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Arni Torfason

Iceland falls short of Europe's first women-majority parliament

Of the 63 seats in the Althing parliament, 30 were won by women, or 47.6 percent, following the recount.

ICELAND CAME CLOSE to becoming the first country in Europe to have a women-majority parliament after its election on Saturday, but a recount showed it fell short.

Of the 63 seats in the Althing parliament, 30 were won by women, or 47.6 percent, following the recount in one of Iceland’s constituencies, the head of the electoral commission in the Northwest constituency, Ingi Tryggvason, said.

Early on Sunday, projections based on final results had credited women with 33 seats, or 52 percent.

“We decided to hold a recount because the result was so close,” Tryggvason said, adding that no-one had requested the recount.

Further recounts in other parts of Iceland were not ruled out.

No European country has had more than 50 percent women lawmakers, with Sweden until now coming closest at 47 percent, according to data compiled by the World Bank.

Iceland has long been a pioneer in gender equality and women’s rights, and has topped the World Economic Forum’s ranking of most egalitarian countries for the past 12 years.

The country, which was the first to elect a woman as president in 1980, had been quick to celebrate the presumed milestone.

“I am 85, I’ve waited all my life for women to be in a majority… I am really happy,” Erdna, a Reykjavik resident, told AFP earlier.

“This is yet another example of how far we have advanced on the road to full gender equality,” Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson had told AFP.

Unlike some other countries, Iceland does not have legal quotas on female representation in parliament, though some parties do require a minimum number of candidates to be women.

Around the world, five other countries currently have parliaments where women hold at least half the seats, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union: Rwanda (61 percent), Cuba (53 percent), Nicaragua (51 percent) and Mexico and the United Arab Emirates (50 percent).

New coalition

The recount did not affect the overall election result. Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir’s left-right coalition won a majority, but the three parties are nonetheless expected to begin negotiations in the coming days to decide whether they will continue to govern together.

The coalition has brought Iceland four years of stability after a decade of political crises, but Jakobsdottir’s Left-Green Movement emerged weakened after losing ground to its right-wing partners, which both posted strong showings.

The Left-Green Movement, the conservative Independence Party and the centre-right Progressive Party together won 37 of 63 seats in parliament, up from the 33 they held before the vote.

But the Left-Green Movement itself won only eight seats, three fewer than in 2017, raising questions about Jakobsdottir’s future as prime minister.

The largest party remained the Independence Party, whose leader Bjarni Benediktsson — the current finance minister and a former prime minister — has long been eyeing Jakobsdottir’s job.

It won almost a quarter of votes and hung on to its 16 seats.

But the election’s big winner was the centre-right Progressive Party, which gained five seats, to 13.

After four years of concessions on all sides to keep the peace within the coalition, it is conceivable that the two right-wing parties may want to try to form a government without the Left Greens.

Speaking to private broadcaster Stod 2 on Sunday, Jakobsdottir refused to be drawn on the coalition’s future discussions, saying only that her government had received “remarkable” support in the election.

 

Continue together

Progressive Party leader Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson and Independence Party leader Benediktsson meanwhile both said yesterday they were open to discussing a continuation of the coalition, citing voters’ strong support.

Benediktsson told Stod 2 it was “normal for parties that have worked together for four years and had good personal relations” to try to continue together.

But he told public broadcaster RUV he wasn’t sure they would succeed.

He also said he would “not demand” the post of prime minister.

The unusual coalition mixing left and right came about after the 2017 elections, in a bid to bring stability after years of political upheaval.

Deep public distrust of politicians amid repeated scandals sent Icelanders to the polls five times from 2007 to 2017.

This is the first time since 2003 that a government has retained its majority.

© AFP 2021

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    Mute Patrick Corr
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:02 PM

    Let that be an inspiration to people who say they can’t do it. Everyone can..

    826
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    Mute Kizzi Yeates
    Favourite Kizzi Yeates
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:15 PM

    I can’t do it , I have jumped up and down in the bath so many times and it just won’t break ….. ;)

    192
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    Mute Dave Donnelly (Tac)
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:05 PM

    Well done! Great achievement!!!

    442
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    Mute yorkie robinson
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:05 PM

    I tip my hat to you .no guts no glory

    434
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    Mute skin flint
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:09 PM

    Wow! It’s not easy – so you should be very proud! You look fantastic!

    430
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    Mute jolly rodgers
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:05 PM

    Fair play to her , a wonderful achievement

    329
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    Mute Louise Evans
    Favourite Louise Evans
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:19 PM

    Amazing comments and compliments across all form of media today about this lady,she must feel amazing reading them all,she must have gone to hell and back to loose all that weight,an amazing achievement

    287
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    Mute Al coholic
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:18 PM

    Just look at what that girl achieved and ask yourself what’s your excuse.fair play a lot to be said for focus and determination

    169
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    Mute Jason
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:50 PM

    Hats off to her not easy to lose weight let alone that amount, phenomenal job and she looks fantastic

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    Mute finbarr ocormac
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:13 PM

    Brilliant for you….

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    Mute Bazalini
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:16 PM

    U go girl….

    113
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    Mute TheLoneHurler
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:26 PM

    Brilliant stuff, fair play to her.

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    Mute Unfortunately
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:27 PM

    Wow what a change she’s hot now.

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    Mute deel
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:08 PM

    Well done lady !!..keep it up and best of luck in the future x

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    Mute Big Crazy Al
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:56 PM

    Congrats. Great to hear some good news.

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    Mute Deirdre Graham Geoghegan
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:13 PM

    What a wonderful brave lady. Congratulations

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    Mute AntiTreeHugger
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    Nov 12th 2014, 12:58 AM

    Well fair play. 20 stone is some weight to lose. That’s a serious achievement. Good advertising for that weight loss programme. I keep losing 1 to 2 stone. I say a prayer to saint anthony and a month goes by and I find it again.

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    Mute Margaret Martin
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:47 PM

    Your a wonderful person,you look like a model,keep it up.

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    Mute Kizzi Yeates
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:50 PM

    The bath was so funny lmfao……

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    Mute Kizzi Yeates
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    Nov 11th 2014, 11:11 PM

    I would imagine she chuckles looking back , good for her…..

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    Mute Inntalitarian
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    Nov 11th 2014, 10:33 PM

    You’re dead right Patrick, a decade or so of excessive overconsumption of junk food.l and lack of movement should do it. Consistency is key.

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    Mute Maria Hickey-Fagan
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    Nov 12th 2014, 8:18 AM

    Fantastic achievement. Slimming World is by far the best and most sustainable plan out there. It’s helped me lose the baby weight twice and I’m now back to a weight I haven’t seen since my early twenties. I 100% credit Slimming World with that and believe me I’ve tried every plan and trick and diet pill in the book.

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    Mute Marie
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    Nov 12th 2014, 6:30 AM

    What an inspiration, well done!

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    Mute Pauline Harney Keogh
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    Nov 12th 2014, 8:24 AM

    Well done to her but I wonder did she have to have surgery after to remove any excess skin left over from losing all that weight.

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    Mute MUFC
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    Nov 12th 2014, 3:16 PM

    fair play to her. massive turnaround. impressive stuff

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    Mute Dympna Stapleton
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    Nov 12th 2014, 9:45 PM

    Well done girl! I agree slimming world is by far the best plan out there, I lost two stone and have maintained it 14 months now and I no il never look back. This lady must be thrilled x

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