Icelandic parliamentary election, October 2016

Author (Corporate)
Publication Date 2016
Content Type , ,

Summary:

Information Guide focusing on the sources covering a legislative election held in Iceland on 29 October 2016.

Further information:

The 63 members of the Iceland Parliament (Althing) are elected using open list proportional representation in multi-member constituencies. The majority of the seats are distributed using constituency results and determined via the d'Hondt method. A set of supplementary seats are awarded to parties that crossed a 5% national electoral threshold.

The election was brought forward from its original date in April 2017, in the aftermath of the Panama Papers revelations in April 2016. The revelations particularly affected Iceland, as they exposed financial dealings of Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson (Progressive Party) and his wife. Mr Gunnlaugsson led a coalition cabinet with the Independence Party. Following mass protests and repeated calls for an early election, an agreement was found with the opposition for an election to be held in October 2016.

Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson became the Progressive Party chairman in the lead up to the election. Media outlets reported widely on the likelihood of the Pirate Party coming on top in this election, despite their pledge not to negotiate coalition agreements with the main (incumbent) parties. The  Independence Party was eventually the winner (29%), followed by the Left-Green Movement (15.9%) and the Pirate Party (14.5%). The incumbent Progressive Party suffered considerable losses.

Coalition talks led by the Independence Party were lengthy and did not successfully conclude until January 2017. A new centre-right coalition government comprising the Independence Party, Reform Party and the Bright Future eventually took office on 11 January 2017.

Related Links
Official
Official Website of the Icelandic National Electoral Commission http://www.landskjor.is/
Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE): ODIHR: Iceland: Early parliamentary elections, 28 October 2017 https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/iceland/348631

News
Bloomberg, 18/10/2016: Iceland’s Pirate Party Seeks Alliances for Systemic Change https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-18/iceland-s-pirate-party-is-building-alliances-for-systemic-change
Iceland Monitor, 21/10/2016: New poll puts Pirates back on course to win Iceland elections https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/politics_and_society/2016/10/21/new_poll_puts_pirates_back_on_course_to_win_iceland/
The Independent, 24/10/2016: Iceland's Pirate Party prepares for power as polls suggest election triumph http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/iceland-braces-for-a-digital-revolution-as-pirate-party-prepares-power-election-2016-a7377456.html
The Guardian, 26/10/2016: Iceland election could propel radical Pirate party into power https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/26/iceland-election-could-propel-radical-pirate-party-into-power
The Guardian, 29/10/2016: Iceland election: voting begins with opposition parties ahead in polls https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/29/iceland-election-voting-begins-with-opposition-parties-ahead-in-polls-pirate-party
Deutsche Welle, 29/10/2016: All eyes on Iceland's Pirate Party http://dw.com/p/2Rrfs
Iceland Monitor, 30/10/2016: First results: Iceland’s government ousted and Pirates gain seats https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/politics_and_society/2016/10/30/first_results_iceland_s_government_ousted_and_pirat/
The Guardian, 30/10/2016: Iceland elections leave ruling centre-right party in driving seat https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/30/iceland-elections-ruling-centre-right-party-pirate-party
Iceland Monitor, 30/10/2016: Complicated coalition talks ahead for Iceland http://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/politics_and_society/2016/10/30/election_results_complicated_coalition_talks_ahead_/
BBC News, 30/10/2016: Iceland election: Pirate Party triples seats https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37813564
Deutsche Welle, 30/10/2016: Iceland's Indendence Party makes poll gains http://dw.com/p/2RtTU
EUObserver, 31/10/2016: Iceland Pirate party election gains but short of expectations https://euobserver.com/eu-political/135732
Iceland Monitor, 31/10/2016: Iceland’s new ‘kingmakers’ will not prop up outgoing government https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/politics_and_society/2016/10/31/iceland_s_new_kingmakers_will_not_prop_up_outgoing_/
Politico, 01/11/2016: Iceland prepared for coalition talks after Pirates fall short https://www.politico.eu/article/iceland-prepare-for-coalition-talks-after-pirates-fall-short/

Commentary and Analysis
The Guardian, 20/10/2016: What is the current mood like in Iceland? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/20/what-is-the-current-mood-like-in-iceland
TIME Magazine, 24/10/2016: Iceland’s Pirate Party Could Be on Course for an Electoral Victory http://time.com/4542109/iceland-pirate-party-election/
European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS): At a Glance, 26/10/2016: Iceland ahead of the parliamentary elections https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_ATA(2016)593492
EUObserver: Analysis, 27/10/2016: Iceland's not-so-quiet revolution https://euobserver.com/nordics/135666
The Conversation, 28/10/2016: Iceland’s Pirate Party: what is it – and how did it become so popular? https://theconversation.com/icelands-pirate-party-what-is-it-and-how-did-it-become-so-popular-67879

Wikipedia: 2016 Icelandic parliamentary election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_parliamentary_election,_2016
International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES): Election Guide: Election for Icelandic Parliament, 29 October 2016 https://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/2599/

Subject Categories
Subject Tags ,
Countries / Regions