Iceland held an early election this Saturday (30), in which the governing coalition could leave power after seven years. However, a snowstorm made voting difficult for some people and could delay vote counting.
The nation of 384,000 people has had relative political stability since 2017 and is among the richest countries per capita in Europe, driven by tourism, fishing and the production of cheap geothermal aluminum and hydroelectric power.
However, inflation and borrowing costs, which are near their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, have helped trigger an economic slowdown.
Additionally, a series of volcanic eruptions near the capital Reykjavik displaced thousands of people, damaged tourism and required expensive infrastructure repairs.
The result is expected on Sunday morning (1st), but a snowstorm has hit the eastern part of the country, which could delay the vote count. Authorities encouraged voters to vote early.
Opinion polls before the election indicated that the coalition of the Left-Green Movement, the conservative Independence Party and the center-right Progressive Party, which has been in power for the past seven years, is likely to be ousted.
“We have had the same coalition for seven years, and there seems to be a desire now for new people in government,” said Stefania Oskarsdottir, a political scientist at the University of Iceland.
Polls suggest that the pro-EU Social Democrats and the Liberal Reform Party together would win 40% of the vote.
The center-left Social Democratic Alliance, which was last in government between 2009 and 2013, is expected to win just over 20% of the vote, followed by the center-right Liberal Reformist Party.
Recent disturbances
Katrin Jakobsdottir, of the Left-Green Movement, resigned as prime minister in April to run for president, a race she lost.
His replacement, Bjarni Benediktsson of the Independence Party, dissolved Parliament in October and called an election following growing coalition disagreements and public discontent over immigration and energy and housing issues.
Iceland’s population has increased by 20% over the past decade, the most significant level among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations, fueled by high rates of immigration, putting further pressure on housing and healthcare.
Although inflation and interest rates have started to fall recently, the cost of living crisis has reignited the issue of European Union membership in election debates.
“The biggest issue here now is the cost of living,” Social Democrat leader Kristrun Frostadottir told Reuters in an interview.
The 36-year-old economist, who took over as party leader two years ago, is a supporter of the Nordic welfare model and a favorite to become the new prime minister.
This content was originally published in Elections in Iceland: Government coalition may leave power after seven years on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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