The unity of the Realm is acted out in the principle of "The Unity of the Realm". This principle is derived from Article 1 of the Danish Constitution which specifies that constitutional law applies equally to all areas of the Danish Realm. The Constitutional Act specifies that sovereignty is to continue to be exclusively with the authorities of the Realm (the Danish government and parliament). Faroese or Greenlandic self-governance cannot be established by international treaties but must be established by Danish law; the Danish parliament (the Folketing) delegates a precisely defined part of its competence to the home rule authorities. The language of Denmark is
Folketing had equal power, the terms "upper house" and "lower house" were not generally used. The difference between the houses was voter representation. The Folketing was elected by common vote among men and consisted mainly of independent farmers, traders, and merchants as well as the educated classes. From 1866 to 1915 the right of vote for the Landsting was restricted to the wealthiest, and some of its members were appointed by the king, thus it predominantly represented the landed gentry and other conservatives. From 1915 both men and women had the right of vote for both houses, and also the Landsting