Businesswoman Hala Tomasdottir won the presidential election in Iceland with 34.3% of the vote, the Icelandic television and radio company RUV reported.
According to her information, the second place (25.2%) is occupied by Katrin Jakobsdóttir, who in April 2024 resigned as Prime Minister of Iceland (2017 - 2024) and leader of the Left Green Movement (2013 - 2024) . In third place (15.5%) is the Director General of the National Energy Authority of Iceland, Halla Hrund Logadottir. Voter turnout in the elections was 78.83%.
Incumbent Gudni Johannesson is not running for a third term. There were 12 candidates vying for the top job in 2024, a record number of candidates. According to a May 26 poll by the Icelandic Center for Social Research Prosenta, the favorites in the election race are Logadottir, Tomasdottir and Jakobsdottir, with political scientists identifying the latter as the most likely winner of the election.
The President of Iceland is elected by direct secret ballot. The elections are held in one round, and the candidate who received the largest number of votes is considered elected. An Icelandic citizen who has reached the age of 35 can become head of state. Candidates can be nominated by political parties or by self-nomination, for which they need to collect from 1.5 thousand to 3 thousand signatures.
Icelandic citizens who have reached the age of 18 and are permanent residents of the country have the right to vote. There are currently more than 250,000 voters (Iceland's population is around 380,000). Participation in the elections is not mandatory.