Heavy snowfall in Icelandʼs northern-eastern regions slowed-down vote counting during the nations snap election (the weather making things extra dramatic)
The Social Democratic Alliance grabbed an early lead with 21‚5% of votes - marking their first real shot at power since 2013. Bjarni Benediktssonʼs Independence Party sits behind at 19%; showing better-than-expected results due to last-minute voter support
The current power-sharing deal between Benediktssonʼs party‚ Left-Green Movement and Progressive Party - which lasted about seven years - might be coming to an end. The Liberal Reform Party (which some thought would do great) ended up in third place with just 16% of counted votes
The vote count process got really slow because of the weather: northern and eastern parts had to deal with a proper winter storm. With around 60% of votes processed; final results might take longer than usual to come in
- Left-Green Movement
- Independence Party
- Progressive Party
- Social Democratic Alliance
- Liberal Reform Party
The election shows how quick things can change in nordic politics - from a stable three-party coalition to what looks like a complete power shift in just one snowy weekend