Althing

About

The Alþingi is the national legislature of Iceland, which is also known in the English language as the Icelandic Parliament or as the Parliament of Iceland. Established in 930, it is the oldest legislature in the world.

The original Althing was founded in 930 at Þingvellir ('thing fields' or 'assembly fields', anglicised as Thingvellir), about 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of what later became the country's capital, Reykjavík. The present parliament building, the Alþingishús, was built in 1881 of hewn Icelandic stone. The unicameral parliament has 63 members, and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional representation. Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir became speaker of the Althing in February 2025.