Swedish parliament to vote on changes to revoke citizenship — The Local Sweden
Sweden's parliament is due to hold a second vote on Wednesday on constitutional changes that would make it possible to revoke Swedish citizenship from dual nationals convicted of crimes that seriously harm the country's vital interests. As The Local Sweden reports, constitutional changes in Sweden require two parliamentary votes, with an election to be held between them.
The first vote on the initiative took place in May. If lawmakers support the bill for a second time, the constitutional changes will enter into force on January 1. The proposal is supported by the Social Democratic Party, the parties of the current government and the Sweden Democrats, so its adoption is considered virtually guaranteed.
Objections to the wording
Initially, the Left Party, the Green Party, the Centre Party and the Social Democratic Party opposed the amendment. They said the wording was too vague and did not clarify which specific crimes could constitute grounds for revoking citizenship.
Social Democratic MP Amalia Rud Stenlöf criticized the text as careless and legally uncertain. According to her, the provision could potentially apply to accounting and tax offences or to a case in which a person forgot a secret document at a conference hotel.
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In January, the Social Democrats abandoned their opposition to the changes, explaining this by the need to fight gang crime. In the bill that the Constitutional Committee sent to parliament on November 5, the party also supported additional safeguards against statelessness and provisions on compliance with international conventions, including the European Convention on Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
Other constitutional changes
The bill will also allow authorities to revoke Swedish citizenship from dual nationals if it is proven that they obtained it on false grounds. Despite disagreeing with the wording, the Centre Party plans to abstain in the second vote. The Left Party and the Green Party are expected to vote against it.
In addition, the changes pave the way for a future ban on membership in criminal gangs. Parliament will be able to limit the constitutional protection of freedom of association for organizations and groups involved in serious criminal activity for financial or other improper gain. Separately, the amendments enshrine a new constitutional right to free abortion.
