| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Althingi / Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
27 April 2013 |
| Purpose of elections |
The centre-right parties returned to power after four years in opposition. The Progressive Party (PP)'s share jumped from nine to 19 seats, the same as the Independence Party (IP), in the 63-member parliament. The IP had dominated Icelandic politics since the country gained independence from Denmark in 1944 and the PP had been its coalition partner until 2007, when the Social Democratic Alliance Party (SDA) joined the government. The SDA, led by Mr. Arni Pall Arnason, took nine seats, a sharp drop from 20. The Left - Green Movement (LGM) and two new parties - the Bright Future (a pro-EU party comprising former PP members) and the Pirate Party (promoting reform of the country's copyright and open content laws) - shared the remaining 16 seats.
The outgoing Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir (SDA), who was retiring from politics, had pushed for the country's membership in the European Union (EU) as a way out of a 2008 banking crisis. During the election campaign, PP leader Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson insisted that Iceland should seek closer ties with countries outside the European Union while IP leader Bjarni Benediktsson argued that the country should maintain a close relationship with the EU without joining it. The PP promised to reduce household debt through write-offs and the abolition of inflation-indexed mortgages. The IP promised to boost growth by encouraging investment and lowering taxes.
On 30 April, President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson tasked Mr. Gunnlaugsson (PP) to form a new government. On 22 May, the PP and the IP agreed to form a coalition government under the premiership of Mr. Gunnlaugsson. |
Date of previous elections: 25 April 2009
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: N/A
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections: April 2017
Number of seats at stake: 63 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 1512 (880 men, 632 women)
Percentage of women candidates: 41.8%
Number of parties contesting the election: 15
Number of parties winning seats: 6
Alternation of power: Yes
Number of parties in government: 2
Names of parties in government: The Progressive Party and the Independence Party |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 27 April 2013 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
237'829
193'822 (81.5%)
4'827
188'995 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Independence Party (IP) |
19
|
|
|
|
|
| Progressive Party (PP) |
19
|
|
|
|
|
| Social Democratic Alliance (SDA) |
9
|
|
|
|
|
| Left - Green Movement (LGM) |
7
|
|
|
|
|
| Bright Future |
6
|
|
|
|
|
| Pirate Party |
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
38
25
39.68%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
Parliament (07.05.2013, 22.05.2013, 01.01.2015)
Ministry of the Interior (10.05.2013)
http://www.kosning.is/althingiskosningar/ |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
