General elections, nominated and elected candidates, 2018, resignations three years into the electoral period
Somewhat fewer resignations from municipal councils
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2022-01-26 8.00
Compared with the previous electoral period the proportion of resignations has decreased in municipal councils after three years. Resignations from regional councils have increased somewhat, while the level of resignations from the Riksdag have not changed. Resignations at regional council and municipal council level are most common among young elected officials, according to the statistics.
The proportion of elected representatives who have resigned from their political office three years into the electoral period is roughly the same in municipal councils and in regional councils, at 17 and 16 percent respectively. In municipal councils, this is a minor decrease compared with the previous electoral period, while in regional councils, this is a minor increase. Among members of the Riksdag, 9 percent have resigned after three years. Two or more electoral periods ago in the 2000s, resignations three years into the electoral period have increased from regional council and municipal council and is unchanged from the Riksdag.
Resignations are somewhat more common among women in all levels of political assemblies. Municipal councils have the biggest gender gap in resignations with a difference of 2.5 percentage points between women and men. Although in the Riksdag the gender gap among those who leave are only marginal.
Looking at municipal councils and regional councils, it is considerably more common for young people below 30 years to resign. In the youngest age group. Three years into the electoral period 31 percent of people below 30 had resigned from municipal councils and 27 percent from regional councils. In the Riksdag, on the other hand, there have been no resignations in the age group 18-29 years three years into the electoral period.
The Green Party has the highest share of resignations in the Riksdag and in municipal councils
In the Riksdag, the highest proportion of resignations after three years is among the Green Party, followed by the Liberal Party. In regional councils, the Sweden Democrats have the highest proportion of resignations, followed by the Green Party. In municipal councils, resignations are most common among elected representatives from the Green Party, followed by the Sweden Democrats.
An elected representative may resign from their political office before the end of the electoral period for a variety of reasons. During the 2010-2014 electoral period, Statistics Sweden carried out surveys to examine the reasons for resignations and the results are presented in the report ‘Demokratins representanter’ (only available in Swedish). The report shows that resignations are, above all, based on personal reasons. Personal reasons include health, work and family conditions, as well as moving away from the municipality.
Definitions and explanations
The Election Authority regularly published information on candidates who resign from their political office during the electoral period, as well as who replaces them. Statistics Sweden’s statistics on resignations among elected representatives are based on the Election Authority’s data. Statistics Sweden’s statistics on resignations only presents resignations among officials who were elected in the elections, not resignations among substitutes. Resignations between 2018-09-09 and 2021-09-09 are presented here.
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.