WHAT MEDIA NEVER BROADCAST
People of Iceland have given a lesson in democracy to the rest of the world by confronting their system.
New constitution in Iceland: The conspiracy of silence..
Iceland ended 2011 with economic growth of 2.1% and is forecast by the European Commission to reach 2.7% in 2013 thanks to the creation of new jobs, mainly.
Iceland is the only European country that rejected the bailout of private banks by referendum, letting some of them collapse and judging many bankers for their financial crimes. But curiously, the French and European media don't speak about it or very little...
There isn't official censorship in Press, radio or TV media, but journalists and experts of all stripes so quick to talk about what's happening in Egypt, Libya or Syria, they don't say absolutely nothing about what's happening in Iceland. Have we spoken in the many political debates for the presidential election?
Have we seen pictures on TV ? Of course not, 'Causen European citizens could have the bad idea to be inspired... According to the thinking of governments.
In Icelan, People have make resigned a government in full force. The main banks were nationalized and it was decided to NOT pay the debt they had with banks in Great Britain and Holland. ( Debt generated by their bad financial policy).
- 2008: The Glitnir, landsbankinn and Kaupthing banks are nationalized to avoid bankruptcy rather than unconditionally injecting public capital, as in Spain or other European countries. Iceland's total debt is equal to 9times its GDP. The currency collapses and the stock market suspends its activities after a fall of 76%.
-2009: The IFM, as usual, demands in exchange for so-called "adjustment" measures, cuts in social spending that anger the population, the fall of the government and the convening of early elections. The left won the absolute majority, causing the collapse of the Independance Part, a conservative part that was traditionnaly the dominant force in the country and retains only 23.7% of the vote. Johanna Siguroardottir is chosen to lead the government bringing together leftist social democrats and ecologists.
The disastrous economic situation of the country persists. By means of a law, it's proposed to Great Britain and Holland the repayment of the debt, and a payment of 3500 million euros ( amount to be paid monthly by all Icelantic families for 15 years at an interest rate of 5%). But People are coming down the street again and demanding that the law be submitted to a referendum.
- January 2010: President refuse to ratify this law and announces that there will be a popular consultation.
- March 2010: The referendum takes place and the No to the payment of the debt wins by 93% of the votes. Meanwhile, the government is trying to legally settle the responsibilities of the crisis. The detentions of several bankers and senior executives begin.
Interpol launches an investigation and all the bankers involved leave the country. In this crisis context, an assembly is elected to draft a new Constitution to replace the current one, which is a simple copy of the Danish Constitution.
To do this, we have recourse directly to the sovereign people who elect 25 citizens without political filiation among the 522 who present themselves to the cadidatures ( condition: be of age and have the support of at least 30 people).
- September 2010: The former Prime Minister Geir Haarde is being prosecuted for negligence in managing the crisis. Interpol also issues an international arrest warrant againsst the former president of Sigurdur Einarsson.
- February 2011: The Constituent Assembly begins its work in order to present, base on the opinions collected in the various assemblies that took place all over the country, a draft of the Great Charter.
- March 2011: Following a few criticisms of the low turnout (36%) in appointing the members of the Constutuent Assembly, the Prime Minister, in agreement with the leaders if the major parties represented in Parliament, set up an advisory committee to follow the revision of the constitution. The latter proposes to the Parliament to appoint a " constitutional council" made up of the 25 members of the dissolved constitutional assembly.
-April 2011: Citizens say again No to a second referendum on the payment of the debt, after the Icelandic president Olafur Ragnar Grimsson refused to countersign the law of February 16, 2011 ( know as the "third Icesave law"). The new center-left government ensured that the new Icesave agreement had been better negotiated than the previous one, but the Icelandic population still refuses to be put to use for bankruptcy deemed irresponsible.
- July 2011: On the basis of the reports of the constitutional committee and the national forum (citizens), the council unanimously adopted a draft constitution which is submitted to Parliament on 27 July. The latter, responsible for amending the project. Started this work in the fall of 2011 and the debates are still going on.
Some main proposals of the new Constitution ( out of a total of 114 articles and 9 chapters) to be retained mainly:
- Article 15: Right to information. Information and documents held by public authorities should bee available without exception and public access to all such documents should be guaranteed by law.
- Article 63: Creation of a government accountability review committee. An investigation of government measures and decisions may be requested by 1/3 of the members of Althingi (Icelandic Parliament).
- Article 65: Right to direct consultation. 10% of the voters can request a national referendum on the laws voted by Althingi.
- Article 66: Possibility of direct interpellation of Althingi. 2% of voters can sbmit a question to Parliament and a bill can be tabled if supported by 10% of voters.
- Article 90: Cabinet training. The Prime Minister is appointed by Parliament.
- Article 99: Independance of the courts. The independence of the courts must be guaranteed by law.
- Article 105: Autonomy of local authorities. The sources of revenue of local authorities must be guaranteed by law, as well as their right to determine the use of these resources.
The new constitution should be submitted to a referendum before the vote in parliament. It should take place on June 30 at the same time as the presidential election or in the fall. Iceland is certainly a small country of 320 000 inhabitants, but it gives a lesson in democracy to the world. For example, in France, the constitutional reform of 2008 was entirely drafted at the Elysee Palace and parliamentarians adopted it only two votes after being subjected for weeks to intolerable pressure from the head of State.
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