Vægi atkvæða og pólitískt jafnrétti

Abstract

In this article an attempt is made to clarify the concept of political equality and how it relates to democratic government. The authors relate that with the general discussion on constitutional change in Iceland. An attempt is made to assess whether a formal, numerical equality of voting power in Iceland does indeed enhance or constitute political equality. The inequality of voting power between the centre and the periphery, or between the capital area and the countryside, is analysed and redefined. The question is then posed if – at the end of the day ˗ the nature of the unequal voting power between the countryside and the capital area calls for radical changes in the constitutional framework of the electoral system? It is pointed out that any change in the voting power and the geographical political balance needs to take into account different points of view and that alongside such political changes countermeasures need to be taken as to secure other interests of the periphery. Such measures need to be substantial and proportional to the changes they are supposed to counter.

Keywords

• Voting power
• political equality
• constituency
• centre
• periphery
• Iceland