Iceland - November 2024
Opposition Social Democratic Alliance wins early general elections
Iceland held early parliamentary elections on 30 November, the sixth since 2008. Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson, who came to power in April after his predecessor resigned, called for elections in October after ending the coalition between his Independence Party, the Progressive Party, and the Left-Green Movement due to disagreements over immigration, energy policy, and the cost-of-living crisis. Out of the 63 Alþingi (Parliament) seats, the Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin) won 15 seats with a vote share of 20.8 per cent, becoming the largest party. The incumbent Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) secured 14 seats with a vote share of 19.4 per cent. The centre-right Liberal Reform Party (Viðreisn) secured 11 seats, with a vote share of 15.8 per cent. Voter turnout was 80.1 per cent, remaining nearly unchanged from 2021.
Sources: Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, Euronews, Al Jazeera, International IDEA
