Iceland’s ruling coalition to hold majority, early results show

Iceland’s ruling coalition was poised to retain its majority in Saturday’s elections even as Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir’s party suffered losses, partial results showed.

It remains to be seen whether the three-party coalition that governed the island nation for the past four years will stick together.

After more than a third of votes were counted, Jakobsdottir’s Left-Green Movement, the agrarian center-right Progressive Party, and the conservative Independence Party held 41 of the 63 seats in parliament.

These results, if confirmed, would give the left-right coalition eight more seats than what it won in 2017.

Four years of stability

Jakobsdottir led the first government that completed a full term after a decade of crises.

The island nation held elections five times between 2007 and 2017 due to a series of scandals and deepening mistrust of politicians.

While the prime minister herself remains popular, her party has been losing support.

So far, eight parties look set to enter Iceland’s 1,100-year-old parliament, the Althing, giving the parties numerous other coalition options.

People cast their ballots at a local sports complex in Kopavogur, Iceland

Jakobsdottir’s future as PM uncertain

Early results indicated the prime minister’s Left-Green Movement would lose one seat in parliament from the 11 it currently held.

“We will have to see how the governmental parties are doing together and how we are doing,” Jakobsdottir told news agency AFP.

The Independence Party is set to remain the largest party with 18 seats, gaining two more than it did previously.

Its leader and the country’s current finance minister, Bjarni Benediktsson, is eyeing the prime minister’s post.

“These numbers are good, (it’s a) good start to the evening,” he told public broadcaster RUV.

The center-right Progressives made the biggest gains and are now expected to become the second-largest party in parliament.

Early results showed the party winning 13 seats, a big jump from its previous tally of 8.

Full results are expected later on Sunday, giving a clear picture of Iceland’s political landscape.

adi/rs (AFP, dpa)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/iceland-s-ruling-coalition-to-hold-majority-early-results-show/a-59312593?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf