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Iceland: Opposition Social Democrats win election

December 1, 2024

Iceland's opposition Social Democrats ousted Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson's ruling Independence Party in a snap election triggered by the collapse of his coalition.

https://p.dw.com/p/4nccz
Leader of Iceland's Social Democratic Alliance party Kristrun Frostadottir speaks to supporters at the party's election event after the announcment of the exit polls, in Reykjavik
Now that she has won the election, the leader of Iceland's Social Democrats, Kristrun Frostadottir, will have to start looking for coalition partnersImage: Halldor Kolbeins/AFP/Getty Images

In Iceland, the center-left Social Democratic Alliance emerged as the largest party in a snap election, final tallies showed Sunday.

In winning the Saturday's election, the opposition party unseated the ruling coalition of the past seven years led by Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson's Independence Party.

With all ballots counted, the Social Democratic Alliance, led by Kristrun Frostadottir, was in first place with 20.8% of the vote.

This gives the party 15 seats in Iceland's 63-seat parliament, more than doubling its support from the last election in 2021, when it received 9.9%.

Meanwhile, the Independence Party trailed the Social Democrats with 19.4%. This was down from 24.4% in 2021, the party's worst result ever. The Liberal Reform Party came in third with 15.8%.

Frostadottir's next step will likely be seeking coalition partners to command a parliamentary majority.

In June, businesswoman Halla Tomasdottir won Iceland's presidential election.

Why did the coalition collapse?

Benediktsson led a three-party left-right coalition of the Independence Party, the Left-Green Movement and the center-right Progress Party.

However, the coalition collapsed over the treatment of immigrants and asylum-seekers, as well as energy and housing issues. Benediktsson resigned in October, almost a year before the deadline for parliamentary elections.

The Independence Party's partners also lost voter support. The Left-Green Movement received only 2.3% of the vote, below the 5% threshold to enter parliament, while the Progressive Party received only 7.8%, down from 17.3% in 2021.

Despite being the cause of the government's downfall, immigration was not a galvanizing issue among voters in a country where one in five residents is foreign-born.

According to a Gallup poll released in early November, only 32% of respondents listed immigration as a top issue, and only 18% included asylum issues.

In contrast, health care, economic issues, and housing were the top concerns for more than 60% of respondents in the North Atlantic island nation.

dh/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)