Inclusion of immigrants in the political process: a critical analysis of immigrants’ representation in the Swedish democratically elected assemblies
Paula Rodrigo Blomqvist
Gothenburg University, Sweden
Contact Email:   Paula.Rodrigo-Blomqvistvu.edu.au

Immigrants, who comprise a growing group in many Western countries, are usually heavily under-represented as elected representatives in the political legislative assemblies. This systematic and insufficient ethnic representation, which should be understood as a process resulting from asymmetric power relations between the subordinated immigrants and the superior native Swedes, is a problem both for the immigrants and for the democracy itself. Sweden’s immigrant policy, with its far-reaching social and political rights and liberal citizenship, is often seen as a role model of how to give immigrants equal membership in society. The right to vote and to be elected in local elections for foreign citizens was introduced by an electoral reform in 1975. Though there are no formal obstacles for foreign-born to participate as representatives in the local legislative assemblies, there are informal obstacles that to a large extent exclude them from the democratic process in practice. In 2003 foreign-born constitute approximately 11 per cent of the population in Sweden, but hold only 5.5 per cent of the elected offices in local government, i.e. they have one-fifth of the offices they would have based on their democratic weight. The level of seats held by foreign citizens has hardly increased at all since the electoral reform was introduced in the mid1970s. The aim of this study is twofold: Firstly, to increase the understanding of what prevents immigrants from being present at the legislative assemblies. Secondly, to find out whether it matters that immigrants or native Swedes serve as representatives in the political legislative assemblies.

The study consists of two comprehensive themes: (i) A theoretical part that deals with the question of immigrants’ political interests, (ii) An empirical study of the recruitment process in the political parties regarding the candidates’ ethnicity. The study sets out from the theoretical concept of representation where politics of ideas is discussed in relation to politics of presence. The theoretical idea is that the arguments (expressed in terms of justice, experience and interests) used by feminist theorists for women’s increasing representation in the political process are equally valid for other underrepresented groups such as immigrants.

The study looks at local governments and empirically emphasises the urban municipalities: Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo. The analysis is based on data from two surveys carried out at the time of the local elections in 1998 and 2002. On top of this personal interviews are carried out with councillors nominated for the two elections.

The findings of the study indicate that the political parties play a significant role when it comes to explaining what prevents immigrants from being represented in the legislative assemblies. The parties raise different sorts of barriers that inhibit ethnic groups other than native Swedes from becoming party candidates. The results also indicate that ethnicity has an effect, i.e. immigrants’ presence in the legislative assemblies does matter for the agenda setting and for the decision-making.

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