Parliament speaker invokes "Nuclear option"

Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir, Speaker of Parliament, has just invoked Article 71 of the Parliamentary Procedures Act, calling for an immediate vote to end debate on a bill and move directly to a vote on the matter.

She announced this decision at the start of today’s parliamentary session at 10 a.m.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir issued a special statement at the opening of the session, pledging that the majority would defend the Republic of Iceland and the honor of Alþingi.

The so-called “nuclear option” has not been used since 1959. It is considered an emergency measure, used only when it is no longer possible to conclude debate through regular means. The article has been part of Icelandic law since 1876 but has been used extremely rarely—and never since Alþingi was unified into a single chamber in 1991.