Swedish Constitution of 1809
The Swedish constitution of 1809 (Swedish Regeringsformen ) was the constitution of the Kingdom of Sweden that was valid between 1809 and 1974 . It replaced the Swedish constitution of 1772 after the devastating defeat in the Third Russo-Swedish War .
As a result of the war, King Gustav IV Adolf was overthrown by a coup d'état on March 13, 1809 and his uncle as King Karl XIII took his place . elected. The Reichstag adopted the new constitution on June 6, 1809.
background
The Swedish nobility took the opportunity of defeat to shake off the rules of the political system of the constitution of 1772/1789, which was tailored to the king. The role of the king was clearly weakened, that of the state parliament strengthened. The constitution thus built on the period between 1719 and 1772, in which parliament had played an essential role. This shift in weight within the state powers, with the separation of the tasks of the executive (king) and the legislative (parliament), was in keeping with the spirit of the times.
Reforms
A number of reforms followed over time.
- In 1866 a parliamentary reform was carried out. The house previously made up of four stalls was replaced by a two-chamber system.
- In 1876 the office of Prime Minister was introduced.
- In 1907 universal and equal suffrage for men was introduced; In 1919 it was extended to women.
- In 1917, following the strong growth of the Socialist Party in the elections for the second parliamentary chamber, a liberal-socialist coalition government was formed. The country thus became a de facto parliamentary monarchy , even if this was not legally reflected in the constitutional text.
- In 1970 the Reichstag was converted into today's unicameral parliament .
In 1975 the constitution was replaced by the 1974 constitution that is in force today .
Web links
- Constitutions of the Kingdom of Sweden at Verassungen.eu
