Meirihluti

Meirihluti is the Icelandic term for the larger portion or greater part of something, most commonly used to refer to a majority in political or electoral contexts. It can denote either the party or coalition that holds more than half of the seats in a legislature, or the group of voters who support a proposal or candidate by receiving more than half of the votes. The opposite is minnihluti, the minority.

Meirihluti is formed from meiri, meaning more, and hluti, meaning part. The form is used in formal and everyday Icelandic and is often employed in discussions of governance, elections, and law.

In politics, a meirihluti implies the ability to pass legislation and budgets without broad opposition support, subject to constitutional requirements. In Iceland and many democracies, the term can refer to a simple majority (meiri hluti) or to a stronger, absolute/greater majority (algjör meirihluti) of votes or seats. A majority may be achieved by a single party or a coalition.

The term also appears in public opinion contexts, where a meirihluti of respondents expresses support for a policy. It frequently arises in media and political debate when describing the composition of the legislature or the electorate.

See also: minnihluti.