| Description | The Althingi is both the oldest and greatest national institution. Its establishment, as an outdoor assembly held on the plains of Thingvellir from about the year 930 AD, laid the foundation for an independent national existence in Iceland.
To begin with, the Althingi was a general assembly of the nation, where the country's most powerful leaders, called goðar, met to decide on legislation and dispense justice. As all free men could attend, the assemblies were usually the main social event of the year and drew large crowds of farmers and their families, parties involved in legal disputes, traders, craftsmen, storytellers and travellers.
All Icelandic citizens 18 years of age and older on election day have the right to vote. Just over 211 thousand Icelanders were eligible to vote in the 2003 Althingi elections and some 87,7% did. Prior to the most recent national elections in Iceland, changes were made to the constituencies so that the country is now divided into six constituencies: the northwest and northeast, south and southwest districts, Reykjavík north and Reykjavík south.
Each constituency has nine constituency seats in parliament, awarded on the basis of the outcome of voting in that constituency. The additional nine seats (referred to as "equalisation seats") are distributed to constituencies and allocated to political parties so that the parliamentary representation of each will reflect as closely as possible the total votes it received. Only parties receiving at least 5% of valid votes cast can be allocated equalisation seats.
According to constitutional provisions on constituencies, which were adopted in June 1999, they must number at least six and no more than seven. The constituency boundaries are decided by law; however, the national electoral committee may be authorised to draw the boundaries in Reykjavík and the vicinity. Following each election to the Althingi, if the number of registered voters represented by each parliamentary seat, including equalisation seats, in any constituency is less than half that of those in another constituency, the national electoral committee shall adjust the number of parliamentary seats in the constituencies to reduce this difference. The number of seats in each constituency must, however, be at least six. Changes to the constituency boundaries and arrangements for allocating seats in parliament, as prescribed by law, can only be made with the approval of two-thirds of votes cast in the Althingi. Prior to this Iceland was divided into eight constituencies, under arrangements which had prevailed since 1959.
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