Althing

Althing Alþingi
Type
Type	Unicameral
Term limits	None
History
Founded	821
Leadership
Lawspeaker of the Althing	Matteus Gunnlaugsson, Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party since 1 January 2013
Structure
Seats	300
File:Althing.png
Political groups	Government (152) (RGSA)   Socialist-Farmer-Labour (34)   Communist (33)   Socialist Left (21)   Social Democratic (18)   Green Party (15)   Farmer's League (13)   Friends of Esquarium (5)   Atlanticanist Union (5)   Liberationist (3)   Rent Is Too Damn High (3)   Equality (2) Crossbenchers (14) (MinA)   Vjaarlandic People's (8)   Mburi Assembly (6) Other Crossbenchers (3)   Radical Anarchists and Pirates (3) Opposition (122) (MA)   Radical (24)   Democratic (22)   Blue (20)   National (14)   Farmers' (12)   Social Credit (11)   Liberal Democrats (9)   Vestmarkic, Royalist and Distributist People's (8)   Revolutionary Jahistic Movement (2) Other Opposition (9)   Esquarium First! (EF!) (3)   Nationalist Workers' (2)   Democratic Anti-Democracy (2)   Communist (Welzist) (1)   Communist (Welzist-Haclavist) (1)
Elections
Voting system	D'Hondt method
Last election	January 2013
Meeting place
Atlantican Capitol, Stórkostlegurborg
Website
www.althing.al

The Atlantican Althing (Atlantican: Alþingi) is the unicameral legislature of the Jarldom of Atlantica and meets in the Atlantican Capitol in Stórkostlegurborg. In accordance with Atlantica's parliamentary system, the Althing is legally the highest body of the Jarldom of Atlantica, and has the sole power to form the Atlantican Government (as such controlling the executive branch) and via the Government indirectly appoints all Judges. Due to Atlantica's unique political system with a high level of direct democracy, the Althing jointly exercises its power to create, amend and abolish laws with that of the Atlantican electorate.

Established in 821 (at the same time as the Unification of Atlantica) and having continuously been in existence as Atlantica's parliament since that time, the Althing is both the oldest parliament, oldest existing legislature and oldest continuously-existing legislature, serving as Atlantica's parliament for nearly 1200 years, and consists of 300 members, all elected via the D'Hondt method in a single constituency, without an electoral threshold by all Atlantican citizens at or above the age of 16.

Elections for the Althing are held on the first day of every year divisible by three; thus elections for the Althing are held every three years; additionally, a snap election may be called at any time by the Atlantican Government or if the Government loses a vote of no confidence, except on or after 21 November during the year preceding the election year.

History

The Atlantican Althing, the oldest and continuously-existing parliament and legislature still in existence in the world, has had a long and rich 1200-year history. This most ancient institution, however, is rooted in Antiquity, in Things as old as Atlantican civilisation itself. The Things, open to all freemen of a particular Municipality, organised under a principle of one man, one vote and an ancient system of direct democracy, served as the legislature of the vast majority of Atlantican communities, and throughout the ages the Things have not only survived but prospered, and since 821 have been the sole form of municipal government used in Atlantica.

In 821, as Stórkostlegurborg and her allies in the Atlantican League, all of whom were governed by Things, successfully united Atlantica, and sought to create a form of government based on the Things. As this was impractical considering the travelling times from various cities, especially in mountainous, rugged Atlantica, the newly-created Atlantican Constitution established the Althing, elected by all freemen of Atlantica and said body would elect the Lawspeaker of the Althing and the Atlantican Council of Hinds, which to this date is Atlantica's Cabinet, who would then elect the Lawspeaker of the Hinds, who (along with the Lawspeaker of the Althing) would lead the executive branch. Additionally, as most still strongly supported incorporating forms of direct democracy into Atlantica, a clause was enacted into the Constitution allowing citizens to petition the Government to hold a mandatory, binding referendum if said citizens got a certain amount of signatures, and another clause was enacted into the Constitution requiring all laws passed by the Althing to also be voted on and approved or rejecting (via a simple majority) by the people.

This system largely continued and remained intact until 1657, when, due to a complete collapse of Atlantica's economy, Atlantica agreed to become an executive monarchy (it previously was a crowned republic, and before that a republic) in a personal union with Vjaarland in exchange for various forms of economic aid. Thus, in 1657 a new Constitution was declared that abolished the referendum system and granted the Atlantican Co-Jarl (which was to become an ex officio role of the Grand Duke of Vjaarland, sharing the status of Jarl with Atlantica's indigenous Jarl, although said position was and is entirely without power) powers including but not limited to powers to refuse to give royal assent to any legislation as the Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl deemed fit, or to dissolve the session of the Althing and call new elections. These powers were severely limited in the 1860s and 1870s, however, as the Althing passed constitutional amendments allowing the Althing to override a veto of the Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl by a three-fifths majority, and removing the Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl's power to call new elections for the Althing, and in 1879, as Vjaarland became a crowned republic itself as a result of the Vjaarlandic Revolution, the Althing replaced the 1657 Constitution that created an executive monarchy with the 1879 Constitution, which made Atlantica a crowned republic by stripping all of the Vjaarlandic Co-Jarl's powers, but this Constitution did not reinstate the traditional referendum system that had existed in 1657, which resulted in unprecedented powers for the Althing, although referendums were mandatory for all constitutional amendments, the right of petition for referenda on laws passed by either the Althingor on new laws was created/reinstated, respectively/

This time of unprecedented power for the Althing did not last, however, as in 1925 Gunnar Ólafursson, a strong believer in direct democracy, was elected Lawspeaker of the Althing, and during that same year he established a new Constitution that, among other things (most notably granting numerous second and third-generation human rights to Atlanticans, including Clauses declaring that all Atlantican citizens have a right to universal healthcare, partially enshrining Atlantica's notoriously strict and pro-union labour laws into the Atlantican Constitution, and declaring all public utilities to be owned by the Atlantican State), reestablished the referendum system in Atlantica on all laws affecting the citizenry. Atlantica continues to use referendums on all laws affecting the citizenry to this date.