History of the Riksdag in 1921. By this Sweden had established a democratic and parliamentary system of government. 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
Instrument of Government (1719) power with the parliament referred to as the Riksdag of the Estates. The Riksdag of the Estates consisted of the estates of the nobility, clergy, burghers and the peasantry, which were elected by those eligible to vote. Also women were in fact granted limited suffrage, providing they were taxpaying guild members of legal majority. The Government was referred to as the Royal Council. It consisted of 16 members, from the first three estates of the Riksdag. The members were appointed by the Riksdag: each of the first three estates appointed three candidates for the cabinet posts of government to the