2023-04-262022/23:KU30 · p.14KUConstitution
External Threats to Political Parties
What's at stake: The decision concerns the parties' security against cyberattacks, infiltration and influence by foreign powers, which ultimately is about protecting democratic competition between parties.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the government should set up a dedicated inquiry into how political parties can be protected against cyberattacks and foreign interference, or whether work already under way on the issue is sufficient.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee notes that work is under way and planned within the Government Offices on external threats to political parties, party financing and the regulation of lobbyists. The committee welcomes this but currently sees no reason for its own initiative and therefore rejects the motion.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 17 (C)
The reservation (C) argues that political parties are in many cases vulnerable to cyberattacks and can be infiltrated or otherwise influenced by foreign powers, and calls for the government to set up an inquiry that proposes legislation and other reforms to make parties more resilient to external threats.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 17 by C.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | Yes 21/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| S | No | Yes 92/0/0/15 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| MP | No | Yes 14/0/0/4 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| C | No | No 0/21/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: high | explicit |
| L | No | Yes 14/0/0/2 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| KD | No | Yes 15/0/0/4 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| M | No | Yes 58/0/0/10 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| SD | No | Yes 63/1/0/9 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
Broke with the party line
| SDCharlotte Quensel (SD, Värmlands län) | No — party line: Yes |
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects motion 2022/23:1882 by Malin Björk et al. (C) demand 12.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motion 2022/23:1882 av Malin Björk m.fl. (C) yrkande 12.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag has considered approximately 80 proposals in motions submitted during the general motion period in 2022. The proposals concern, among other things, party financing, regulation of lobbyists, forms of constitutional amendments, and the independence of the courts. The Riksdag rejected all proposals, in part based on the view that the government is already working on the matter.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants the government to work for the EU to introduce a democracy lock and sanctions against member states that violate rule of law principles. (C) — Reservation 17
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan does not address cyber threats against parties, but it establishes that popular sovereignty and the right to organize opposition shall be defended, strengthened and deepened and that democracy's achievements shall be valued.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan does not address cyber threats against parties, but it establishes that popular sovereignty and the right to organize opposition shall be defended, strengthened and deepened and that democracy's achievements shall be valued. To investigate how parties are protected against infiltration and influence from foreign powers is such a defence of democracy. At the same time, the plan's requirement to protect personal integrity sets limits on how the measures may be designed.
Original (Swedish)
Planen behandlar inte cyberhot mot partier, men den slår fast att folkstyret och rätten att organisera opposition ska försvaras, stärkas och fördjupas och att de demokratiska landvinningarna ska värnas. Att utreda hur partier skyddas mot infiltration och påverkan från främmande makt är ett sådant försvar av demokratin. Planens krav på skydd för den personliga integriteten sätter samtidigt gränser för hur åtgärderna får utformas.
- defend democratic rightsdecisive»Den rätten ska försvaras, stärkas och fördjupas.« (party programme ↗)“That right shall be defended, strengthened and deepened.”
- value democracy's achievements»Vänsterpartiet försvarar de demokratiska landvinningar som bland andra arbetarrörelsen har kunnat tillkämpa sig i vårt land.« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party defends the democratic achievements that among others the labour movement has managed to win in our country.”
- integrity protection as a limitweak support»Alla människor har rätt till en bred privat sfär« (party programme ↗)“All people have the right to a broad private sphere”
flags: citat_svagt
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 commits to strengthening the ability to resist cyberattacks and disinformation and states that the Swedish people are targets for influence campaigns.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto commits to strengthening the ability to resist cyberattacks and disinformation and states that the Swedish people are targets for influence campaigns. The plan also sees hybrid attacks and espionage as a threat Sweden must be able to defend against. An investigation into legislation that strengthens parties' resistance to cyber attacks and foreign power is moving in that direction. However, parties as protection objects are not explicitly mentioned.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet åtar sig att stärka förmågan att stå emot cyberattacker och desinformation och konstaterar att svenska folket är måltavla för påverkanskampanjer. Planen ser också hybridattacker och spionage som ett hot Sverige måste kunna försvara sig mot. En utredning om lagstiftning som stärker partiernas motståndskraft mot cyberangrepp och främmande makt ligger i den riktningen. Partierna som skyddsobjekt nämns dock inte uttryckligen.
