1908 Icelandic parliamentary election
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Parliamentary elections were held in Iceland on 10 September 1908, alongside a referendum on prohibition.[1]
Background
The
Frederik VIII in the early spring in order to elect a new parliament that would vote on a draft status law that would define the position of Iceland in the Danish realm.[2] The election campaign was one of the acrimonious in Icelandic political history due to the controversial nature of the draft.[2] The opposition was led by Skúli Thoroddsen, a member of the Independence Party.[3]
Electoral system
The 36 members of the Althing were elected from a mix of single-member and two-member constituencies.
Results
Candidates opposed to the draft law won a landslide majority, whilst voter turnout was 72.4%, nearly 20% more than the 1903 elections.[6] As a result, the law was voted down in 1909,[2] resulting in the resignation of Minister for Iceland Hannes Hafstein.[3]
References
- ^ Sverrir Jakobsson & Gudmundur Halfdanarson (2016) Historical Dictionary of Iceland, Rowman & Littlefield, pxxiv
- ^ a b c Jakobsson & Halfdanarson, p54
- ^ a b Jakobsson & Halfdanarson, p223
- ^ ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
- ^ Lester B. Orfield (1953) The Growth of Scandinavian Law, The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., p109
- ^ a b Nohlen & Stöver, p963