Government & politics — Iceland

Floki VILGERDARSON, an early Norse explorer of the island (9th century), applied the name "Land of Ice" after spotting a fjord full of drift ice to the north and spending a bitter winter on the island; he eventually settled on the island, however, after he saw how it greened up in the summer and that it was, in fact, habitable

• 1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown)
• 17 June 1944 (from Denmark
• birthday of Jon SIGURDSSON, leader of Iceland's 19th Century independence movement)

• History: several previous; latest ratified 16 June 1944,
• effective 17 June 1944 (at independence) Amendments: proposed by the Althingi; passage requires approval by the Althingi and by the next elected Althingi, and confirmation by the president of the republic; proposed amendments to Article 62 of the constitution – that the Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be the state church of Iceland – also require passage by referendum; amended many times, last in 2013

• chief of state: Preside
• nt Halla TOMASDOTTIR (since 1 August 2024) head of government: Prime Mi
• nister Kristrun FROSTADOTTIR (since 21 December 2024) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president upon the reco
• mmendation of the prime minister election/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 4-year term (no term limits); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majori
• ty coalition becomes prime minister most recent election date: 1
• June 2024 election results: 2024: Halla TOMASDOTTIR elected president; percent of vote - Halla TOMASDOTTIR (independent) 34.1%, Katrin JAKOBSDOTTIR (Left-Green Movement) 25.2%, Halla Hrund LOGADOTTIR (independent) 15.7%, Jon GNARR (Social Democratic Alliance) 10.1%, Baldur PORHALLSSON (independent) 8.4%, other 6.5% 2020: Gudni Thorlacius JOHANNESSON reelected president; percent of vote - Gudni Thorlacius JOHANNESSON (independent) 92.2%, Gudmundur Franklin JONSSON (independent) 7.8%
• expected date of next election: June 2028

Description

unicameral Althingi or Parliament (63 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed-list proportional representation vote using the D'Hondt method; members serve 4-year terms)

Elections

last held on 25 September 2021 (next to be held in 2025)

Election Results

• Percent of vote by party - IP 25.4%, PP 20.6%, LGM 12.7%, People's Party 9.5%, Pirate Party 9.5%, SDA 9.5%, Reform Party 7.9%, CP 4.8%
• seats by party - IP 16, PP 13, LGM 8, People's Party 6, Pirate Party 6, SDA 6, Reform Party 5, CP 3;

Composition

• men 33, women 30
• percent of women 47.6%

• Highest court(s): Supreme Court or Haestiret
• tur (consists of 9 judges) Judge selection and term of office: judges proposed by Ministry of Interior selection committee and appointed by the president;
• judges appointed for an indefinite period Subordinate courts: Appellate Court or Landsrettur; 8 district courts; Labor Court

64 municipalities (sveitarfelog, singular - sveitarfelagidh); Akranes, Akureyri, Arneshreppur, Asahreppur, Blaskogabyggdh, Bolungarvik, Borgarbyggdh, Dalabyggdh, Dalvikurbyggdh, Eyjafjardharsveit, Eyja-og Miklaholtshreppur, Fjallabyggdh, Fjardhabyggdh, Fljotsdalshreppur, Floahreppur, Gardhabaer, Grimsnes-og Grafningshreppur, Grindavikurbaer, Grundarfjardharbaer, Grytubakkahreppur, Hafnarfjordhur, Horgarsveit, Hrunamannahreppur, Hunathing Vestra, Hunabyggdh, Hvalfjardharsveit, Hveragerdhi, Isafjardharbaer, Kaldrananeshreppur, Kjosarhreppur, Kopavogur, Langanesbyggdh, Mosfellsbaer, Mulathing, Myrdalshreppur, Nordhurthing, Rangarthing Eystra, Rangarthing Ytra, Reykholahreppur, Reykjanesbaer, Reykjavik, Seltjarnarnes, Skaftarhreppur, Skagabyggdh, Skagafjordhur, Skeidha-og Gnupverjahreppur, Skorradalshreppur, Snaefellsbaer, Strandabyggdh, Stykkisholmur, Sudhavikurhreppur, Sudhurnesjabaer, Svalbardhsstrandarhreppur, Sveitarfelagidh Arborg, Sveitarfelagidh Hornafjordhur, Sveitarfelagidh Olfus, Sveitarfelagidh Skagastrond, Sveitarfelagidh Vogar, Talknafjardharhreppur, Thingeyjarsveit, Tjorneshreppur, Vestmannaeyjar, Vesturbyggdh, Vopnafjardharhreppur

• Centrist Party (Midflokkurinn) or CP [Sigmundur David GUNNLAUGSSON]
• Independence Party (Sjalfstaedisflokkurinn) or IP [Bjarni BENEDIKTSSON]
• Left-Green Movement (Vinstrihreyfingin-graent frambod) or LGM [Katrin JAKOBSDOTTIR]
• People's Party (Flokkur Folksins) [Inga SAELAND]
• Pirate Party (Piratar) [Thorhildur Sunna AEVARSDOTTIR]
• Progressive Party (Framsoknarflokkurinn) or PP [Sigurdur Ingi JOHANNSSON]
• Reform Party (Vidreisn) [Thorgerdur Katrin GUNNARSDOTTIR]
• Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin) or SDA [Kristrun FROSTADOTTIR]

• no Citizenship by descent only: at least one pa
• yes Residency requirement for naturalization: 3 to 7 years

Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, FAO, FATF, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Chief of mission

Ambassador Carrin F. PATMAN (since 6 October 2022) Embassy: Engjateigur 7, 105 Reykjavik Mailing address: 5640 Reykjavik Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-5640

Telephone

[354] 595-2200

FAX

[354] 562-9118

Email address and website

• ReykjavikConsular@state.gov
• https://is.usembassy.gov/

Chief of mission

Ambassador Bergdis ELLERTSDOTTIR (since 16 September 2019)

Chancery

House of Sweden, 2900 K Street NW, #509, Washington, DC 20007

Telephone

[1] (202) 265-6653

FAX

[1] (202) 265-6656

Email address and website

• Washington@mfa.is
• https://www.government.is/diplomatic-missions/embassy-of-iceland-in-washington-d.c/

Consulate(s) general

New York