Olof Palmes gästprofessur 2025: Workshop
- Datum
- 25 mars 2025, kl. 13.15 – 26 mars 2025, kl. 12.30
- Plats
- Fakultetsrummet, Trädgårdsgatan 1
- Typ
- Workshop
- Arrangör
- The Olin Foundation for Legal History
- Kontaktperson
- Caroline Taube
Electoral laws in Northern Europe: The interwar years and contemporary perspectiv
Introduction
General and free elections are a defining factor for democracy. At the end of World War I, few countries had adopted laws that guaranteed free elections for all. However, democracy was on the rise and electoral laws were in the making, a development that took place hand in hand with the evolution of political parties thus affecting the prerequisites for forming cabinets. In this conference we will examine, compare and analyze the electoral laws during the shaky inter-war years in some of the Nordic countries, the Baltic states and Germany. Focus is on electoral laws from a “technical” perspective but also the consequences of those technicalities to the parliamentary situation as such. How were the laws constructed, what were the different or similar or co-dependent contexts, and what were the underlying justifications, compromises, political significance and heritage today? One interesting detail is, for example, that the 1922 Constitution of Latvia, inspired by the Weimar constitution, was re-instated in 1993. The interwar experiences make up an indispensable background for analyzing electoral issues and political processes of today. Meet prominent legal historians, constitutional lawyers, judges and political scientists from Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia and Germany in a discussion on the forms and significance of electoral laws during the interwar years, contemporary debates and future challenges.
This workshop is hosted by the Olin Foundation and is a part of the program for the Olof Palme chair in the spring semester of 2025.