The challenge
After the 2008 crash, Icelanders had lost trust in their political system.
The case
After the 2008 financial crash, Iceland set out to rewrite its constitution with unusual public participation. A national forum of randomly selected citizens set priorities, and a council of 25 citizens, chosen in a national vote that the Supreme Court annulled and then appointed by parliament, drafted the text in 2011, posting drafts online for public comment. In a 2012 advisory referendum, voters backed the draft as the basis of a new constitution. But parliament, which had the final say, never passed it. According to the National Electoral Commission, 64.2% of votes cast in the October 2012 referendum supported making the council's proposals the basis of a new constitution.
Why it didn't work
Participation without a binding path to decision can end in frustration. Unlike Ireland's assembly, Iceland's process left the final call with politicians who had little incentive to act.
Sources
- Landemore, H. (2015). Inclusive constitution-making: The Icelandic experiment. Journal of Political Philosophy.
- Government of Iceland (2012). Outcome of the counting of votes cast in the referendum on 20 October 2012 (National Electoral Commission announcement).
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