Iceland sets early parliamentary election date after government collapses

On October 15, the Icelandic government announced that it would hold early parliamentary elections on November 30, after the ruling coalition collapsed.

Iceland's parties are set to battle it out for 63 seats in the parliament (Althing). (Source: Dreamstime)

Thus, Icelandic voters will have to go to the polls nine months earlier than the previously outlined schedule of September 2025.

Iceland's ruling coalition includes Iceland Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson's conservative Independence Party, the left-wing Green Movement and the center-right Progress Party.

On October 13, Prime Minister Benediktsson announced the dissolution of the ruling coalition due to deep divisions within the three parties on issues related to foreign policy, refugees and energy.

The Icelandic government said President Halla Tomasdottir had accepted Mr. Benediktsson's resignation and asked the government to continue operating in an interim form until a new government is formed after the parliamentary election on November 30.

The Green-Left Movement has said it will not join the interim government, meaning a two-party coalition government will hold power until after the election.

According to a poll released by data analysis and consulting firm Gallup on October 1, the coalition government received support from only 24.6% of voters, the lowest rate Gallup has recorded in Iceland in 30 years.

Meanwhile, the Social Democrats have taken the lead over all three parties in the ruling coalition combined with a support rate of 26.1%.

Mr. Benediktsson took office as Prime Minister in April 2024 after Katrin Jakobsdottir of the Left-Green Movement resigned to run for President, but she later failed to win.

Parties in Iceland will be competing for 63 seats in the Althing, of which 9 seats will be allocated to parties with more than 5% of the vote and 54 seats will be allocated to parties based on vote share without any threshold limit.

According to Icelandic parliamentary regulations, parliamentary elections take place every four years.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/iceland-an-dinh-ngay-bau-cu-quoc-hoi-som-sau-khi-chinh-phu-tan-ra-290268.html