Iceland´s new constitution is not solely a local concern

This paper analyzes the constitutional impasse in Iceland where, after the financial collapse of 2008, Parliament convened a National Assembly with 950 citizens randomly drawn from the national register to launch a long overdue revision of the 1944 constitution. The National Assembly concluded that a new constitution was needed and ought to contain certain key provisions. On this basis, a Constitutional Council of ordinary citizens was elected by the nation to draft a new constitution that was accepted by 2/3 of the voters in a national referendum held by Parliament in 2012. Parliament has yet to ratify the new constitution.