|
Singapore |
Sweden |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Singapore conventional short form: Singapore local long form: Republic of Singapore local short form: Singapore etymology: name derives from the Sanskrit words "singa" (lion) and "pura" (city) to describe the city-state's leonine symbol |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden conventional short form: Sweden local long form: Konungariket Sverige local short form: Sverige etymology: name ultimately derives from the North Germanic Svear tribe, which inhabited central Sweden and is first mentioned in the first centuries A.D. |
| Government type |
parliamentary republic |
parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Capital |
name: Singapore geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
name: Stockholm geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Administrative divisions |
none |
21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarna, Gavleborg, Gotland, Halland, Jamtland, Jonkoping, Kalmar, Kronoberg, Norrbotten, Orebro, Ostergotland, Skane, Sodermanland, Stockholm, Uppsala, Varmland, Vasterbotten, Vasternorrland, Vastmanland, Vastra Gotaland |
| Independence |
9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation) |
6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king of Sweden, marking the abolishment of the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) |
| National holiday |
National Day, 9 August (1965) |
National Day, 6 June (1983); note - from 1916 to 1982 this date was celebrated as Swedish Flag Day |
| Constitution |
history: several previous; latest adopted 22 December 1965 amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires two-thirds majority vote in the second and third readings by the elected Parliament membership and assent by the president of the republic; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles on fundamental liberties, the president, or constitutional amendment procedures also requires at least two-thirds majority vote in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2016 (2017) |
history: several previous; latest adopted 1 January 1975 amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires simple majority vote in two consecutive parliamentary terms with an intervening general election; passage also requires approval by simple majority vote in a referendum if Parliament approves a motion for a referendum by one-third of its members; amended several times, last in 2014 (changes to the "Instrument of Government") (2016) |
| Legal system |
English common law |
civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and customary law |
| International law organization participation |
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship |
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Singapore dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years |
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Sweden; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen of Sweden and the father unknown dual citizenship recognized: no, unless the other citizenship was acquired involuntarily residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage |
21 years of age; universal and compulsory |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch |
chief of state: President HALIMAH Yacob (since 14 September 2017); note - President TAN's term ended on 31 August 2017; HALIMAH is Singapore's first female president; the head of the Council of Presidential Advisors, J.Y. PILLAY, served as acting president until HALIMAH was sworn in as president on 14 September 2017 head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Ministers TEO Chee Hean (since 1 April 2009) and Tharman SHANMUGARATNAM (since 21 May 2011) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister; Cabinet responsible to Parliament elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a single 6-year term; election last held on 13 September 2017 (next to be held in 2023); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or majority coalition appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: HALIMAH Yacob was declared president on 13 September 2017, being the only eligible candidate; Tony TAN Keng Yam elected president in the previous contested election on 27 August 2011; percent of vote - Tony TAN Keng Yam (independent) 35.2% , TAN Cheng Bock (independent) 34.9%, TAN Jee Say (independent) 25%, TAN Kin Lian (independent) 4.9% |
chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977) head of government: Prime Minister Stefan LOFVEN (since 3 October 2014); Deputy Prime Minister Isabella LOVIN (since 25 May 2016) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister |
| Legislative branch |
description: unicameral Parliament (101 seats; 89 members directly elected by popular vote, up to 9 nominated by a parliamentary selection committee and appointed by the president, and up to 9 but currently 3 non-constituency members from opposition parties to ensure political diversity; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 11 September 2015 (next to be held in 2020) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 69.9%, WP 12.5%, other 17.6%; seats by party - PAP 83, WP 6 |
description: unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; 310 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 39 members in "at-large" seats directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 14 September 2014 (next to be held on or before 9 September 2018) election results: percent of vote by party - SAP 31.0%, M 23.3%, SD 12.9%, MP 6.9%, C 6.1%, V 5.7%, L 5.4%, KD 4.6%, other 4.1%; seats by party - SAP 113, M 84, SD 49, MP 25, C 22, V 21, L 19, KD 16 |
