History of the Riksdag 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 precursor to the modern Riksdag was the Riksdag of the Estates (). Of ancient origin in the Viking Things, the meeting of the Swedish nobility at Arboga, in 1435 is considered as the first Riksdag. This informal representation was formalized in 1527 by King Gustav I of Sweden to include representatives of all the four estates, which historically
History of the Riksdag to vote and have a direct influence on the political system. This in turn also sponsored the emergence and growth of political parties. The Riksdag had also been able to assert itself against the Royal authority and a "de facto" parliamentary system had begun to emerge. As of the general election in 1921, universal and equal franchise was introduced for men and women alike, and the Riksdag finally achieved a system of democratic representation for all citizens who were at least 23 years old on election day. The last time the king attempted to exercise political authority was in February