Iceland - June 2024

In the presidential elections that took place on 1 June, the top three candidates were women. Halla Tómasdóttir, an independent candidate, won with 34 per cent of the votes in the first-past-the-post voting system, where the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of the total number of votes cast. A businesswoman and investor, Tómasdóttir said she will focus on issues like youth mental health, tourism development, and artificial intelligence. Former Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir from the Left-Green Movement came second with 25.5 per cent, while independent Halla Hrund Logadóttir, who pledged to prioritize energy and environmental issues, gender equality, and to expand opportunities for all, finished third with 15.5 per cent.  46 per cent of the candidates were women. Tómasdóttir becomes Iceland’s second female president, following Vigdis Finnbogadottir, who became the world's first democratically elected female president in 1980. Although the president is largely ceremonial, she can veto legislation or call referendums. Voter turnout was 80.8 per cent, the highest among presidential elections since 1996.

Sources: Euronews, Iceland Monitor, Iceland Review (1), Iceland Review (2), Al Jazeera, International IDEA