ELECTION OPENS PATH TO POWER FOR CHARISMATIC LEFTIST

REYKJAVIK Iceland’s election delivered a path to power for the nation’s charismatic left-wing leader, Katrin Jakobsdottir, after a spate of scandals soured voters on the ruling conservatives.

Saturday’s vote handed a potential centre-left coalition a narrow majority, making the Left Green leader, pictured, the most likely to get the nod to form a government, according to Stefanía Oskarsdottir, an assistant professor in political science at the University of Iceland. The 41-year-old is popular, with a recent poll showing one in two voters want her as the premier. She has “more options” than Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson, Oskarsdottir said.

With a program calling for tax increases on the wealthy, Jakobsdottir would represent a shift from the former government which collapsed last month amid a controversy over granting clemency to a convicted child molester. The election comes at a crucial time for Iceland’s economy, which is showing signs of a slowdown after a tourism-led boom.

Jakobsdottir’s focus on inequality could make her the latest young politician to vault to power after the recent wins of Emmanuel Macron, Leo Varadkar, Sebastian Kurz and Jacinda Ardern, who are all in their 30s. She also wants to use dividends from the banks to rebuild infrastructure or reduce public debt, make Iceland carbon neutral and boost public spending on health and education.