Speaker of the Riksdag Speaker of the Riksdag The speaker of the Riksdag () is the presiding officer of the national unicameral legislature in Sweden. The Riksdag underwent profound changes in 1867, when the medieval Riksdag of the Estates was abolished. The new form of the Riksdag included two elected chambers, each with its own speaker. Since the "de facto" introduction of parliamentarism in 1917, the Riksdag has properly functioned as the institution to which the Prime Minister and the Government are held accountable. In 1971 the institution was transformed into a unicameral legislature with 350 members, reduced to 349 in 1976 to avoid
Riksdag Estonian Riigikogu, as well as the historical German "Reichstag" and the Danish "Rigsdagen". In Swedish use, "riksdagen" is usually uncapitalized. "Riksdag" derives from the genitive of "rike", referring to royal power, and "dag", meaning diet or conference; the German word "Reichstag" and the Danish "Rigsdag" are cognate. The "Oxford English Dictionary" traces English use of the term "Riksdag" in reference to the Swedish assembly back to 1855. The roots of the modern Riksdag can be found in a 1435 meeting of the Swedish nobility in the city of Arboga. This informal organization was modified in 1527 by the first modern