The Alþing, commonly Anglicized as Althing (Modern Icelandic Alþingi; Old Norse Alþing) is the national parliament: literally, the "all-thing" of Iceland. It was founded in 930 at Þingvellir, (the "assembly fields" or "Parliament Plains"), situated some 45 km east of what would later become the country's capital, Reykjavík, and this event marked the beginning of the Icelandic Commonwealth. Even after Iceland's union with Norway, the Althing still held its sessions at Þingvellir until 1799, when it was discontinued for some decades. It was restored in 1844 and moved to Reykjavík, where it has resided ever since. The present parliament building, the Alþingishús, was built in 1881, of hewn Icelandic stone. The President of Iceland (Icelandic: Forseti Íslands) is Icelands elected head of state. ... Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson ( ) (born 14 May 1943, in Ísafjörður, Iceland) is the fifth and current President of Iceland, from 1996 to present, re-elected unopposed in 2000, and was re-elected for a third term in 2004. ... The Althing (Modern Icelandic Alþingi; Old Norse Alþing) is the national parliament: literally, the all-thing (or General Assembly) of Iceland. ... The Prime Minister of Iceland (Icelandic: Forsætisráðherra Íslands) is Icelands head of government. ... Geir Hilmar Haarde (born April 8, 1951) is an Icelandic politician. ... The Cabinet of Iceland is the chief executive body of the Republic of Iceland. ... The Supreme Court of Iceland (Hæstiréttur Íslands) holds the highest judicial power in Iceland. ... Umboðsmaður Alþingis is appointed by the Alþingi to oversee investigation of complaints against government departments and local governments. ... Politics of Iceland Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Iceland ... A presidential election was held in Iceland on Saturday, 26 June 2004. ... The 2007 Icelandic general election will be held on 12 May 2007. ... Political parties in Iceland lists political parties in Iceland. ... Iceland maintains diplomatic and commercial relations with practically all nations, but its ties with other Nordic states, with the US, and with the other NATO nations are particularly close. ... Iceland is not a member state of the European Union (EU) and has never applied for membership. ... The Cod Wars (also called the Iceland Cod Wars) were a series of confrontations between the United Kingdom and Iceland over Icelands claims of authority over tracts of ocean off their coastline as being their exclusive fishery zone. ... The Agreed Minute is a statute governing the nature of the U.S. military presence in Iceland. ... Iceland has a very small network of diplomatic missions. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modelled after that of the United Kingdom. ... A thing or ting (Old Norse and Icelandic: þing; other modern Scandinavian: ting) was the governing assembly in Germanic societies, made up of the free men of the community and presided by lawspeakers. ... Events With the establishment of the Icelandic Althing, now the worlds oldest parliament, the Icelandic Commonwealth is founded. ... Þingvellir in autumn Þingvellir (Icelandic Þing: parliament, vellir: plains) is a place in the southwest of Iceland near the peninsula of Reykjanes and the Hengill volcanic area. ... This article is about a city that serves as a center of government and politics. ... Location in Iceland Coordinates: , Constituency Reykjavík North Reykjavík South Government  - Mayor (Borgarstjóri) Vilhjálmur Þ. Vilhjálmsson Area  - City 274. ... The Icelandic Commonwealth or the Icelandic Free State (Icelandic: Þjóðveldisöld) was the state existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king in 1262. ... Alþingishúsið (The Parliament House) is a classical 19th century structure which stands in the center of Reykjavík, Iceland. ...

The constitution of Iceland provides for six electoral constituencies with the possibility of an increase to seven. The constituency boundaries are fixed by legislation. Each constituency elects nine members. In addition, each party is allocated seats based on its proportion of the overall national vote in order that the number of members in parliament for each political party should be more or less proportional to its overall electoral support. A party must have won at least five percent of the national vote in order to be eligible for these proportionally distributed seats. Political participation in Iceland is very high: usually over 85 per cent of the electorate casts a ballot (87.7% in 2003). The current president of the Althing is Sturla Böðvarsson. The present Constitution of Iceland was first made in 1944, on 17th of June. ... Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation, or PR), is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates (grouped by a certain measure) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive (usually in legislative assemblies). ...

Historical background

Foundation

19th-century rendering of the Law Rock in Þingvellir.

