Icelandic parliamentary election, 1979

Last updated April 09, 2019

Parliamentary elections were held in Iceland on 2 and 3 December 1979.^[1] The Independence Party remained the largest party in the Lower House of the Althing, winning 14 of the 40 seats.^[2]

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.

The Independence Party is a liberal-conservative, Eurosceptic political party in Iceland. It is currently the largest party in the Althing, with 16 seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson. The secretary of the party is Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir.

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.

Results

Party	Votes	%	Lower House		Upper House
Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Seats	+/–
Independence Party	43,838	35.4	14	0	7	+1
Progressive Party	30,861	24.9	11	+3	6	+2
People's Alliance	24,401	19.7	7	–2	4	–1
Social Democratic Party	21,580	17.4	7	–2	3	–2
Independent Voters in the South^[a]	1,484	1.2	1	+1	0	0
Independent Voters in the North East^[a]	857	0.7	0	New	0	New
Revolutionary Communist League	480	0.4	0	0	0	0
The Other Party	158	0.1	0	New	0	New
The Sunshine Party	92	0.1	0	New	0	New
Invalid/blank votes	3,178	–	–	–	–	–
Total	126,929	100	40	0	20	0
Registered voters/turnout	142,073	89.3	–	–	–	–
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

^a Both groups were breakaways from the Independence Party.

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References

↑ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p962 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p976

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[NS-1] Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p962 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7

[2] Nohlen & Stöver, p976

[a]

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