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REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Icelanders were voting Saturday in a climate-change-ridden general election, and an unprecedented number of political parties are likely to win seats in parliament.
Polls show there will be no clear winner and will trigger complex negotiations to form a coalition government.
A record nine parties could pass the 5 percent threshold required to win seats in the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. Newcomer parties include the Socialist Party, which has promised to shorten the work week and nationalize Iceland’s fishing industry.
Turnout is expected to be high, as one-fifth of eligible voters have already made excuse votes.
Climate change is high among voters’ concerns in Iceland, a glacier-infested volcanic island nation of about 350,000 people in the North Atlantic.
An exceptionally hot summer by Icelandic standards – 59 days of temperatures above 68 degrees Fahrenheit – and shrinking glaciers have helped global warming raise the political agenda.
Polls show strong support for left-leaning parties that have pledged to cut carbon emissions more than Iceland has committed under the Paris climate agreement. The country pledged to be carbon neutral by 2040, a decade earlier than most other European countries.
The current government is a three-party coalition that spans the political spectrum from left to centre-right, and is led by Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir of the Left Green Party. It was established in 2017 after years of political instability.
Although Jakobsdottir remains a popular prime minister, polls show his party may fail, ending the ongoing coalition.
“The country is facing big decisions as it bounces back from the pandemic,” Jakobsdottir said in televised discussions on Friday night, where party leaders pledged to end Iceland’s dependence on oil and many sought to raise taxes on the rich.
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