Tetracameralism (Greek tetra, four + Latin camera, chamber) is the practice of having four legislative or parliamentary chambers. It is contrasted to unicameralism and bicameralism, which are far more common, and tricameralism, which is rarely used in government.

Medieval Scandinavian deliberative assemblies were traditionally tetracameral, with four estates; the nobility, the clergy, the burghers and the peasants. The Swedish and Finnish Riksdag of the Estates maintained this tradition the longest, having four separate legislative bodies.

Finland, as a part of Imperial Russia had tetracameral system until 1906, when it was followed by the then most modern legislature, the unicameral Parliament, with universal suffrage.

[edit] See also

• Unicameralism
• Bicameralism
• Tricameralism
• Multicameralism
• List of national legislatures

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