Party-line independents

What does the data show?

Objective observations — not interpretations

• Which MPs have most often voted against their party's majority during the current session.
• How dissent rates are distributed — as a whole, dissent is rare in Swedish parliamentarism.
• That absence (often paired) does not count as dissent — only actually cast votes form the basis.
• That dissent measures voting independence — not political influence, ideological position or loyalty.

Definitions

How the numbers are counted — and what they do not cover

Party line

The majority line the parliamentary group took in a vote — the most frequent voting direction among the party's present MPs.

Dissenting vote

A vote that differs from the party's majority in the same ballot. Absence does not count as dissent.

Abstention

A formally registered 'Abstain' vote in the chamber. Counts as a cast vote and can therefore constitute a dissent if the party majority voted Yes or No.

Absence

The MP registered no vote in the ballot. Does not count as dissent — and is therefore excluded from the percentage.

Pairing (kvittning)

An agreement in which an absent MP is 'paired' with an absent opponent so that the majority is preserved. Paired absence is planned and legitimate — not disengagement.

Ballot

A formal vote in the parliamentary chamber where each MP registers Yes, No, Abstain or Absent.

Decisive ballot

A ballot where the party line is unambiguously identifiable (the party's Yes and No votes differ). Split-even or unanimous ballots do not enter the dissent statistic.

Reservation

A formally dissenting opinion in a committee report — not a dissenting vote in the chamber, but background for how MPs later vote.

MP

Elected member of parliament (349 total). Ministers and the Speaker rarely vote in the chamber and are effectively excluded.

Parliamentary group

All of a party's MPs — the unit whose majority vote defines the party line.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to what is most often discussed