Editing Althing (section)

{{short description|Supreme legislature of Iceland}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox legislature
| name               = Icelandic Parliament
| native_name        = {{Nobold|{{lang|is|Alþingi Íslendinga}}}}
| transcription_name =
| legislature        = [[List of members of the Althing, 2024–2028|Members]]
| foundation         = {{ubl|{{start date and age|930}}|{{end date|1800}} (defunct)|{{start date and age|1844}} (restored)}}
| new_session        = 
| coa_pic            = Althing Logo.svg
| coa_res            = 250
| house_type         = [[Unicameralism|Unicameral]]
| leader1_type       = [[List of Speakers of the Parliament of Iceland|Speaker]]
| leader1            = [[Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir]]
| party1             = [[Social Democratic Alliance]]
| election1          = 4 February 2025
| members            = 63
| structure1         = Iceland Althing 2024.svg
| structure1_res     = 250px
| political_groups1  = 
'''[[Cabinet of Kristrún Frostadóttir|Government]] (36)'''
:{{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Social Democratic Alliance}}|border=black}} [[Social Democratic Alliance]] (15)}}
:{{Color box|{{party color|Viðreisn}}|border=black}} [[Viðreisn]] (11)
:{{Color box|{{party color|People's Party (Iceland)}}|border=black}} [[People's Party (Iceland)|People's Party]] (10)
'''Opposition (27)'''
:{{Color box|{{party color|Independence Party (Iceland)}}|border=black}} [[Independence Party (Iceland)|Independence Party]] (14)
:{{Color box|{{party color|Centre Party (Iceland)}}|border=black}} [[Centre Party (Iceland)|Centre Party]] (8)
:{{Color box|{{party color|Progressive Party (Iceland, 2021)}}|border=black}} [[Progressive Party (Iceland)|Progressive Party]] (5)
| voting_system1 = [[Open list]] [[Party-list proportional representation|proportional representation]]
| last_election1 = [[2024 Icelandic parliamentary election|30 November 2024]]
| next_election1 = [[Next Icelandic parliamentary election|By 30 November 2028]]
| session_room   = Althingi.png
| session_res    = 
| session_alt    = Parliament House in Reykjavík
| meeting_place  = {{Lang|is|[[Alþingishúsið]]|italic=no}}, [[Reykjavík]]
| website        = {{URL|https://www.althingi.is}}
}}
{{Politics of Iceland}}
{{coord|64|08|48|N|21|56|25|W|display=title}}
The {{lang|is|'''Alþingi'''|i=no}} ({{IPA|is|ˈalˌθiɲcɪ|}}; {{langnf|is||general meeting}}), anglicised as '''Althingi''' or '''Althing''', is the [[Parliamentary sovereignty|supreme]] [[Parliament|national parliament]] of [[Iceland]]. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world.<ref name="eu-oldest">{{cite web|title=A short history of Alþingi – the oldest parliament in the world|url=http://europa.eu/youth/is/article/61/4215_en|website=europa.eu|publisher=The European Union|access-date=7 April 2017|archive-date=15 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115082348/http://europa.eu/youth/is/article/61/4215_en|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="cnbc-oldest">{{cite news|last1=Meredith|first1=Sam|title=World's oldest parliament poised for radical Pirates to takeover|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/28/worlds-oldest-parliament-poised-for-radical-pirates-to-takeover.html|access-date=7 April 2017|work=CNBC|date=28 October 2016}}</ref>{{efn|[[Tynwald]] claims to be the oldest continuous surviving parliament,<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.tynwald.org.im/about/Pages/default.aspx |title=The High Court of Tynwald |publisher=[[Tynwald|The High Court of Tynwald]] (www.tynwald.org.im) |access-date=14 November 2011 }}</ref> as the Althing was inactive from 1800 to 1844.}} The Althing was founded in 930 at {{lang|is|[[Þingvellir]]}} ('[[Thing (assembly)|thing]] fields' or 'assembly fields'), about {{convert|45|km}} east of what later became the country's capital, [[Reykjavík]]. After Iceland's union with [[Norway]] in 1262, the Althing lost its legislative power,<ref name="ath"/> which was not restored until 1904 when Iceland gained home rule from Denmark. For 641 years, the Althing did not serve as the parliament of Iceland; ultimate power rested with the Norwegian, and subsequently the Danish throne.<ref name="ath"/> Even after Iceland's union with [[Norway]] in 1262, the Althing still held its sessions at {{lang|is|Þingvellir}} until 1800, when it was discontinued. It was restored in 1844 by royal decree and moved to Reykjavík.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sigurðardóttir|first1=Heiða María|last2=Emilsson|first2=Páll Emil|title=Hvenær var Alþingi stofnað?|url=https://www.visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=5268|website=visindavefur.is|publisher=Vísindavefurinn|access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref> The restored [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] legislature first came together in 1845 and after 1874 operated in [[Bicameralism|two chambers]] with an additional [[Tricameralism|third chamber]] taking on a greater role as the decades passed until 1991 when Althing became once again unicameral.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://althingi.is/tilkynningar/aldarfjordungur-fra-thvi-ad-deildaskipting-var-aflogd|title = Aldarfjórðungur frá því að deildaskipting var aflögð}}</ref> The present parliament building, the {{lang|is|[[Alþingishúsið|Alþingishús]]}}, was built in 1881, made of hewn Icelandic stone.<ref>{{cite news|title=ALÞINGISHÚSIÐ – ÁGRIP AF BYGGINGARSÖGU ÞESS|url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=3278359|access-date=7 April 2017|work=Morgunblaðið|date=24 April 1949}}</ref> The unicameral parliament has 63 members, and is elected every four years based on [[party-list proportional representation]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Álvarez-Rivera|first1=Manuel|title=Election Resources on the Internet: Elections to the Icelandic Althing (Parliament)|url=http://www.electionresources.org/is/|website=electionresources.org|publisher=Election Resources|access-date=10 April 2017}}</ref> The current speaker of the Althing, since February 2025, is [[Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir]].

The [[constitution of Iceland]] provides for six electoral [[Constituencies of Iceland|constituencies]] with the possibility of an increase to seven. The constituency boundaries and the number of seats allocated to each constituency are fixed by legislation. No constituency can be represented by fewer than six seats. Furthermore, each party with more than 5% of the national vote is allocated seats based on its [[Proportional representation|proportion]] of the 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. If the number of voters represented by each member of the Althing in one constituency would be less than half of the comparable ratio in another constituency, the [[National Electoral Commission of Iceland|Icelandic National Electoral Commission]] is tasked with altering the allocation of seats to reduce that difference.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stjórnarskipunarlög um breytingu á stjórnarskrá lýðveldisins Íslands, nr. 33/1944, með síðari breytingum.|url=http://www.althingi.is/altext/stjt/1999.077.html|website=althingi.is|publisher=Alþingi Íslands|access-date=7 April 2017}}</ref>