Iceland

B

Legislature

The parliament of Iceland is the Althing, which has met almost continually since its establishment in ad 930. The Althing is considered the oldest parliament in Europe and is often referred to as “the grandmother of parliaments.” The power of the Althing declined after 1262, and it ceased to function from 1800 to 1843—the year it became a consultative assembly. It regained the full powers of a legislature in 1904.

The Althing was converted from a bicameral to a unicameral system in 1991. It has 63 members, 54 elected to four-year terms under a system of proportional representation and 9 allotted to the political parties based on their relative vote totals in the elections.

C

Political Parties

The leading political organizations of Iceland are the center-right Independence Party; the social democratic Alliance coalition; the Progressive Party, a liberal agrarian group; the Left-Green Movement; and the free-market oriented Liberal Party. Governments in Iceland are generally formed by coalitions.

D

Local Government

Iceland is divided into about 100 municipalities. The municipalities have significant autonomy and administer many important local affairs. These include responsibility for primary and secondary education; infrastructure, such as road maintenance, electric power, and water supply; and the provision of health and social welfare. Each municipality is governed by an elected council.

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E

Judiciary

The highest tribunal of Iceland is the supreme court, made up of a chief justice and seven other justices appointed by the president. Other judicial bodies include district and special courts.

VI

History

Irish monks are known to have visited Iceland before ad 800, but it remained largely unsettled until about 870. Norwegian Viking Ingólfur Arnarson is generally considered the first permanent settler. Arnarson established his farm at Reykjavík, now the capital.

During the next 60 years, other settlers flocked to the island from the Scandinavian countries and the British Isles. In 930 Icelanders set up their first central governing assembly, the Althing.

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