Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/455

Rh Carlstad, in Sweden, for the appointment of the king, this nomination to be absolute. It is settled by the Riksakten that the political union of the two kingdoms shall be indissoluble and irrevocable, without prejudice, however, to the separate Government, constitution, and code of laws of either Sweden or Norway. Each therefore remains an independent kingdom.

I. SWEDEN.

Constitution and Government.

The fundamental laws of the kingdom of Sweden are—1. The Constitution or Regerings-Formen of June 6, 1809; 2. The law of royal succession of September 26, 1810; and 3. The amended regulations for the formation of the Diet, adopted December 8, 1865. According to these statutes, the king must be a member of the Lutheran Church, and have sworn fealty to the laws of the land. His person is inviolable. He has the right to declare war and make peace, and grant pardon to condemned criminals. He nominates to all appointments, both military and civil; concludes foreign treaties, and has a right to preside in the supreme Court of Justice. The princes of the blood royal, however, are excluded from all civil employments. The king has an absolute veto against any decrees of the Diet, and possesses legislative power in matters of provincial administration and police. In all other respects, the fountain of law is in the Diet. This Diet, or Parliament of the realm, consists of two chambers, or estates, both elected by the people, but representing different interests. The First Chamber, or Upper House of Parliament, consists of 127 members, or one deputy for every 30,000 of the population. The election of the members takes place by the 'landstings,' or provincial representations—one in each of the 24 'län,' or governments, of the kingdom—and the municipal corporations of all towns not already represented in the 'landstings.' All members of the First Chamber must be above 35 years of age, and must have possessed for at least three years previous to the election either landed property to the taxed value of 80,000 riksdalers—4,450 £.—or an annual income of 4,000 riksdalers—223 £. They are elected for the term of nine years, and obtain no payment for their services. The Second Chamber, or Lower House of Parliament, consists of 188 members, of whom 55 are elected by the towns and 133 by the rural districts, there being one representative for every 10,000 of the population of towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants, and one representative for every 40,000 of the