The Althing is the oldest parliamentary institution in the world.^[1][2][3] Its establishment, as an outdoor assembly held on the plains of Þingvellir from about the year 930 AD, laid the foundation for an independent national existence in Iceland. To begin with, Althing was a general assembly of the Icelandic Commonwealth, where the country’s most powerful Leaders (goðar) met to decide on legislation and dispense justice. Then, all free men could attend the assemblies, which were usually the main social event of the year and drew large crowds of farmers and their families, parties involved in legal disputes, traders, craftsmen, storytellers and travellers. Those attending the assembly dwelt in temporary camps (búðir) during the session. The center of the gathering was the Lögberg, or Law Rock, a rocky outcrop on which the Lawspeaker (lögsögumaður) took his seat as the presiding official of the assembly. His responsibilities included reciting aloud the laws in effect at the time. It was his duty to proclaim the procedural law of Althing to those attending the assembly each year. Image File history File links W.G. Collingwood 19th Century Alþing in session File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links W.G. Collingwood 19th Century Alþing in session File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For the periodical, see Nineteenth Century (periodical). ... A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modelled after that of the United Kingdom. ... A deliberative assembly is an organization, comprised of members, that uses a parliamentary procedure for making decisions. ... Þingvellir in autumn Þingvellir (Icelandic Þing: parliament, vellir: plains) is a place in the southwest of Iceland near the peninsula of Reykjanes and the Hengill volcanic area. ... Events With the establishment of the Icelandic Althing, now the worlds oldest parliament, the Icelandic Commonwealth is founded. ... The Icelandic Commonwealth or the Icelandic Free State (Icelandic: Þjóðveldisöld) was the state existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king in 1262. ... The term gothi (goði), in Norse mythology, refers to the person who administered the Blóts. ... Legislation (or statutory law) is law which has been promulgated (or enacted) by a legislature or other governing body. ... J.L. Urban, statue of Lady Justice at court building in Olomouc, Czech Republic Justice concerns the proper ordering of things and persons within a society. ... This article is about law in society. ... The Icelandic Althing is the oldest parliament in Europe. ... A Lawspeaker (Old Swedish: laghmaþer or laghman, Norwegian: lagmand, Icelandic: lög(sögu)maðr) was a unique Scandinavian legal office. ... An official (from the Latin Officialis, person – or object – related to an officium, v. ... Lady Justice or Justitia is a personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system (particularly in Western art). ...

Lögrétta

Public addresses on matters of importance were delivered at the Law Rock and there the assembly was called to order and dissolved. The Lögrétta, the legislative section of the assembly, was its most powerful institution. It comprised the 39 district goðar plus nine additional members and the Lawspeaker. As the legislative section of Althing, the Lögrétta took a stand on legal conflicts, adopted new laws and granted exemptions to existing laws. Althing of old also performed a judicial function and heard legal disputes in addition to the spring assemblies held in each district. After the country had been divided into four quarters around 965 AD, a court of 36 judges (fjórðungsdómur) was established for each of them at Althing. Another court (fimmtardómur) was established early in the 11th century. It served as a supreme court of sorts, and assumed the function of hearing cases left unsettled by the other courts. It comprised 48 judges appointed by the goðar of Lögrétta. For the connotation of the term relating to chemistry, see Solvation. ... Institutions are structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of two or more individuals. ... The judiciary, also referred to as the judicature, consists of justices, judges and magistrates among other types of adjudicators. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Local government areas called districts are used, or have been used, in several countries. ... March 1 - Pope Leo VIII is restored in place of Pope Benedict V October 1 - Pope John XIII succeeds Pope Leo VIII as the 133rd pope. ... Judges may refer to the Book of Judges in the Bible more than one judge. ... The supreme court functions as a court of last resort whose rulings cannot be challenged, in some countries, provinces and states. ...

Monarchy until 1800

When the Icelanders submitted to the authority of the Norwegian king by the terms of the "Old Covenant" (Gamli sáttmáli) in 1262, the function of Althing changed. The organization of the commonwealth came to an end and the rule of the country by goðar disappeared. Executive power now rested with the king and his officials, the Royal Commissioners (hirðstjórar) and District Commissioners (sýslumenn). As before, the Lögrétta, now comprising 36 members, continued to be its principal institution and shared formal legislative power with the king. Laws adopted by the Lögrétta were subject to royal assent and, conversely, if the king initiated legislation, Althing had to give its consent. The Lawspeaker was replaced by two legal administrators, called lögmenn. This article is a list of rulers of Norway up until the present, including: The Norwegian kingdom (with the Faroe Islands) The Union with Iceland and Greenland (1262-1814) The Norwegian kingdom (with Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands 1262-1814) The Union of Sweden and Norway (1319-1343) The... The Old Covenant (Icelandic Gamli sáttmáli ) was the name of the agreement which effected the union of Iceland and Norway. ... The Icelandic Commonwealth or the Icelandic Free State (Icelandic: Þjóðveldisöld) was the state existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king in 1262. ... “King” redirects here. ... // The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of lawmaking by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. ...

