Prospective Prime Minister of Iceland Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir of the Social Democrats and chairman of the Left-Greens Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, who is expected to become Iceland’s next minister of finance, announced yesterday that a constitutional parliament will be convened in the spring.

Prospective Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.

Sigurdardóttir revealed at a press conference that the Progressive Party had made the constitutional parliament a condition for defending the Social Democrat-Left-Green minority government from a vote of no confidence and that they had agreed to comply with the Progressive Party’s stipulation, mbl.is reports.

However, it is not clear how the constitutional parliament will be implemented or when the public will vote its representatives into the parliament. A constitutional parliament (stjórnlagathing in Icelandic) convenes with the express purpose of making amendments to the constitution.

The Progressive Party has prepared a bill on the possible implementation of the upcoming constitutional parliament, Morgunbladid reports.

According to the bill, the number of public representatives in the constitutional parliament would be 63. Elections to the parliament would be held next fall and all citizens are eligible for a seat in the parliament except for MPs, alternate MPs, ministers and the president of Iceland.

Sigurdardóttir and Sigfússon would not release any details on the new coalition but Sigfússon said it would be historical in terms of gender equality because for the first time in Iceland’s political history there will be an equal number of male and female ministers.

According to the announced schedule, the new government will take office tomorrow.

Click here to read more about the talks on formation of a new coalition.