This past Saturday Iceland offered the world an opportunity to witness a civic spectacle when it held its quadrennial election. Mary and I went to Reykjavik City Hall where I ran into several friends with members of their families of all ages ready to exercise a right that unfortunately many people in other parts of the world do not enjoy: having a say in their governance.
The mood was festive with many voters wearing their Sunday best—a reflection of the respect that Icelanders have for democracy. Pundits and columnists will interpret and parse the results many different ways in the days to come but the one thing I suspect all agree on is that democracy is thriving in Iceland and that is a lesson that should not be lost.
