Iceland holds parliamentary election after government’s collapse
Al Jazeera
The legislative election takes place after the collapse of a fragile coalition, with the economy being a top concern.
Icelanders are electing a new parliament after disagreements over the economy, immigration, and the fallout from volcanic eruptions forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call an early election.
Saturday’s election is Iceland’s sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability.
Opinion polls suggest the country may be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging.
Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement.
Harsh weather in the sub-Arctic nation threatened to hamper some voters getting to polling stations on Saturday, with heavy snow blocking roads in many areas.