Towards the end of the 14th century, royal succession brought both Norway and Iceland under the control of the Danish monarchy. With the introduction of absolute monarchy in Denmark, the Icelanders relinquished their autonomy to the crown, including the right to initiate and consent to legislation. After that, the Althing served almost exclusively as a court of law until the year 1800. This is a list of Danish monarchs, that is, the Kings and ruling Queen of Denmark, including Regents of the Kalmar Union. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

High Court: 1800 – 1845

The Althing was disbanded by royal decree in 1800. A new High Court, established by this same decree and located in Reykjavík, took over the functions of Lögrétta. The three appointed judges first convened in Hólavallarskóli on 10 August 1801. The High Court was to hold regular sessions and function as the court of highest instance in the country. It operated until 1920, when the Supreme Court of Iceland was established. Decree is an order that has the force of law. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... The Supreme Court of Iceland (Hæstiréttur Íslands) holds the highest judicial power in Iceland. ...

Consultative assembly: 1845 – 1874

A royal decree providing for the establishment of a new Althing was issued on 8 March 1843. Elections were held the following year and the assembly finally met on 1 July 1845. It comprised 26 members sitting in a single chamber. One member was elected in each of 20 electoral districts and six “royally nominated Members” were appointed by the king. Suffrage was, following the Danish model, limited to males of substantial means and at least 25 years of age, which to begin with meant only about 5% of the population. A regular session lasted four weeks and could be extended if necessary. During this period, Althing acted merely as a consultative body for the crown. It examined proposed legislation and individual members could raise questions for discussion. Draft legislation submitted by the government was given two readings, an introductory one and a final one. Proposals which were adopted were called petitions. The new Althing managed to effect a number of improvements to legislation and the administration of the country. is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1843 (MDCCCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... An election is a decision making process whereby people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Districts are a form of local government in several countries. ... Debate is a formalized system of (usually) logical argument. ... A petition is a request to an authority, most commonly a government official or public entity. ...

Legislative assembly from 1874

Parliament House, at Austurvöllur in Reykjavík, built in 1880 –1881.

The Constitution of 1874 granted to the Althing joint legislative power with the crown in matters of exclusive Icelandic concern. At the same time the National Treasury acquired powers of taxation and financial allocation. The king retained the right to veto legislation and often, on the advice of his ministers, refused to consent to legislation adopted by Althing. The number of members of Althing was increased to 36, 30 of them elected in general elections in eight single-member constituencies and 11 double-member constituencies, the other six appointed by the crown as before. The Althing was now divided into an upper and a lower chamber. Six elected members and the six appointed ones sat in the upper chamber, which meant that the latter could prevent legislation from being passed by acting as a bloc. Twenty-four elected representatives sat in the lower chamber. From 1874 until 1915 ad hoc committees were appointed. After 1915 seven standing committees were elected by each of the chambers. Regular sessions of Althing convened every other year. A supplementary session was first held in 1886, and these became more frequent after the turn of the 20th century. The Althing met from 1881 in the newly built Parliament House. The Governor-General (landshöfðingi) was the highest representative of the government in Iceland and was responsible to the Advisor for Iceland (Íslandsráðgjafi) in Copenhagen. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The term treasury was first used in classical times to describe the votive buildings erected to house gifts to the gods, such as the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi or the many buildings put up in Olympia, Greece by competing city-states, to impress each other during the Ancient Olympic Games. ... Look up Allocation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... An upper house (sometimes known as a second chamber) is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... A lower house (sometimes known as the first chamber) is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. ... Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means for this [purpose]. It generally signifies a solution that has been tailored to a specific purpose, such as a tailor-made suit, a handcrafted network protocol, and specific-purpose equation and things like that. ... Governor-General (or Governor General) is a term used both historically and currently to designate the appointed representative of a head of state or their government for a particular territory, historically in a colonial context, but no longer necessarily in that form. ... For other uses, see Copenhagen (disambiguation). ...

Home rule

A constitutional amendment, confirmed on 3 October 1903, granted the Icelanders home rule and parliamentary government. An Icelandic minister was appointed on 1 February 1904 who was answerable to parliament. The minister had to have the support of the majority of members of Althing; in the case of a vote of no confidence, he would have to step down. Under the constitutional amendment of 1903, the number of members was increased by four, to a total of forty. Elections to the Althing had traditionally been public – voters declared aloud which of the candidates they supported. In 1908 the secret ballot was adopted, with ballot papers on which the names of the candidates were printed. A single election day for the entire country was at the same time made mandatory. When the Constitution was amended in 1915, the royally nominated members of Althing were replaced by six national representatives elected by proportional representation for the entire country. An amendment is a change to the constitution of a nation or a state. ... October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Devolution or Home rule is the pooling of powers from central government to government at regional or local level. ... Alternative meanings: Parliamentary system, Parliament (band), Parliament (cigarette). ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... A Motion of No Confidence, also called Motion of Non Confidence is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ... Public is of or pertaining to the people; belonging to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community; opposed to private; as, the public treasury, a road or lake. ... For the town in France, see Ballots, Mayenne. ...

