Reykjavik, IcelandIcelanders were voting on Saturday in a general election dominated by climate change, with an unprecedented number of political parties likely to win parliamentary seats.
The polls suggest there will not be an absolute winner, triggering complicated negotiations to form a coalition government.
A record nine parties can exceed the 5% threshold required to qualify for seats in Iceland’s parliament, althing. Upstart parties include socialist Party, which is promising to shorten the work week and nationalize Iceland’s fishing industry.
High turnout is expected, as one-fifth of eligible voters have already cast absentee ballots.
Climate change is more among voters’ concerns in glacier-stricken Iceland volcanic island a nation of about 350,000 people in North Atlantic.
An exceptionally hot summer by Icelandic standards – 59 days of temperatures above 20 °C (68 F) and shrinking glaciers have helped drive global warming to the political agenda.
Polls show strong support for left-wing parties pledging to cut carbon emissions more than Iceland has already committed under the Paris climate agreement. The country has pledged to become carbon-neutral by 2040, a decade ahead of other European countries.
The current government is a coalition of three parties that spans the political spectrum from left to centre-right and is led by Prime Minister Katrina. jacobsdottiro NS left green party. It was formed in 2017 after years of political instability.
Jakobsdottir remains a popular prime minister, but polls show that his party may perform poorly, ending the ongoing coalition.
“The country is facing major decisions, including party leaders vowing to end Iceland’s dependence on oil and raising taxes on many of the wealthy,” Jacobsdottir said during a televised debate on Friday night.
The polls suggest there will not be an absolute winner, triggering complicated negotiations to form a coalition government.
A record nine parties can exceed the 5% threshold required to qualify for seats in Iceland’s parliament, althing. Upstart parties include socialist Party, which is promising to shorten the work week and nationalize Iceland’s fishing industry.
High turnout is expected, as one-fifth of eligible voters have already cast absentee ballots.
Climate change is more among voters’ concerns in glacier-stricken Iceland volcanic island a nation of about 350,000 people in North Atlantic.
An exceptionally hot summer by Icelandic standards – 59 days of temperatures above 20 °C (68 F) and shrinking glaciers have helped drive global warming to the political agenda.
Polls show strong support for left-wing parties pledging to cut carbon emissions more than Iceland has already committed under the Paris climate agreement. The country has pledged to become carbon-neutral by 2040, a decade ahead of other European countries.
The current government is a coalition of three parties that spans the political spectrum from left to centre-right and is led by Prime Minister Katrina. jacobsdottiro NS left green party. It was formed in 2017 after years of political instability.
Jakobsdottir remains a popular prime minister, but polls show that his party may perform poorly, ending the ongoing coalition.
“The country is facing major decisions, including party leaders vowing to end Iceland’s dependence on oil and raising taxes on many of the wealthy,” Jacobsdottir said during a televised debate on Friday night.
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