| Judicial branch |
highest court(s): Supreme Court (although the number varies, as of Feb 2018 it had a total of 21 judges, 7 judicial commissioners, 4 senior judges and 15 international judges; the court is organized into an upper tier Appeal Court and a lower tier High Court) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president from candidates recommended by the prime minister after consultation with the chief justice; lower court judges appointed by the president from candidates recommended by the chief justice; judges usually serve until retirment at age 65 but can be extended; other appointments are for a fixed term subordinate courts: district, magistrates', juvenile, family, community, and coroners' courts; small claims tribunals; employment claims tribunals |
highest court(s): Supreme Court of Sweden (consists of 16 justices including the court chairman); Supreme Administrative Court (consists of 18 justices including the court president) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Supreme Administrative Court justices nominated by the Board of Judges, a 9-member nominating body consisting of high-level judges, prosecutors, and members of Parliament; justices appointed by the Government; following a probationary period, justices' appointments are permanent subordinate courts: first instance, appellate, general, and administrative courts; specialized courts that handle cases such as land and environment, immigration, labor, markets, and patents |
| Political parties and leaders |
National Solidarity Party or NSP People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong] Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [Dr. CHEE Soon Juan] Workers' Party or WP [Pritam SINGH] |
Center Party (Centerpartiet) or C [Annie LOOF] Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna) or KD [Ebba Busch THOR] Green Party (Miljopartiet de Grona) or MP [Isabella LOVIN and Gustav FRIDOLIN] Left Party (Vansterpartiet) or V [Jonas SJOSTEDT] Liberal Party (Liberalerna) or L [Jan BJORKLUND] Moderate Party (Moderaterna) or M [Ulf KRISTERSSON] Swedish Social Democratic Party (Socialdemokraterna) or SAP [Stefan LOFVEN] Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) or SD [Jimmie AKESSON] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders |
none |
Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Naringsliv) [Carola LEMNE] Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations or SACO [Goran ARRIUS] Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees or TCO [Eva NORDMARK] Swedish Trade Union Confederation (Landsorganisationen) or LO [Karl-Petter THORWALDSSON] other: environmental groups; media |
| International organization participation |
ADB, AOSIS, APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US |
chief of mission: Ambassador Ashok Kumar MIRPURI (since 30 July 2012) chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100 FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876 consulate(s) general: San Francisco consulate(s): New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Karin Ulrika OLOFSDOTTER (since 17 September 2017) chancery: The House of Sweden, 2900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600 FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699 consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US |
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Stephanie SYPTAK-RAMNATH (since 20 January 2017) embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001 telephone: [65] 6476-9100 FAX: [65] 6476-9340 |
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David E. LINDWALL (since 20 January 2017) embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Vag 31, SE-11589 Stockholm mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, US Department of State, 5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750 telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00 FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64 |
| Flag description |
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle; red denotes brotherhood and equality; white signifies purity and virtue; the waxing crescent moon symbolizes a young nation on the ascendancy; the five stars represent the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice, and equality |
blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag); the colors reflect those of the Swedish coat of arms - three gold crowns on a blue field |
| National symbol(s) |
lion, merlion (mythical half lion-half fish creature), orchid; national colors: red, white |
three crowns, lion; national colors: blue, yellow |
| National anthem |
name: "Majulah Singapura" (Onward Singapore) lyrics/music: ZUBIR Said note: adopted 1965; first performed in 1958 at the Victoria Theatre, the anthem is sung only in Malay |
name: "Du Gamla, Du Fria" (Thou Ancient, Thou Free) lyrics/music: Richard DYBECK/traditional note: in use since 1844; also known as "Sang till Norden" (Song of the North), is based on a Swedish folk tune; it has never been officially adopted by the government; "Kungssangen" (The King's Song) serves as the royal anthem and is played in the presence of the royal family and during certain state ceremonies |
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