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Sweden’s parliament has voted to lower the country’s age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14, as the right-wing government intensifies efforts to address rising gang-related crime ahead of a national election.
The measure, approved on Thursday, received support from 281 lawmakers, including members of the opposition Social Democrats, while 66 lawmakers voted against it. The new law will take effect on September 10, just three days before Sweden’s general election.
The government had initially proposed lowering the criminal age to 13, but withdrew the plan in June after failing to secure enough support in parliament. A government-appointed commissioner had recommended setting the age at 14, while most of the 126 organisations consulted on the proposal, including police and prison authorities, opposed lowering it to 13.
Sweden has faced years of violence linked to criminal gangs, with rival groups fighting over control of the illegal drug trade. Tackling organised crime has become a major focus of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s minority conservative government, which came to power in 2022 with support from the far-right Sweden Democrats party.
Parliament also approved changes reducing sentencing benefits for younger offenders. Under the new rules, people under 18 can now receive prison sentences of up to 18 years.
The government says the reforms are part of a broader strategy to strengthen the justice system and respond to serious crimes involving younger offenders.
The vote comes as political parties prepare for the upcoming election, with crime and security expected to remain key campaign issues. A recent Demoskop poll published by Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet showed the centre-left opposition leading the governing parties and Sweden Democrats, but with the margin narrowing.
The poll projected that the governing bloc and far-right Sweden Democrats would receive 47 per cent of the vote, compared with 51 per cent for opposition parties.
