Icelandic Parliament（Althingi）The rudiment of,IcelanderIt is called the oldest parliament in the world.IcelandThe venue of the ancient parliament is located in Thingvellir National Park, about 40 kilometers northeast of the current capital Reykjavik.This is a small hill, with open green fields in front and screen like cliffs more than 30 meters high behind.From the 9th century AD, Nordic and Irish people came to Iceland to settle down, and gradually formed some tribal settlements.In the summer of 930 AD, 39 leaders were elected from various settlements to meet in Singhvilir to discuss national affairs, which is the origin of the Icelandic Parliament.Since then, similar meetings have been held once a year, with the main task of formulating laws, sentencing criminal cases, etc., each meeting lasting two weeks.In addition to the members, residents from all over the country also came to listen and reflect their opinions.During the meeting, the members of Parliament sat on the hill, the people sat at the foot of the hill, and the Speaker stood on the rock halfway up the hill to preside over the meeting.Because of the echo of the cliff behind, the participants could hear the speaker's speech.Such parliamentary activities continued until 1798.
In 1262, Icelandic ministers belonged to Norway. In 1380, both Iceland and Norway came under the rule of Denmark. During this period, Parliament gradually lost its legislative power and was revoked in 1800.In 1845, the Icelandic Parliament was rebuilt in Reykjavik as the advisory parliament of the King of Denmark. After 1874, it gained some legislative and financial powers.In 1918, Iceland and Denmark signed a federal law, which stipulated that Iceland was a sovereign country, but the foreign affairs were still controlled by Denmark.On June 16, 1944, the Danish Union announced its dissolution. The next day, Iceland promulgated the first constitution after independence and announced the establishment of the Republic of Iceland.The Icelandic Parliament after independence wasthe bicameral systemAfter each new parliament is formed, one third of the members will be elected to form the upper house, and the other two-thirds will form the lower house. When holding a joint meeting, it is called the joint house.In October 1991, the upper and lower houses were merged into one house.The term of office of members is four years and they can be re elected.The Parliament, which was elected on April 25, 2009, has 63 members and is composed of representatives of five political parties.amongSocial Democratic Alliance20 seats, 16 seats for the Independent Party, 14 seats for the Left Wing Green Movement, 9 seats for the Progressive Party, and 4 seats for the Citizen Movement[1]
Status and authority
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According to the Icelandic Constitution, the Parliament shares legislative power with the President, and the bills passed by the Parliament become laws after being signed by the President.The main responsibility of Parliament is legislation.In addition, it is also possible to discuss non legislative issues, such as the position of Parliament by adopting resolutions.Parliament may question Cabinet Ministers on public affairs and request them to submit a report on a particular matter.Another important function of the Parliament is to supervise the executive power of the government. The National Audit Office and the Office of Letters and Calls of the Parliament are important institutions to implement this function[1]。
Election and election
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Legal residents of Iceland who have reached the age of 18 enjoy the right to vote according to law.The country is divided into six constituencies: the northwest constituency, the northeast constituency, the south constituency, the southwest constituency, the northern constituency of Reykjavik and the southern constituency of Reykjavik.According to the constitutional provisions on electoral districts adopted in June 1999, the number of electoral districts must be no less than 6 and no more than 7.The geographical boundaries of electoral districts are defined by law, except for two electoral districts in Reykjavik, which are defined by the National Electoral Commission.Each constituency holds 9 seats in the parliament, and the remaining 9 seats are allocated to constituencies and political parties.If the number of voters represented by a member seat in a constituency is less than half of that in other constituencies, the National Electoral Commission has the right to adjust the member seats in each constituency.No less than 6 seats shall be held in any constituency.The re delimitation of the constituency and the adjustment of the seats of the members of the constituency must be approved by more than two-thirds of the members.
Parliamentary elections are divided into primary elections and general elections.The primary election is reflected in the internal competition among political parties, and the voting results determine the ranking of members within the party.The voting results of the general election determine the voting rate of the political party in each electoral district, and accordingly determine the number of seats that the political party can obtain in the electoral district.According to the ranking within the party in the primary election, each constituency will produce the members who will eventually enter the parliament.If the Independent Party wins 50% of the votes in the southwest constituency, it will be able to obtain three of the six member seats in the constituency, and the top three members of the Independent Party in the southwest constituency will be finally elected as members.[1]
Conference system
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Each stage of the Assembly starts on October 1 of each year and ends at the same time in the next year.From May to October, the parliament will adjourn, and if necessary, it can resume discussion at any time.
Legislative procedures
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The legislative procedure of the Parliament is stipulated by the Constitution and relevant laws, specifying its various functions, organizational structure, committee work, parliamentary assembly rules and party and league activities.The legislative proposal must pass the "third reading", of which the first reading has a clear time limit, while the second reading and third reading do not.Members can vote for, oppose or abstain from voting on legislative proposals, and can briefly explain their decisions[1]。
Parliamentary party group
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Members of all political parties form their own parliamentary party group in the parliament, provided that the number of members of the party is at least two or more.Each party group can elect a chairman, who is responsible for communicating with the chairman of the parliament, other party groups and members on behalf of the party group.The chairman of the Party and Youth League is generally not the chairman of the political party[1]。
Office
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Each parliament is divided into four annual meetings. Before the annual meeting, members of the parliament draw lots to decide their seats so that members of all parties can sit separately.The annual meeting opened on October 1 and adjourned in May of the next year.In case of special circumstances, the meeting can also be convened during the recess.The President attended the opening ceremony of the annual meeting and delivered a speech.The President and six vice presidents form the Standing Committee to discuss major issues.The main agenda of the annual meeting is decided by the Standing Committee of the Parliament after the business cabinet and the parliamentary party group.The weekly agenda is also proposed by the Standing Committee and submitted to the Speaker for final decision.The parliamentary meeting is open to the public, and the media will cover the whole process.
The basic responsibility of the Speaker is to ensure that the legislative provisions, rules of procedure and procedures of Parliament are followed.In the absence of the President, the Speaker, together with the Prime Minister and the President of the Supreme Court, shall exercise the functions of President.
The Speaker presided over the meeting and guided the debate direction.The Speaker seeks a balance between different views and positions to protect the interests of all parties.The Speaker has the responsibility to ensure that the demands of all members of Parliament are treated fairly and not in favour of their political parties.
Members of the same party form a parliamentary party group and elect a chairman.The number of members of the Party and Youth League shall not be less than 2, and each member shall not belong to more than one Party and Youth League.The Party League usually meets once every two weeks to discuss and decide on the division of labor among its members in parliamentary committees and in dealing with important events, discuss the topics to be submitted to Parliament, review the proposals of parliamentary committees and propose amendments.
The Parliament has 12 committees, including the General Committee, the Economic and Trade Committee, the Social Affairs Committee, the Budget Committee, the Health and Social Security Committee, the Industry Committee, the Agriculture Committee, the Education Committee, the Transport and Communication Committee, the Fisheries Committee, the Environment Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee[1]
world record
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The longest parliament in the world:The Icelandic Parliament was launched in 930 AD. According to the Icelandic Constitution, the Parliament shares legislative power with the President. The bills passed by the Parliament become laws after being signed by the President.The main responsibility of Parliament is legislation.(Guinness World Records)
