Women in majority in Iceland parliament
Iceland yesterday became the first country in Europe to have more women than men in parliament, a day after a general election that left the future of the left-right coalition in doubt despite winning a clear majority.
Of the 63 seats in the Althing parliament, 33 were won by women, or 52 per cent, projections based on the final results showed yesterday.
No other European country has had more than 50 per cent women lawmakers, with Sweden coming closest at 47 per cent, according to data compiled by the World Bank.
Five other countries in the world currently have parliaments where women hold at least half the seats, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union: Rwanda (61 per cent), Cuba (53 per cent), Nicaragua (51 per cent) and Mexico.
Unlike some other countries, Iceland does not have legal quotas on female representation in parliament, though some parties do require a minimum number of candidates be women.
The Nordic country has long been a pioneer in gender equality and women’s rights, and has topped the World Economic Forum’s ranking of most egalitarian countries for the past 12 years. Iceland was the first country to elect a woman as president in 1980.
“I am 85, I’ve waited all my life for women to be in a majority... I am really happy,” Erdna, a Reykjavik resident, said.
Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir’s left-right coalition won a majority in Saturday’s vote.