Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir leaves Downing Road after attending a reception hosted by Britian’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, forward of the NATO summit in Watford, in London, Britain, December 3, 2019. Alastair Grant/Pool through REUTERS
COPENHAGEN, Sept 25 (Reuters) – Icelanders began voting on Saturday in an election that would have a messy final result with a file 9 events prone to enter parliament, making it tough to search out widespread floor on subjects like local weather change and healthcare.
The North Atlantic island of 371,000 residents has seen a interval of stability since 2017 beneath the ruling left-right coalition, after years of political scandals and mistrust of politicians following the 2008 monetary disaster.
The present authorities coalition led by Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir’s Left-Inexperienced Motion gained its mandate on a promise to safe stability after Icelanders went to polls 5 occasions from 2007 to 2017.
In 2017, the Left-Greens, who name themselves a “radical left wing occasion,” teamed up with unlikely companions – the pro-business Independence Occasion and the centre-right Progressive Occasion – to the anger of some within the occasion grassroots.
Whereas Jakobsdóttir stays common, polls recommend her occasion will lose assist, marking the top of her coalition. Assist for the Independence Occasion, Iceland’s largest occasion, can be declining, however the election outcome should give former Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson a mandate to kind a brand new authorities.
A shattered political panorama will make it tough to kind a brand new authorities, however Jakobsdóttir might search a coalition with different left-wing events that opinion polls recommend will acquire assist.
“If we get a such a authorities, we’re going to see some adjustments in the case of taxation of the wealthy, and environmental questions are going to be extra vital,” stated Baldvin Bergsson, political analyst at broadcaster RUV.
Local weather change is a crucial problem for Icelanders, who wish to name their nation the “Land of Hearth and Ice” due to its other-worldly panorama of volcanoes and glaciers used within the HBO TV collection “Sport of Thrones”.
Iceland has already pledged to realize carbon neutrality by 2040, effectively forward of most different European nations, however particularly youthful voters are pushing for even bolder steps.
Left-wing events are additionally calling for extra authorities spending on healthcare, which has been crucial matter within the election.
Profitable weathering of the pandemic and the lifting of coronavirus restrictions has reopened borders, offering a wanted increase to the very important tourism sector, which attracted some 2 million international guests in 2019.
“The pandemic was an enormous blow to the vital tourism business,” stated Stefania Oskarsdottir, a political scientist at College of Iceland, including that prime public spending has fuelled optimism.
“Regardless of popping out of a deep recession, the common Icelander feels that these are good occasions,” she stated.
Polls have been attributable to shut at 2200 GMT, with a remaining outcome anticipated on Sunday morning.
Reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Jacob Grønholt-Pedersen
Modifying by Frances Kerry
Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
