Icelandic parliamentary election, 1923

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Parliamentary elections were held in Iceland on 27 October 1923. [1] Voters elected all 28 seats in the Lower House of the Althing and eight of the fourteen seats in Upper House. [2] The Citizens' Party, a loose collection of conservatives, [3] emerged as the largest party in the Lower House, winning 16 of the 28 seats.

Iceland island republic in Northern Europe

Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic, with a population of 348,580 and an area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi), making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Reykjavík, with Reykjavík and the surrounding areas in the southwest of the country being home to over two-thirds of the population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, with most of the archipelago having a tundra climate.

Althing unicameral parliament of Iceland

The Alþingi is the national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world, a claim shared by Tynwald. The Althing was founded in 930 at Þingvellir, situated approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of what later became the country's capital, Reykjavík. Even after Iceland's union with Norway in 1262, the Althing still held its sessions at Þingvellir until 1800, when it was discontinued for 45 years. It was restored in 1844 and moved to Reykjavík, where it has resided ever since. The present parliament building, the Alþingishús, was built in 1881, made of hewn Icelandic stone.

Citizens Party (Iceland, 1923)

The Citizens' Party was a political party in Iceland.

Contents

Electoral system

This was the first election held following changes made to the electoral system in 1920, in which two extra seats were allocated to Reykjavík. Whilst all seats had previously been elected in one or two-member constituencies, the four-member constituency for Reykjavík was now elected by proportional representation using the D'Hondt method. [2]

Reykjavík capital and largest city in Iceland

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxa Bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a population of around 128,793, it is the heart of Iceland's cultural, economic and governmental activity, and is a popular tourist destination.

Proportional representation (PR) characterizes electoral systems in which divisions in an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. If n% of the electorate support a particular political party, then roughly n% of seats will be won by that party. The essence of such systems is that all votes contribute to the result - not just a plurality, or a bare majority. The most prevalent forms of proportional representation all require the use of multiple-member voting districts, as it is not possible to fill a single seat in a proportional manner. In fact, the implementations of PR that achieve the highest levels of proportionality tend to include districts with large numbers of seats.

The D'Hondt method or the Jefferson method is a highest averages method for allocating seats, and is thus a type of party-list proportional representation. The method described is named in the United States after Thomas Jefferson, who introduced the method for proportional allocation of seats in the United States House of Representatives in 1791, and in Europe after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt, who described it in 1878 for proportional allocation of parliamentary seats to the parties. There are two forms: closed list and an open list.

The changes also equalised the age limits for voting between men (25) and women and servants (previously 40) at 25. [2]

Results

PartyVotes%Lower HouseUpper House [a]
Seats+/–Seats+/–
Citizens' Party 16,27253.616New7New
Progressive Party 8,06226.610+35+1
Social Democratic Party 4,912.516.21+100
Independents1,115.53.71New0New
Independence Party ––––2–2
Invalid/blank votes784–––––
Total31,14610028+2140
Registered voters/turnout43,93270.9––––
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

a Includes the three seats elected in 1922.

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References

  1. ↑ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p961 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. 1 2 3 Nohlen & Stöver, p954
  3. ↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p965
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