Icelanders support revising constitution

A MAJORITY of Icelanders have voted in favour of revising the country's constitution, preliminary results of a referendum show.

Some 66 per cent have supported the draft constitution with about 88,000 votes counted.

Turnout in Saturday's vote was estimated at 50 per cent of the almost 237,000 eligible voters, public broadcaster RUV reported.

Voters were asked to answer each of six questions put forward by a constitutional committee of 25 ordinary citizens with a yes or a no.

The committee asked the public for feedback on constitutional proposals, including via social networking websites Facebook and Twitter, prompting the media to dub the new basic law as the world's first "crowdsourced constitution".

Icelanders also voted for making the island's natural resources public property and in favour of allowing the Evangelical Lutheran Church to retain its role as state church.

The council presented its draft to parliament in July 2011.

The process to draft a new constitution began after the country's 2008 financial meltdown prompted calls for reforms.

A left-leaning coalition comprising Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir's Social Democrats and the Left-Green Movement took office after disenchanted voters ousted the conservative-led government in 2009.

The new government vowed to revise the constitution, which dates from 1944.

The results showed many people want change, opposition leader Bjarni Benediktsson, head of the conservative Independence Party, said.

Low turnout and the fact a third of the electorate opposed changing the constitution posed challenges for parliament, Benediktsson added.

His party has favoured a more traditional approach to re-working the constitution in parliament before consulting voters.

Parliament will be dissolved in April ahead of an election.

Changes to the constitution must be approved by two parliaments, with a general election held in between.

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