| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Althingi / Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
12 May 2007 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The 12 May 2007 elections took place amid a heated debate on whether the country should prioritize economic growth or the environment, crystallized by a proposal to build new dams and aluminum smelters.
Prime Minister Geir Haarde of the Independence Party (IP) insisted that the country should give priority to economic growth by supporting the project to build dams and aluminum smelters, fuelled by Iceland's geothermal and hydroelectric power resources.
The IP has dominated Icelandic politics since the country gained independence from Denmark in 1944. Since 1995, it has led a coalition government with the Progressive Party (PP). The PP, led by Minister of Industry and Commerce Jón Sigurdsson, pledged to continue corporate tax cuts in order to maintain a favorable environment for Icelandic business.
The main opposition parties, the Social Democratic Alliance led by Ms. Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, and the Left-Green Alliance of Mr. Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, promised to stop the smelters project until appropriate studies on their environmental impact were carried out.
A new party, the Icelandic Movement, was founded in March 2007 by Mr. Ómar Ragnarsson, a former TV reporter and outspoken environmentalist, to fight against further heavy industry projects.
Approximately 83 per cent of the 200,000 registered voters turned out at the polls.
The final results gave 25 seats to the IP. However, the PP took only seven (down from 12 seats in the 2003 elections), giving a majority of just one seat to the outgoing coalition. The Social Democratic Alliance won 18, losing two; while the Left-Green Alliance gained an extra four seats, winning nine in total. The Liberal Party kept its four seats, while the Icelandic Movement did not win any seats. In all, 20 women were elected.
On 17 May, Prime Minister Haarde and the PP leader Mr. Sigurdsson, announced that they would discontinue their coalition following the PP's poor election results. Later that same day Mr. Haarde and Mrs. Gísladóttir announced that the IP and the Social Democratic Alliance had begun coalition bargaining. The bargaining resulted in a new cabinet, officially sworn in on 24 May.
On 31 May, the newly-elected Parliament held a special summer session, which is convened only when elections are held in spring, and elected Mr. Sturla Böðvarsson (IP) as its new Speaker. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 12 May 2007 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
221'368
185'071 (83.6%)
2'902
182'169 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Independence Party (IP) |
126 |
66'749 |
|
|
36.64 |
|
|
| Social Democratic Alliance Party |
126 |
48'742 |
|
|
26.76 |
|
|
| Left - Green Alliance |
126 |
26'136 |
|
|
14.35 |
|
|
| Progressive Party (PP) |
126 |
21'349 |
|
|
11.72 |
|
|
| Liberal Party |
126 |
13'233 |
|
|
7.26 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Gain/Loss |
|
|
|
| Independence Party (IP) |
25
|
3 |
|
|
|
| Social Democratic Alliance Party |
18
|
-2 |
|
|
|
| Left - Green Alliance |
9
|
4 |
|
|
|
| Progressive Party (PP) |
7
|
-5 |
|
|
|
| Liberal Party |
4
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
43
20
31.75%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
|
2
11
16
24
10
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- Parliament (30.05.2007, 01.01.2008, 22.02.2008)
- http://www.mbl.is
- Statistics Iceland (09.10.2007) |
A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page