– I feel that we need change, says the 48-year-old film producer Grimar Jonsson to the AFP news agency in Reykjavik on election day.
He hopes for a change of government and an end to “the so-called old-fashioned political parties”.
The first polling stations in Iceland opened at 9 o’clock local time, which means 10 o’clock in Norway, with the ordinary closing time 13 hours later. Due to storms and a lot of snow, it was announced in advance that the election could be postponed in some places. The amount of snow has led to road closures in several places.
Extended opening hours
Several polling stations extended their opening hours. The weather conditions can also delay the delivery of ballot boxes to the counting centers after the polling stations are closed. If the count is not delayed, a final result is expected to be ready on Sunday morning.
As in many other countries around the world, rising prices, high interest rates and other economic challenges have led to dissatisfaction with the current government in Iceland.
The background for the election is that Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson’s coalition government resigned in mid-October, as a result of internal strife.
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New EU debate?
Opinion polls before the election showed that the Social Democrats were in the best position, with over 20 percent support. Just behind is the right-wing liberal Gjenreisning (Vidreisn), which has climbed strongly in the polls.
Both of these parties are in favor of EU membership, and there is speculation as to whether the election will trigger a new EU debate in Iceland.
Benediktsson’s conservative Independence Party has received just under 14 percent in the average polls.
268,000 inhabitants are entitled to vote in the election for the 63 representatives in the Norwegian Parliament. Ten parties stand for election, and they need at least 5 percent of the vote to enter the National Assembly, where eight parties are currently represented.
Voter turnout is usually high in Iceland, where 80 percent of registered voters voted in the election for a new national assembly in 2021.
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