- strengthened cyber- and information defencedecisive»Arbetet för att stärka förmågan att stå emot cyberattacker och desinformation ska stärkas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work to strengthen the ability to resist cyberattacks and disinformation shall be strengthened.”
- defence against hybrid threats»Vi måste kunna försvara oss militärt, men också mot hybridattacker, spionage och cyberangrepp.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We must be able to defend ourselves militarily, but also against hybrid attacks, espionage and cyber attacks.”
- resist foreign influence»Svenska folket är måltavla för påverkanskampanjer och desinformation.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish people are targets for influence campaigns and disinformation.”
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 parties' resilience against cyberattacks, but it establishes that democracy must never be taken for granted and must be defended with democratic means.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan does not address parties' resilience against cyberattacks, but it establishes that democracy must never be taken for granted and must be defended with democratic means. It also identifies threats to IT and communications systems as a new threat picture and wants to increase funding for civil preparedness. Based on these principles, an investigation into legislation to protect parties against foreign powers lies closest to the plan's line.
Original (Swedish)
Planen behandlar inte partiernas motståndskraft mot cyberangrepp, men den slår fast att demokratin aldrig får tas för given och måste försvaras med demokratiska medel. Den pekar också ut hot mot IT- och kommunikationssystem som en ny hotbild och vill höja anslagen till civil beredskap. Utifrån dessa principer ligger en utredning om lagstiftning för att skydda partierna mot främmande makt närmast planens linje.
- democracy must be actively protecteddecisive»Den svenska demokratin är stark och livskraftig, men vi får aldrig ta den för given.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish democracy is strong and vital, but we must never take it for granted.”
- defence of democracy»Demokratin måste försvaras med demokratiska« (party programme ↗)“Democracy must be defended with democratic”
- threats to IT systems»terrorism och hot mot IT- och andra« (party programme ↗)“terrorism and threats to IT and other”
- strengthened civil preparedness»satsa en större andel av försvarets pengar på det civila försvaret, och öka anslagen till krisberedskap.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“allocate a larger share of defence spending to civil defence and increase funding for crisis preparedness.”
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 states that the parties are vulnerable to influence and infiltration and that their resilience against external influence should be strengthened and financing rules tightened.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly states that the parties are vulnerable to influence and infiltration and that their resilience against external influence should be strengthened and financing rules tightened. An investigation proposing legislation to strengthen the parties' resilience is precisely that commitment put into action. Protection of democratic institutions is an explicit priority.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger uttryckligen att partierna är sårbara för påverkan och infiltration och att deras motståndskraft mot yttre påverkan ska rustas och finansieringsreglerna skärpas. En utredning som föreslår lagstiftning för att stärka partiernas motståndskraft är precis det åtagandet omsatt i handling. Skyddet av de demokratiska institutionerna är en uttalad prioritering.
- strengthened resilience in the partiesdecisive»De politiska partierna är sårbara mot påverkan och infiltration. Reglerna för finansiering av politiska partier bör skärpas och deras motståndskraft mot yttre påverkan och infiltration rustas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The political parties are vulnerable to influence and infiltration. The rules for financing political parties should be tightened and their resilience against external influence and infiltration strengthened.”
- protection of democratic institutions»Våra demokratiska institutioner behöver skydd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our democratic institutions need protection.”
- nurture liberal democracy»Den liberala demokratin får aldrig tas för given. Den ska vårdas, värnas och vidareutvecklas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Liberal democracy must never be taken for granted. It should be nurtured, cherished and further developed”
The plan requires strengthened protection for the democratic form of government and that threats against politically active persons and elected officials are actively combated, and that hidden financing that can turn organizations into tools for extremist forces is stopped.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires strengthened protection for the democratic form of government and that threats against politically active persons and elected officials are actively combated, and that hidden financing that can turn organizations into tools for extremist forces is stopped. An investigation that proposes legislation against external threats and infiltration of parties is therefore in line with the plan. The plan does not specifically mention cyber threats, so the conclusion is derived.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver ett förstärkt skydd för det demokratiska statsskicket och att hot mot politiskt aktiva och förtroendevalda aktivt bekämpas, samt att dold finansiering som kan göra organisationer till verktyg för extremistiska krafter stoppas. En utredning som föreslår lagstiftning mot yttre hot och infiltration av partier ligger därför i linje med planen. Planen nämner inte cyberhot särskilt, så slutsatsen är härledd.
