ABSTRACT
The 63-member Icelandic Althingi is the oldest Nordic parliament in what, ironically, is by far the youngest nation-state in the region. The ancient legislature dates back to 930 when its creation marked the unification of the various Norse settlements within a single nation. The Althingi is also by far the smallest of the Nordic parliaments, comprising little more than one-sixth of the members of the Swedish Riksdag and under half the number in the Scottish Parliament. When Iceland gained independence from the Danish crown in 1944, there were only 52 Althingi members; this rose to 60 in 1959 and to its present level of 63 in 1984. With a population of only 267,000, this has meant a very low voter-MP ratio and a more personalised form of parliamentary representation than in any other Western democracy. In a comparative perspective, Icelanders are much more able to cite the name of their local MP than other Nordic citizens.
