Social Democrats win parliamentary election in Iceland
Iceland is on the verge of a change of government. In the early parliamentary elections on the North Atlantic island, the previously opposition Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin) became the strongest force with 20.8 percent of the vote. This corresponds to a doubling of its result compared to the 2021 election, according to preliminary figures published by broadcaster RÚV after all votes cast had been counted. Voter turnout on Saturday was around 80 percent.
01.12.2024, 15:38
SDA
Government coalition voted out
While other opposition parties in addition to the Social Democrats also made strong gains, the three previous governing parties fell sharply in some cases: The liberal-conservative Independence Party of Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson ended up at least in second place, 1.4 percentage points behind the Social Democrats, despite losses. The Progress Party, which is located in the political center, was hit worse, slipping from more than 17 percent to less than 8 percent. The Left-Green Movement was even kicked out of parliament after gaining more than 12 percent in 2021. In future, only six instead of eight parties will be represented in the Althing in Reykjavik - in addition to the Left-Greens, the Pirate Party also failed to reach the five percent threshold.
A continuation of the governing coalition, which was first led for almost seven years by the Left-Greens Katrín Jakobsdóttir and since April by her successor Benediktsson, is therefore ruled out. The coalition struggled for a long time with major disagreements on issues such as migration and energy, which is why it ultimately collapsed in mid-October.
Social Democrats likely to receive exploratory mandate
The Social Democrats around their leader Kristrún Frostadóttir are therefore likely to soon be tasked with forming a government. They alone are likely to hold 15 of the 63 parliamentary seats, which means they will need at least two junior partners to form a majority. A centrist coalition with the Liberal Reform Party (Vidreisn) and the People's Party would be possible. However, cooperation with Benediktsson's Independence Party is considered rather unlikely.
