Swedish parliament approves constitutional amendment: dual citizenship can be revoked for fraud or gang activity
Sweden has approved a constitutional amendment enabling the state to revoke citizenship from individuals with dual citizenship if they obtained it through fraud or committed serious crimes. The amendment was supported by 292 of 343 MPs present.
Stockholm voted 292 to 51: end of unconditional Swedish citizenship for some dual nationals
The Swedish parliament on Wednesday definitively approved a constitutional amendment that will allow the state to revoke citizenship from individuals with dual nationality — if they obtained it on the basis of false information, or if they have been convicted of crimes seriously damaging the country's interests. According to pravda.sk, the AFP reported this via TASR.
The amendment was supported by 292 MPs, with 51 voting against.
Two-step process completed
A constitutional amendment in Sweden requires two parliamentary votes, with elections held between them. Wednesday's vote was the second and final step of the process, which the outgoing centre-right government of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced last year.
Kristersson then announced that the government was considering introducing a mechanism to revoke citizenship from individuals convicted of organised crime and gang activity. However, the government only managed to prepare specific legislation — the cabinet did not complete the draft law before the end of its term in office.
New government to decide on specific crimes
Since parliamentary elections did not produce a clear-cut result and political parties are still negotiating over the formation of a new government, it will be up to the new cabinet to submit a law to put the constitutional amendment into practice. Kristersson is currently leading a caretaker government.
The approved constitutional amendment establishes two basic situations in which Swedish citizenship can be revoked: if a person obtained it on the basis of false or withheld information, or if they have been finally convicted of crimes that seriously threaten Sweden's vital interests. Which specific criminal acts fall into this category will be determined by the new government's legislation.
Criticism: two categories of citizenship
The approved amendment has met with opposition from civil rights organisations. Aida Samanniová from Civil Rights Defenders warned that the new arrangement would in practice create two categories of Swedish citizenship.
"One would provide strong legal protection, while the other would be less stable and its validity would depend on meeting certain conditions," said Samanniová. According to her, such a situation raises serious questions about compliance with the principle of equality before the law.
Supporters of the amendment, on the other hand, argue that it is a necessary tool to protect the state from individuals who have abused the institution of citizenship or have actively acted against the interests of the country that granted it.
Source: Google News SK — Crime (sk)