Icelandic parliamentary election, 2016

Icelandic parliamentary election, 2016

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All 63 seats in the Althing 32 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	79.19% 2.3
First party Second party Third party   Leader Bjarni Benediktsson Katrín Jakobsdóttir Birgitta Jónsdóttir Party Independence Left-Green Pirates Leader since 29 March 2009 24 February 2013 24 November 2012 Last election 19 seats, 26.70% 7 seats, 10.87% 3 seats, 5.10% Seats won 21 / 63 10 / 63 10 / 63 Seat change 2 3 7 Popular vote 54,990 30,166 27,449 Percentage 29.0% 15.9% 14.5% Swing 2.3% 5.0% 9.4%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson Benedikt Jóhannesson Óttarr Proppé Party Progressive Reform Bright Future Leader since 2 October 2016 24 May 2016 31 January 2015 Last election 19 seats, 24.43% Did not contest 6 seats, 8.25% Seats won 8 / 63 7 / 63 4 / 63 Seat change 11 7 2 Popular vote 21,791 19,870 13,578 Percentage 11.5% 10.5% 7.2% Swing 12.9% 10.5% 1.5%   Seventh party   Leader Oddný G. Harðardóttir Party Social Democratic Leader since 3 June 2016 Last election 9 seats, 12.85% Seats won 3 / 63 Seat change 6 Popular vote 10,893 Percentage 5.7% Swing 7.1%
Prime Minister before election Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson Progressive Prime Minister-designate Bjarni Benediktsson Independence

Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
Progressive

Bjarni Benediktsson
Independence

Parliamentary elections were held in Iceland on 29 October 2016. They were due to be held on or before 27 April 2017, but following the 2016 Icelandic anti-government protests, the ruling coalition announced that early elections would be held "in autumn".

The Independence Party emerged as the largest in the Althing, winning 21 of the 63 seats; the Progressive Party, which had won the most seats in 2013, lost more than half its seats as it was overtaken by the Left-Green Movement and the Pirate Party. Of the 63 elected MPs, 30 were female, giving Iceland the highest proportion of female MPs in Europe.

A new coalition was formed on 10 January 2017, consisting of the Independence Party, the Reform Party and Bright Future, with Bjarni Benediktsson becoming Prime Minister on 11 January 2017.

In early April 2016, following revelations in the Panama Papers, leaks from law firm Mossack Fonseca about the financial dealings of then Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson (Progressive Party) and his wife, there were calls for an early election from the opposition, who planned to present him with a motion of no confidence. Mass protests calling on the Prime Minister to quit followed. Although Sigmundur Davíð had stated he had no intention of resigning, he apparently resigned on 5 April. However, it was later stated by the Prime Minister's office that he had only taken a temporary leave of absence from his duties. The Progressive Party's deputy leader, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, became acting Prime Minister the same day.

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