A committee comprised of members from all political parties in the Icelandic parliament, Althingi, chaired by a representative of Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir, is to assess the situation which surfaced after the Supreme Court of Iceland invalidated the Constitutional Assembly election and suggest viable ways to proceed in reviewing the Constitution of Iceland. A report is to be handed in on February 15.
Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.
Appointing the committee was a decision made after a meeting by party leaders on Tuesday. PM Sigurdardóttir said her view is unchanged; a Constitutional Assembly should be held, and she believes the majority of MPs in parliament agree with her, Fréttabladid reports.
However, Bjarni Benediktsson, chairman of the largest opposition party, the Independence Party, voiced his opinion on Tuesday that Althingi should review the constitution and not a Constitutional Assembly where no MP has a seat.
Benediktsson is keen on discussing items such as natural resources, national referendums, the presidential office, courts and other items in the constitution that require reviewing.
When asked about her response to Benediktsson’s suggestion, Sigurdardóttir replied that in light of past experience of the political parties’ attempts to review the constitution, this is a task better suited for a Constitutional Assembly.
Click here to read more about the Constitutional Assembly and the Supreme Court’s invalidation of the election.
