Iceland: Voting in tight presidential election begins

5 months ago 23

Iceland is voting to elect its seventh president on Saturday, with a tight race expected between three women.

Former Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir is among those in the fray. In April, Jakobsdottir stepped down as prime minister to run for president.

Joining her are Halla Tomasdottir, a businesswoman who had also run in 2016, and Halla Hrund Logadottir, an environmental expert and a Harvard University professor.

A recent poll from the Morgunbladid daily shows Jakobsdottir leading with 26%, closely followed by Tomasdottir at 24%, and Logadottir at 19%.

There are 12 candidates in total in the presidential race.

President Gudni Johannesson is not seeking re-election. The hugely popular president has held the job since 2016 and won 92% of the vote on his way to a re-election in 2020.

The presidency is mostly ceremonial, but includes powers such as vetoing legislation and calling referendums.

The election results are expected early Sunday.