Iceland ousts centre-right coalition
ICELANDERS, angry over a string of political scandals, ousted their centre-right government in an election that could pave the way for a charismatic young opposition leader to form a left-leaning coalition, final vote counts showed yesterday.
With the defeat of incumbent Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson’s coalition government, his main opponent, the Left-Green Movement’s Katrin Jakobsdottir, is likely to get a chance to form a narrow majority in parliament.
The composition of any coalition government remained uncertain, as the president had not yet mandated a party to form one.
The Nordic island of 340 000 people, one of the countries hit hardest by the 2008 financial crisis, has staged a remarkable economic rebound spurred by a tourism boom.
Benediktsson called the snap election last month, after less than a year in government, as a scandal involving his father prompted the Bright Future party to drop out of his ruling coalition, citing a breach of trust.
The previous government was defeated last year following revelations in the Panama Papers about then prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson’s use of offshore tax havens.
In addition to the political scandals, a growing sense of inequality and unease about immigration in one of the world’s most ethnically homogeneous nations has rattled a democracy known for its political and social stability.
After the final vote count, Jakobsdottir, 41, of the LeftGreens stood to gain a narrow majority in parliament with three other opposition parties. The result showed a Left-Green-led coalition was possible if they joined forces with the Social Democrats, the Progressive Party and the Pirate Party. Together, they would hold 32 of parliament’s 63 seats.
“The opposition has a majority, so that’s a message.
“But we’ve also talked about maybe things should be done differently and create a broader government,” Jakobsdottir said in a TV debate.
Her party wants to increase healthcare, education and infrastructure spending by raising taxes for the wealthy. – Reuters