Speaker of the Riksdag Riksdagens talman |
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The three crowns, as used by the Riksdag
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The Riksdag | |
Style | Mister Speaker Swedish: Herr talman |
Residence | no official residence |
Nominator | The Prime Minister |
Appointer | The Alderman (longest serving member), following a vote in the Riksdag |
Term length | Four years (de facto) a vote is always held after a general election |
Inaugural holder | Henry Allard |
Formation | 1627 |
Deputy |
First deputy speaker Second deputy speaker Third deputy speaker |
Website | www.riksdagen.se |
The speaker of the Riksdag (Swedish: Riksdagens talman) 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 349 members. Since 1975, in accordance with the Instrument of Government of 1974, it is the speaker and no longer the Monarch who appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister.
The current speaker is Urban Ahlin, who has held the gavel since 2014.
The speaker is the head and presiding officer of the Riksdag, and is elected by the chamber as the first order of business when the Riksdag re-convenes following a general election. As such he coordinates the work that takes place in the Riksdag. The office is mandated in the Swedish constitution and the duties of the office are set out on the Instrument of Government (1974) and the Riksdag Act.