Girls candidates win majority of seats in Icelandic election By Reuters

By Stine Jacobsen and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Iceland’s ruling left-right coalition strengthened its majority after a nationwide election that for the primary time noticed extra girls than males elected to parliament, last outcomes confirmed on Sunday.

Opinion polls had forecast the coalition would fall in need of a majority however a surge in help for the centre-right Progressive (NYSE:) Celebration, which gained 5 extra seats than in 2017, pushed its whole depend to 37 seats within the 63-seat parliament Althingi, in accordance with state broadcaster RUV.

The present authorities, which consists of Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir’s Left-Inexperienced Motion, the conservative Independence Celebration and the centrist-agrarian Progressive Celebration, stated earlier than the election that they’d negotiate continued cooperation in the event that they held their majority.

Voters in Iceland elected 33 girls to parliament, up from 24 within the final election. Iceland was ranked essentially the most gender-equal nation on this planet for the twelfth 12 months operating in a World Financial Discussion board (WEF) report launched in March.

The Progressive Celebration is led by Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, who served as prime minister for lower than a 12 months in 2016, when former prime minister and then-party chief Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson stepped down following Panama Paper leaks.

President Gudni Johannesson has but to formally hand a mandate to the get together that will likely be tasked with forming the following authorities.

The conservative Independence Celebration once more turned the most important in parliament with almost 1 / 4 of votes and 16 seats, unchanged from the final election.

The Left-Inexperienced Motion obtained eight seats, down from eleven within the 2017 election, though two parliamentarians left the get together shortly after the final election.