- protect the democratic form of governmentdecisive»Vi vill se ett förstärkt grundlagsskydd för vårt demokratiska statsskick, öka domstolarnas oberoende och verka för en författningsdomstol som ska kunna häva lagar eller bestämmelser som strider mot grundlagsskyddade fri- och rättigheter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see strengthened constitutional protection for our democratic form of government, increase the independence of the courts and work for a constitutional court that can repeal laws or provisions that conflict with constitutionally protected freedoms and rights.”
- protection for politically active persons»att engagera sig politiskt måste värnas och hot och trakasserier mot politiskt aktiva och förtroendevalda« (party programme ↗)“the ability to engage politically must be cherished and threats and harassment against politically active persons and elected officials”
- stop hidden financing»Vi vill både stärka uppföljningen av bidragsgivning och stoppa dold finansiering av trossamfund så att de inte blir verktyg för extremistiska krafter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to both strengthen the monitoring of donations and stop hidden financing of religious communities so that they do not become tools for extremist forces.”
- cherish liberal democracy»Den svenska demokratin ska stå stark och dina rättigheter ska försvaras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish democracy shall stand strong and your rights shall be defended.”
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 proceeds from a broadened security concept where Sweden must be able to meet attacks from, among other things, cyber warfare and non-state actors.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan proceeds from a broadened security concept where Sweden must be able to meet attacks from, among other things, cyber warfare and non-state actors. Political parties that are infiltrated or attacked by foreign powers strike at democracy's core, and the plan requires that democracy's value base is constantly tested and tended so as not to be undermined. An investigation proposing legislation to strengthen parties' resistance therefore lies in the plan's line.
Original (Swedish)
Planen utgår från ett vidgat säkerhetsbegrepp där Sverige måste kunna möta angrepp från bland annat cyberkrigföring och utomstatliga aktörer. Politiska partier som infiltreras eller angrips av främmande makt träffar demokratins kärna, och planen kräver att demokratins värdegrund ständigt prövas och vårdas för att inte undergrävas. En utredning som föreslår lagstiftning för att stärka partiernas motståndskraft ligger därför i planens linje.
- cyber threats shall be metdecisive»möta angrepp från internationell kriminalitet, terrorism, cyberkrigföring« (party programme ↗)“meet attacks from international crime, terrorism, cyber warfare”
- threats from non-state actors»där mänskliga rättigheter kränks eller när utomstatliga« (party programme ↗)“where human rights are violated or when non-state”
- broadened security concept»Nya typer av konflikter och hot leder till ett vidgat« (party programme ↗)“New types of conflicts and threats lead to a broadened”
- democracy's value base is tended»Om inte denna värdegrund ständigt poängteras, prövas och vårdas riskerar« (party programme ↗)“If this value base is not constantly emphasized, tested and tended risks”
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 undertakes an action plan with concrete measures against hybrid threats and cyber attacks, developed cyber defence and a strengthened security police to protect liberal democracy.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan undertakes an action plan with concrete measures against hybrid threats and cyber attacks, developed cyber defence and a strengthened security police to protect liberal democracy. The programme has stated zero tolerance for threats directed at elected representatives and democratic processes. An investigation into parties' resilience against foreign power and cyber attacks thus lies directly in that line, even though the parties are not mentioned as such.
Original (Swedish)
Planen åtar sig en handlingsplan med konkreta åtgärder mot hybridhot och cyberattacker, utvecklat cyberförsvar och en förstärkt säkerhetspolis för att skydda den liberala demokratin. Programmet har uttalad nolltolerans mot hot som riktas mot förtroendevalda och de demokratiska processerna. En utredning om partiernas motståndskraft mot främmande makt och cyberangrepp ligger direkt i den linjen, även om partierna inte nämns särskilt.
- measures against hybrid threatsdecisive»Införa en handlingsplan med konkreta åtgärder mot hybridhot och cyberattacker« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce an action plan with concrete measures against hybrid threats and cyber attacks”
- protect democratic processes»inte minst när detta riktas mot förtroendevalda, våra demokratiska processer och vår rättsordning.« (party programme ↗)“not least when directed at elected representatives, our democratic processes and our legal order.”
