The legislative election takes place after the collapse of a fragile coalition, with the economy being a top concern.
Iceland’s opposition Social Democratic Alliance has taken a narrow lead in the country’s parliamentary election, putting it on track to overtake the ruling Independence Party.
With the ballots of more than half of eligible voters counted from Saturday’s snap poll, the Social Democrats had some 21.5 percent of the vote, more than double the share they gained from the last election in 2021, according to broadcaster RUV.
If those results hold, they would beat the ruling Independence Party, which had 19.3 percent of the vote, as well as the Liberal Reform Party, which was at 15.8 percent, according to RUV.
“I’m extremely proud of all the work that we’ve done. We obviously see that people want to see changes in the political landscape,” said the Social Democrats leader Kristrun Frostadottir as results started coming in.
The election comes after disagreements over the economy, immigration and the fallout from volcanic eruptions forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his unlikely left-right coalition government.
On October 13, Benediktsson asked President Halla Tomasdottir to dissolve the Althingi – Iceland’s parliament – and called voters to the polls early.
The general election is the North Atlantic island nation’s sixth since the 2008 financial crisis devastated its economy and ushered in a new era of political instability.
Ten parties compete
Up for grabs in the election are 63 members of the Althingi, with seats allocated both by regional constituencies and proportional representation. Though 10 parties contested, only those that receive at least 5 percent of the vote will win seats.
That means Iceland’s Left-Green Movement, a member of Benediktsson’s outgoing coalition, could lose all its seats – as it has so far garnered only 2.4 percent of the vote.
Iceland’s prime minister and leader of the Independence Party Bjarni Benediktsson casts his ballot in Reykjavik [Haldor Kolbeins/AFP]
The splintering of Iceland’s political landscape came after the 2008 financial crisis, which prompted years of economic upheaval after the country’s debt-swollen banks collapsed.
The crisis led to anger and distrust of the parties that had traditionally traded power back and forth and prompted the creation of new parties ranging from the environment-focused Left-Green Alliance to the Pirate Party, which advocates direct democracy and individual freedoms.
Like many Western countries, Iceland has been buffeted by the rising cost of living and immigration pressures.
Inflation peaked at an annual rate of 10.2 percent in February 2023, prompted by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While inflation slowed to 5.1 percent in October, that is still high compared with neighbouring countries.
The United States inflation rate stood at 2.6 percent last month, while the European Union’s rate was 2.3 percent.
Public finances have also been strained by repeated eruptions of a volcano in the southwestern part of the country, which have displaced thousands of people.
One year after the first eruption forced the evacuation of the town of Grindavik, many residents still do not have secure housing, leading to complaints that the government has been slow to respond.
This has added to a shortage of affordable housing exacerbated by Iceland’s tourism boom.
Iceland is also struggling to accommodate a rising number of asylum seekers, creating tensions within the small, traditionally homogenous country.
The number of refugees seeking protection in Iceland jumped to more than 4,000 in each of the past three years, compared with a previous average of fewer than 1,000.
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Publish date : 2024-12-01 20:26:00
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