Icelanders Demand Crowdsourced Constitution Enter Force

Reykjavik, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Oct, 2020 ) :Ordinary Icelanders on Tuesday demanded that parliament adopt a partly crowdsourced constitution developed following the financial crisis, in a petition signed by around one in eight inhabitants of the island nation.

Over the past four months, more than 43,000 people -- around 12 percent of Iceland's residents - have put their Names to the call to ratify the text, which voters already approved in 2012.

"We're asking (lawmakers) to respect the 2012 referendum" that saw over two-thirds of Icelanders back the draft constitution, Helga Baldvins Bjargardottir told AFP.

In the wake of the 2009 financial crisis, the project became the expression of ordinary people's defiance against the political class and determination to change things in the north Atlantic nation.

Bjargardottir, who heads a group called Women For a New Constitution and started the petition, said the document was "the result of discussions, debates and endless compromises by people who are not politicians".

A "constituent council" of around 20 people pulled together the draft text, which was modified based on thousands of comments from the public before being put to the vote.

In force since 1944 and already amended eight times, Iceland's existing basic law dates back to when the country was part of Denmark and is seen as outdated.

But the governments in power since 2012 have failed to push the new one through for lack of agreement or the needed parliamentary majority.

The main changes relate to the role of the president, public ownership of natural resources, environmental protection and the Icelandic language.

Left-wing environmentalist Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir does plan to bring a less ambitious constitutional reform before parliament next month, which analysts say has little chance of passing.