Constitutional reform in Iceland: From crowdsourcing to stagnation
Following the banking collapse in 2008, the Icelandic people voted out the conservative government and elected a new, left-wing government. This government promised to tackle the long-awaited constitutional reform. To this end, 950 citizens of the island – selected partly on a representative basis and partly at random – were initially tasked with gathering ideas in small groups, which were then grouped into thematic clusters.
The actual draft was drawn up by a 25-member Constitutional Council, whilst every Icelander, in keeping with the principles of wikis and liquid democracy, could propose amendments online and contribute to the text. The result not only sought to establish new forms of direct democracy via referendums, but also enshrined a right to internet access.
In a non-binding referendum held in 2012, between 58 and 84 per cent of voters answered ‘yes’ to the six questions put to them regarding the constitutional amendment. Nevertheless, the draft did not become law.
In this CitiDem webinar, Jón Ólafsson will discuss the long-term consequences of Iceland's participatory and crowd-sourced constitutional revision process in the 2010s. What are the lessons for civic participation and consensus-based constitutional change?
Jón Ólafsson is a professor at the Faculty of Humanities, Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Iceland.