SD requested a week ago that the Swedish people should be allowed to vote on an amendment to the constitution. The party is critical of the change, which aims to make it more difficult to amend the constitution.
This is one of the most important issues we have had to decide on here for a long time. In significance, one could compare this to when we joined the EU or NATO, says SD's party leader Jimmie Åkesson in the Riksdag.
By making the constitution so difficult to change, one does not protect democracy, one does not protect the will of the people - one does a disservice to democracy.
But the other parties do not think that a referendum is needed and vote no.
"Deeply regrettable"
That the largest party on the government side sets itself against strengthening the structures that carry our democracy, it is nothing but deeply regrettable, says the Social Democrats' group leader in the Riksdag, Lena Hallengren.
She directs a thank you to The Moderate Party, The Liberals and KD for "prioritizing consensus".
SD, on the other hand, does as they usually do: no responsibility, no following practice. Not putting Sweden's best before the party's best. The practice is different and it says: chaos, division.
Moderate Mats Green says that democracy around the world is being challenged.
We should not make the mistake of thinking that we in Sweden are and will be immune to such tendencies. Even we can be affected. Maybe not here and now, but who among us here can rule out that in the future there are forces that want to overthrow the foundation for the social order that our society stands on today, he says.
Larger majority
The proposal for the constitutional amendment is based on an investigation presented by a parliamentary committee in 2023, with the aim of strengthening democracy. Among other things, it is about introducing a requirement for a two-thirds majority in the second Riksdag decision. Today, a simple majority, i.e. more than half, is sufficient at the second vote.
The constitutional amendment has already been voted through by the Riksdag for the first time. But since it concerns an amendment to the constitution, the Riksdag must vote again after next year's Riksdag election for it to go through.
The final figures for SD's proposal for a referendum were 70 yes against 257 no. No one abstained, but 22 members of the Riksdag were absent.
