Election in Iceland: left-right alliance before the end

Status: 25.09.2021 10:55 a.m.

In Iceland, voting is already taking place today: Although the country got through the pandemic well, it should be tight for the current left-right alliance. Experts expect a multi-party government in the end.

By Sofie Donges, ARD-Studio Stockholm

The incumbent Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir already suspected in February that this parliamentary election could be tight. The country was able to report successes almost consistently during the pandemic: Few infected people, few deaths, a high vaccination rate.

Nevertheless, in an interview with Swedish radio at the time, the Prime Minister said more cautiously than confident of victory: “If we believe that we can form a good and effective coalition government that brings important issues to the agenda, then of course we also want to lead the next government.”

Unusual left-right alliance

According to surveys, Icelanders really appreciate their left-green prime minister, but Jakobsdóttir’s party, the left-green party, is losing a third of the vote and is expected to land at around 10 percent. They are currently ruling in a left-right alliance, a very unusual coalition, according to the head of government shortly after taking office four years ago.

In addition to the left-wing Greens, the conservative Independence Party and the Progressive Party, a former farmers’ party, are involved. This three-party coalition is on very shaky feet, according to Icelandic journalist Thórður Snær Júlíusson: “It is so close, it depends on one, two, maybe three percent that this government survives.”

“Icelandic politicians need to rethink”

Nine parties have never stood in an election. Fragmentation is also one of the key words in this election in Iceland. Observers assume that it is not unlikely that more parties will be needed for a majority in the future.

“Icelandic politicians have to rethink. A multi-party government would be a first step,” says Júlíusson. “I don’t think that will be a problem. It also exists in other Scandinavian countries. They can do it, so why don’t we?”

For many Icelanders, pandemic is not a decisive factor

The popularity of the Prime Minister and the pandemic do not play a special role for the Icelanders in their voting decision, reports Heimir Már Pétursson, commentator on RUV, the Icelandic radio: “Strangely enough, that’s not an issue. If you ask people, they don’t care . What is important to them is the health system, the welfare system and, completely new, climate change, which is a remarkable development. “

The polling stations close at midnight German time, and a result is expected on Sunday morning. Lengthy government negotiations are not unlikely, but this is nothing new in Iceland. In the last election four years ago, there were also several rounds of negotiations until a government was formed.

Before the Iceland elections on Saturday

Sofie Donges, ARD Stockholm, September 25, 2021 10:07 am

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