- strengthened security police»Stärka Säkerhetspolisen för att öka deras förmåga att skydda den liberala demokratin och landets alla medborgare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the Security Police to increase their ability to protect liberal democracy and all the country's citizens”
- developed cyber defence»Utveckla cyberförsvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Develop cyber defence”
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 wishes to strengthen the Swedish electoral system so that general elections can be conducted reliably and emphasizes that society's vulnerability in a digitalized society needs to be evaluated better.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wishes to strengthen the Swedish electoral system so that general elections can be conducted reliably and emphasizes that society's vulnerability in a digitalized society needs to be evaluated better. It also wishes to strengthen the work against hybrid threats. An investigation proposing legislation to strengthen parties' resilience against cyber attacks and foreign powers follows from these commitments.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill stärka det svenska valsystemet så att allmänna val kan genomföras tillförlitligt och betonar att samhällets sårbarhet i ett digitaliserat samhälle behöver utvärderas bättre. Den vill också förstärka arbetet mot hybridhot. En utredning som föreslår lagstiftning för att stärka partiernas motståndskraft mot cyberangrepp och främmande makt följer av dessa åtaganden.
- reliable electoral systemdecisive»Det svenska valsystemet bör stärkas för att garantera att allmänna val kan genomföras på ett tillförlitligt sätt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Swedish electoral system should be strengthened to guarantee that general elections can be conducted in a reliable manner.”
- evaluate digital vulnerability»Samhällets sårbarhet behöver bättre utvärderas, inkluderat hur ett allt mer elektrifierat och digitalt samhälle påverkar utsattheten vid en kris eller störning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Society's vulnerability needs to be better evaluated, including how an increasingly electrified and digital society affects exposure during a crisis or disruption.”
- resistance to hybrid threats»Förstärka det europeiska samarbetet mot islamistiska organisationer, hybridhot och terrorism« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen European cooperation against Islamist organizations, hybrid threats and terrorism”
- planning against threats»Analysera och planera för olika typer av stora kriser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Analyse and plan for various types of major crises”
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.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2022/23:KU30)
- Committee report full text (HA01KU30)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2022/23:1000 — Några parlamentariska frågor av Matheus Enholm m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1001 — Grundlag av Matheus Enholm m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1002 — Granskning av Matheus Enholm m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1074 — En trygg demokrati av Ann-Sofie Alm (M)
- Motion 2022/23:1126 — Lobbyistlagstiftning av Mattias Vepsä och Lawen Redar (båda S)
- Motion 2022/23:1194 — Ett demokratiskt statsskick av Teresa Carvalho m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1214 — Åtgärder för de nationella minoriteterna och minoritetsspråken av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:1216 — Ett modernt och demokratiskt statsskick av Jessica Wetterling m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:1232 — En funktionsrättspolitik för trygghet och delaktighet av Maj Karlsson m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:1265 — Löpande och transparent redovisning av korruptionsärenden vid svenska utrikesmyndigheter av Markus Wiechel och Alexander Christiansson (båda SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1266 — Förtroendevaldas närvaro och arvodessystemet av Markus Wiechel och Alexander Christiansson (båda SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1345 — PR-byråer och konsulter i riksdagen av Peter Hultqvist m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1380 — Skydd för gemensam egendom av Niklas Karlsson och Joakim Sandell (båda S)
- Motion 2022/23:1503 — Grundlagsfäst public service av Hanna Westerén (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1552 — Skärpt kontroll av lobbyister som verkar gentemot riksdagsledamöter av Gustaf Lantz och Petter Löberg (båda S)
- Motion 2022/23:1556 — Nya konstitutionella spelregler av Aida Birinxhiku m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1661 — Öppenhet kring lokala partiers finansiering av Rickard Nordin (C)
- Motion 2022/23:1727 — Grundlagsskydd för public service av Eva Lindh m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:181 — Stärk demokratin och de mänskliga rättigheterna av Märta Stenevi m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2022/23:1840 — Politiska vildar av Maria Stockhaus (M)
Source: The Swedish Parliament