1940 Swedish general election

1940 Swedish general election

← 1936 15 September 1940 1944 →

All 230 seats in the Andra kammaren of the Riksdag
116 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Per Albin Hansson Gösta Bagge Axel Pehrsson-Bramstorp
Party Social Democrats Right Farmers' League
Last election 112 44 36
Seats won 134 42 28
Seat change Increase22 Decrease2 Decrease8
Popular vote 1,546,804 518,346 344,345
Percentage 53.81% 18.03% 11.98%

  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Gustaf Andersson Sven Linderot
Party People's Party Communist
Last election 27 5
Seats won 23 3
Seat change Decrease4 Decrease2
Popular vote 344,113 101,424
Percentage 11.97% 3.53%

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. An observer of the election characterized the election as a "gentleman's election" free of mudslinging.[3]

Results

[edit]
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Swedish Social Democratic Party1,546,80453.81134+22
National Organisation of the Right518,34618.0342–2
Farmers' League344,34511.9828–8
People's Party344,11311.9723–4
Communist Party101,4243.533–2
Socialist Party18,4300.640–6
Left Socialist Party8980.030New
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

[edit]
  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.