History of the Riksdag

The Riksdag is the national legislature of Sweden. However, when it was founded in 1866 Sweden did not have a parliamentary system of government.

The national legislatures of Estonia and Finland are also called Riksdag in Swedish.

The Old Riksdag
The precursor to the modern Riksdag was the Riksdag of the Estates (Ståndsriksdagen). Of ancient origin in the Viking Things, the 1435 meeting in the city of Arboga is considered the first Riksdag, however only three of the estates were probably present the nobility, the clergy and the burghers. This informal representation was formalized in 1527 by King Gustav I of Sweden to include representatives of all the four estates, which historically reflected the lines of division in Swedish society: the nobility, the clergy, the burghers and the peasantry. Under the Instrument of Government of 1809 the Riksdag shared the powers of government with the King.

The New Riksdag
On the basis of the 1863 electoral reform bill the Estates voted in 1866 to dissolve the Riksdag of the Estates and establish a new Riksdag. The new Riksdag was a political assembly with two chambers where the members were chosen in national elections.

The revolution was that citizens could participate and vote in the elections without regard to which Estate they had hitherto belonged; instead there were new requirements on income or wealth, i.e. census suffrage. Despite the fundamental change in the principles of representation, the social composition of the Riksdag did not alter by much, and the system of government had not changed. Under the Constitution of 1809 the Riksdag still divided the powers of government with the King.

Democracy emerges
From the second half of the 19th century, when the Riksdag was founded, until the early 20th century, Swedish society underwent a number of fundamental changes that impacted on the political system. Political demands, but also sheer economic progress, increased the size of the electorate and the degree of political mobilization. This in turn also sponsored the emergence and growth of political parties. As such, the legislature became more assertive against royal authority, successfully asserting responsible government; a parliamentary system thus became de facto established; the King could not (or at least would not dare) keep a government in office against parliamentary objections.

The last time the king attempted to assert himself in opposition to the Riksdag was the Courtyard Crisis of 1914, where King Gustav V delivered a partisan speech which precipitated the resignation of Prime Minister Karl Staaff and his government. Though the outbreak of World War I kept the King’s conservative government in office, in the face of popular unrest and a clear majority for the opposition Social Democrats and Liberals at the 1917 general election, the King reluctantly resolved to appoint a cabinet from the reform-minded majority in the Riksdag. The new government's main task was to present bills on constitutional reform.

The franchise had been extended to all adult men in 1907; women’s suffrage first came in the 1921 general election.

Constitutional reform
In the 1960s, debates intensified over constitutional reform in Sweden. The fundamental question was over the system of government. Even though a de facto parliamentary system was firmly established, somewhat similar to the situation in the United Kingdom, there were demands for a more democratic constitution. One of the main issues was whether the monarchy would survive constitutional reform and this blocked the issue for a long time.

Effective from 1970, a reform of the Riksdag had been agreed upon. Though not technically part of the constitution it showed that the parties in the Riksdag were able to agree upon fundamental changes of the political system, which transformed the Riksdag from a bicameral legislature into a unicameral one. This would have 350 seats, all of which would be filled by direct election. However, the second general election to the unicameral Riksdag only gave the government support from 175 members, while the opposition could mobilize an equal force of 175 members, resulting in what became known as the "lottery Riksdag", in which the Speaker had to draw lots to resolve deadlocked votes. In 1974, it was decided that the number of seats from 1977 were to be reduced to 349.

Present
In 1974, a new Instrument of Government was established as a vital part of the Constitution and for the system of government. The monarchy was retained, whereas the monarch lost all formal political influence and became only a symbolic head of state. Several of the traditional head-of-state functions have instead been transferred to the Speaker of the Riksdag.