Iceland poised to elect 1st female majority if coalition government holds
Global News
If the number holds, Iceland's Althing parliament will have a female majority for the first time.
Iceland’s coalition government appeared likely to continue after voters rallied around the political centre in a volatile parliamentary election.
The outcome may become historic: The incoming members of parliament were 54 per cent women on Sunday morning, when nearly all votes had been counted. If the number holds, Iceland’s Althing parliament will have a female majority for the first time.
Polls had suggested a victory for left-leaning parties in the unpredictable election, which saw 10 parties competing for the Althing’s 63 seats.
Instead, the centre-right Independence Party took the largest share of votes, and there were big gains for the centrist Progressive Party.
Before the election, the two parties formed Iceland’s three-party coalition government, together with the Left Green Party led by Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir. Her party lost several seats, but outscored poll predictions.
The ruling parties won 37 seats altogether, gaining two from the last election.
The three parties haven’t announced whether they will work together for another term, but given the strong support among voters it appears likely.
Climate change had ranked high on the election agenda in Iceland, a glacier-studded volcanic island nation of about 350,000 people in the North Atlantic.