Althing

Also known as Alþingi, Parliament of Iceland, Icelandic Parliament, Alþing

The (; , anglicised as Althing or Althingi), is the national legislature of Iceland, which is also known in the English language as the Icelandic Parliament or as the Parliament of Iceland. Established in 930, it is the oldest legislature in the world, although the Tynwald is the oldest continuous legislature in the world, because the Althing was disbanded in 1800 and restored in 1845.

AI overview

The Althing is Iceland's national legislature, or parliament, that was first established in 930, making it the world's oldest legislature. Although it was disbanded in 1800 and later restored in 1845, it remains a significant institution in Iceland's governance and holds historical importance as one of the world's most ancient legislative bodies.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Legislature.name: Icelandic Parliament
Legislature.legislature: Members
Legislature.coa_pic: Althing Logo.svg
Legislature.coa_res: 250
Legislature.house_type: Unicameral
Legislature.leader1_type: Speaker
Legislature.leader1: Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir
Legislature.party1: Social Democratic Alliance
Legislature.election1: 4 February 2025
Legislature.members: 63
Legislature.structure1: Iceland Althing 2024.svg
Legislature.structure1_res: 250px
Legislature.political_groups1: Government (36) Viðreisn (11) People's (10) Opposition (27) Independence (14) Centre (8) Progressive (5)
Legislature.voting_system1: Open list proportional representation with a 5% electoral threshold for leveling seats
Legislature.last_election1: 30 November 2024
Legislature.next_election1: By 30 November 2028
Legislature.session_room: Althingi.png
Legislature.session_alt: Parliament House in Reykjavík

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official website: althingi.is
Image: Althingi.png

Show 4 more facts

number of seats: 63
native label: Alþingi
inception: 1918-12-01
Commons category: Alþingi

Sources (4)

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~24 min read

Article

20 sections

Contents

Historical background
Foundation: {{circa}} 930–1262
{{lang|is|Lögrétta|italic=no}}
Monarchy: 1262–1800
High Court: 1800–1845
Consultative assembly: 1845–1874
Legislative assembly from 1874
Home rule
Personal union
Republic
Recent and future elections
5 percent threshold
Results of 2024 general election
Historical composition
Republic of Iceland (Since 1944)
Members (1980s–present)
See also
Notes
References
External links

The original Althing was founded in 930 at ('thing fields' or 'assembly fields', anglicised as Thingvellir), about east of what later became the country's capital, Reykjavík. The present parliament building, the , was built in 1881 of hewn Icelandic stone. The unicameral parliament has 63 members, and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional representation. Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir became speaker of the Althing in February 2025.