Governments / Countries / Iceland
How is Iceland governed?
Iceland is a parliamentary republic. Its head of state is the president and its head of government is the prime minister. Real power sits with the prime minister.
Questions people ask
- Is Iceland a monarchy or a republic?
- Iceland is a republic (parliamentary republic).
- Who really rules Iceland?
- The prime minister holds the real executive power. Head of state: President. Head of government: Prime Minister.
- How is the head of state of Iceland chosen?
- Direct popular vote.
- Does Iceland have a king?
- No. Iceland has no monarch.
- Is Iceland a federation?
- No. It is a centralised unitary state.
- How many chambers does the parliament of Iceland have?
- One chamber: Althing (63 seats).
Parliament: Althing
Iceland's legislature has one chamber, 63 seats in all. Each dot is one seat; party seat counts are on IPU Parline.