Althing (Azmara)

Parliament of Azmara Alþing
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	• Landsmot • Folksmot
Leadership
President of the Landsmot	Alana Jonsdohter, Independent since 14 May 2020
President of the Folksmot	Leif Freissun, Workers' Party since 22 April 2020
Structure
Landsmot political groups	Caretaker government (42)   Workers' (24)   Radicals (11)   Greens (6)   Independent (1) Opposition (33)   Sotirian Democrats (12)   Gold Flame (9)   Free Alliance (6)   Socialists (2)   Blue and White (1)   Independent (3)
Folksmot political groups	Caretaker government (68)   Workers' (43)   Radicals (13)   Greens (12) Opposition (82)   Sotirian Democrats (26)   Gold Flame (25)   Blue and White (11)   Socialist (7)   Free Alliance 08 (4)   Grey Party (4)   Generation Azmara (3)   Liveable Groonbank (2)
Elections
Landsmot voting system	Indirect election
Folksmot voting system	Open-list proportional representation
Landsmot last election	10 May 2020
Folksmot last election	19 April 2020
Meeting place
Stefansburg House, Aalmsted, Azmara
Website
www.althing.az

The Alþing, often estmerified as Althing, also known as the Parliament of Azmara, is the bicameral legislature of the Commonwealth of Azmara. It is comprised of both the Landsmot and the Folksmot, both of which meet at Stefansburg House in Aalmsted. The Folksmot is the more important of these two chambers - the Landsmot only has the power to delay and amend, not reject legislative proposals, and can not deny confidence to the Government of Azmara.

While a bicameral body known as the Alþing serving as the national legislature of Azmara has existed since the creation of an Azmaran state in 1623, the creation of the modern legislature is often put to 1855, when the current principle of imperfect bicameralism was introduced and property qualifications for the Folksmot were abolished as part of the Radical Revolution - the pre-1855 legislature is thus often referred to as the Alþing of the Estates to distinguish it from the modern body. The powers of the legislature were expanded further by the 1915 constitution as it shifted the country from a presidential system to a parliamentary one.

The Folksmot's 150 members are elected through party-list proportional representation using the eight provinces as constituencies for three-year terms, while the Landsmot's 75 members are chosen through a mixed system - 40 are chosen by the provincial governments while 35 are elected by five "functional constituencies" representing trade unions, employers' organisations, small businesses and agriculture, university graduates and cultural organisations respectively.