After the Icelandic president had refused to sign and enact the "Icesave bill 2" on 5 January 2010, it was clear that a referendum on the bill was now needed. The referendum was the first to be held in Iceland since its independence referendum in 1944, and required special legislation. The Althing (Iceland's parliament) approved a motion on 8 January 2010, which called for the referendum to be held by 6 March at the latest. The motion passed by 49–0 with 14 abstentions, and a few days later the referendum was scheduled to be held on 6 March 2010.