortened and access to legal aid improved.”
• equal access to legal examination»Möjligheten att processa mot stat eller kommun, då man har goda skäl att få sin sak prövad, ska i en liberal demokrati inte vara en rätt förbehållen de med hög inkomst.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The possibility to litigate against the state or municipality, when you have good grounds to have your case heard, should in a liberal democracy not be a right reserved for those with high income.”

The plan establishes that the individual's opportunities to assert their rights against authorities must increase and that oversight of authorities' exercise of power against individuals needs to be developed. An independent examination of how the Transport Agency uses PEth tests to withdraw driving licences is precisely such control of authority exercise that affects individuals severely. The plan's restrictive alcohol policy is not in the way, as the demand concerns rule of law in implementation and not threshold values.

• strengthened legal protection against authoritiesdecisive»Den enskildes möjligheter att hävda sina rättigheter gentemot myndigheterna måste öka.« (party programme ↗)“The individual's opportunities to assert their rights against authorities must increase.”
• oversight of authority exercise»Tillsynen över myndigheternas maktutövning mot enskilda behöver utvecklas genom starka tillsynsmyndigheter för bland annat polis, kriminalvård och socialtjänst.« (party programme ↗)“Oversight of authorities' exercise of power against individuals needs to be developed through strong supervisory authorities for among other things police, criminal care and social services.”
• redress for authority error»Rätten till kompensation eller skadestånd vid myndigheters misstag eller övergrepp behöver förbättras.« (party programme ↗)“The right to compensation or damages for mistakes or abuses by authorities needs to be improved.”
• restrictive alcohol policy»Sverige ska ha en restriktiv alkoholpolitik.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall have a restrictive alcohol policy.”

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 requires effective means against abuse of power and that the balance between the individual and public authority be secured. When driving licenses are withdrawn contrary to the agency's own guidelines and professional drivers lose their livelihoods, that balance breaks, and independent review is a reasonable measure. The plan stands firm that impaired driving should be prohibited, but the counter-proposal concerns the legal security in agency decisions, not the limit itself.

• control of government authoritydecisive»Det måste finnas effektiva medel mot maktmissbruk och maktkoncentration.« (party programme ↗)“There must be effective means against abuse of power and concentration of power.”
• balance against public authority»Den enskilda människan får därigenom en starkare ställning i sina mellanhavanden med stat och kommun, och balansen mellan den enskilda människan och den offentliga maktutövningen säkerställs.« (party programme ↗)“The individual thereby gains a stronger position in dealings with state and municipality, and the balance between the individual and public authority is secured.”
• confidence in rule of law»Tilltron till rättssamhället bygger på att människorna kan förlita sig på att en effektiv brottsbekämpning och en fri och oberoende rättskipning ger trygghet för personlig integritet och egendom.« (party programme ↗)“Confidence in the rule of law rests on people being able to rely on effective crime prevention and a free and independent judiciary providing security for personal integrity and property.”
• zero tolerance for drunk driving»Att köra med alkohol eller andra droger i kroppen ska vara förbjudet på land, på vatten och i luften.« (party programme ↗)“Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs in the body should be prohibited on land, on water and in the air.”

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 commits to sharpening official responsibility and providing individuals with practical and effective protection against state agencies' decisions. An independent review that the Transport Agency follows its own guidelines when driving licences are withdrawn aligns directly with that commitment, especially when incorrect decisions cost professional drivers their jobs. The plan's requirement that exercise of public authority shall be governed by law and predictable points in the same direction.

• sharpened official responsibilitydecisive»Skärpa tjänstemannaansvaret så att du som skattebetalare vet att med all offentlig maktutövning följer ett ansvar för de beslut som fattas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sharpen official responsibility so that you as a taxpayer know that all exercise of public authority is accompanied by responsibility for the decisions that are made”
• effective protection against authorities»Vi måste se till att det inte bara är vackra ord, utan att grundlagen också ger ett praktiskt och effektivt skydd för enskilda människor i relation till exempelvis en kommun eller en statlig myndighet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We must ensure that these are not just fine words, but that the constitution also provides practical and effective protection for individual people in relation to, for example, a municipality or a state agency.”
• law-governed exercise of authority»All offentlig maktutövning ska vara lagstyrd och vägledas av« (party programme ↗)“All exercise of public authority shall be governed by law and guided by”
• legal security for individuals»Stärka domstolarnas oberoende och skyddet för medborgarnas fri- och rättigheter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the courts' independence and protection of citizens' freedoms and rights”

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 lacks commitments on PEth tests and driving licence revocation, but it demands restored official responsibility, strengthened quality in authorities' investigations and that authorities support rather than hinder. Since the car for many is a work vehicle, incorrect revocations have large consequences for the individual. An independent review of the authority's application therefore aligns with the plan's legal certainty principles.

• official responsibility and accountabilitydecisive»Återinför tjänstemannaansvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Restore official responsibility”
• legally certain authority decisions»Verka för stärkt kvalitet på utredningar och förkortade handläggningstider« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for strengthened quality in investigations and shortened processing times”
• authorities shall support»Myndigheterna får inte bli företagens fiender som sätter käppar i hjulen utan måste få en mer stödjande funktion.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Authorities must not become companies' enemies who hinder but must have a more supportive function.”
• car as work tool»För många är bilen ett arbetsfordon.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“For many, the car is a work vehicle.”

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.