Personal union

The Act of Union which took effect on 1 December 1918 made Iceland a state in personal union with the king of Denmark. It was set to expire in 25 years, after which either state could choose to leave the union. The Althing was granted unrestricted legislative power. In 1920 the number of members of the Althing was increased to 42. Since 1945, the Althing has customarily assembled in the autumn. With the Constitutional Act of 1934 the number of members was increased by seven and the system of national representatives abolished in favor of one providing for eleven seats used to equalize discrepancies between the parties' popular vote and the number of seats they received in the Althing, upping the number of members of the Althing to 49. In 1934, the voting age was also lowered to 21. Further changes in 1942 provided for additional three members and introduced proportional representation in the double-member constituencies. The constituencies were then 28 in number, 21 single-member constituencies, six double-Member constituencies and Reykjavík, which elected eight members. With the additional eleven equalization seats, the number of members was thus 52. Act of Union can mean: United Kingdom The Act of Union is a name given to several acts passed by the English, Scottish and British Parliaments from 1536 onwards. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... A state is a political association with effective dominion over a geographic area. ... A personal union is a relationship of two or more entities that are considered separate, sovereign states, which, through established law, share the same person as their respective head of state. ... The Constitutional Act of 1791 was a British law which changed the government of the province of Quebec to accommodate the many English-speaking settlers, known as the United Empire Loyalists, who had arrived from the United States following the American Revolution. ... This article is about the political process. ...

Republic

When Denmark was occupied by Germany on 9 April 1940 the union with Iceland was effectively severed. On the following day, the Althing passed two resolutions, investing the Icelandic cabinet with the power of Head of State and declaring that Iceland would accept full responsibility for both foreign affairs and coastal surveillance. A year later Althing adopted a law creating the position of Regent to represent the crown. This position continued until the Act of Union was repealed, and the Republic of Iceland established, at a session of the Althing held at Þingvellir on 17 June 1944. April 9 is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article concerns the legal meaning of the term resolution. ... Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State of 16 countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand and the Bahamas, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ... This article is about a journal. ... Þingvellir in autumn Þingvellir (Icelandic Þing: parliament, vellir: plains) is a place in the southwest of Iceland near the peninsula of Reykjanes and the Hengill volcanic area. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

In 1959 the system of electoral districts was changed completely. The country was divided into eight constituencies with proportional representation in each, in addition to the previous eleven equalization seats. The total number of members elected was 60. In 1968, the Althing approved the lowering of voting age to 20 years. A further amendment to the Constitution in 1984 increased the number of members to 63 and reduced voting age to 18 years. By a constitutional amendment of June 1999, implemented in May 2003, the constituency system was changed. The number of constituencies was cut from eight to six; constituency boundaries are to be fixed by law. Major changes were introduced in the Althing itself in May 1991 and the assembly now sits as a unicameral legislature. There are currently twelve standing committees. A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain in order to be eligible to vote in a public election. ... Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. ...

Latest elections

The next parliamentary elections are scheduled in May 2011. May 12 is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) is a center-right political party in Iceland. ... The Alliance (Samfylkingin) is a political party in Iceland. ... The Left-Green Movement (Vinstrihreyfingin - grænt framboð) is a political party in Iceland. ... The Progressive Party (Icelandic: Framsóknarflokkurinn) is an agrarian and liberal party in Iceland. ... The Liberal Party (Frjálslyndi flokkurinn) is a liberal party in Iceland. ... Icelands Movement – Living Land (Icelandic: ) is a green political party in Iceland founded by the reporter and environmentalist Ómar Ragnarsson and Margrét Sverrisdóttir on 23 March 2007[1] to contest the 2007 parliamentary election. ...

Notes

External links

• General information on Althingi on the Working and History pages
• Alþingi picture gallery from www.islandsmyndir.is

v • d • e Topics on Iceland
Subdivisions	Austurland • Höfuðborgarsvæði • Norðurland eystra • Norðurland vestra • Suðurland • Suðurnes • Vestfirðir • Vesturland
History	Timeline • Settlement of Iceland • Icelandic Commonwealth • Age of the Sturlungs • Cod War
Law	Supreme Court of Iceland
Politics	Parliament (Alþing) • President • Prime Minister • Ombudsman • Cabinet • Constitution • Elections • Administrative divisions • Political parties
Geography	Geology • Glaciers • Volcanoes • Waterfalls • Lakes • Rivers • Transport
Economy	Economic history • Stock Exchange • Icelandic Króna • Banks • Taxation
Military	Iceland Air Defence System • Icelandic Coast Guard • Víkingasveitin
Demographics	Language • Religion • Subdivisions
Culture	Architecture • Art • Cinema • Cuisine • Literature • Media • Music • Public holidays • Sport • Television