1940 Swedish general election

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1940 Swedish general election
Flag of Sweden.svg
  1936 15 September 1940 1944  

All 230 seats in the Andra kammaren of the Riksdag
116 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Per Albin Hansson, statsminister, portrattbild 1935.jpg Gosta Bagge.jpg Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp portrait.webp
Leader Per Albin Hansson Gösta Bagge Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp
Party Social Democrats Right Farmers' League
Last election1124436
Seats won1344228
Seat changeIncrease2.svg22Decrease2.svg2Decrease2.svg8
Popular vote1,546,804518,346344,345
Percentage53.81%18.03%11.98%

 Fourth partyFifth party
  Gustaf Andersson i Rasjon.jpg Sven Linderot.jpg
Leader Gustaf Andersson Sven Linderot
Party People's Party Communist
Last election275
Seats won233
Seat changeDecrease2.svg4Decrease2.svg2
Popular vote344,113101,424
Percentage11.97%3.53%

Riksdagsvalet 1940.svg
Largest bloc and seats won by constituency

Prime Minister before election

Per Albin Hansson
Social Democrats

Elected Prime Minister

Per Albin Hansson
Social Democrats

General elections were held in Sweden on 15 September 1940. [1] The Swedish Social Democratic Party remained the largest party, winning 134 of the 230 seats in the Andra kammaren of the Riksdag. [2] It is one of two general elections in Swedish history where a single party received more than half of the vote (the other occasion being 1968).

The election took place amid World War II, with neighbouring Denmark and Norway occupied by the Nazis. The major parties were all represented in the government cabinet. Some of the parties called for a postponement of the elections due to the war. However, Per Albin Hansson said that democratic processes ought to be respected. Ben Arneson characterized the election as a "gentleman's election" free of mudslinging. [3]

Results

Sweden Riksdag 1940.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Swedish Social Democratic Party 1,546,80453.81134+22
National Organisation of the Right 518,34618.0342–2
Farmers' League 344,34511.9828–8
People's Party 344,11311.9723–4
Communist Party 101,4243.533–2
Socialist Party 18,4300.640–6
Left Socialist Party 8980.030New
Other parties570.0000
Total2,874,417100.002300
Valid votes2,874,41799.49
Invalid/blank votes14,7200.51
Total votes2,889,137100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,110,72070.28
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, SCB

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1858 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p1872
  3. Arneson, Ben A. (1941). "The Recent Parliamentary Elections in Sweden" . American Political Science Review. 35 (1): 107–108. doi:10.2307/1947860. ISSN   0003-0554.