2021 Icelandic parliamentary election

The 2017 parliamentary election was called after the collapse of the coalition government between the Independence Party, Reform Party, and Bright Future after the withdrawal of the latter over a breach of trust involving a request to grant a convicted child sex offender "restored honor" from the father of Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson.[2][3][4] In the 2017 election, the Independence Party lost 5 seats and was reduced to 16, while the Reform Party lost 3 to win 4, and Bright Future was eliminated from the Althing entirely. The Left-Green Movement gained 1 seat to win 11, the Social Democratic Alliance gained 4 seats to win 7, the Progressive Party remained steady with 8 seats, and the Pirate Party lost 4 seats and was reduced to 6 in total. Two parties entered the Althing for the first time, with the People's Party securing 4 seats and the Centre Party winning 7 seats.[5]

With 16 seats and 25.2% of the vote, the Independence Party achieved its second-worst electoral performance in its history in terms of vote percentage, the worst being the 2009 election, and tied its record low number of seats.[6] A total of 24 women were elected to the Althing, compared to 30 in the 2016 election.[7] Of those elected to the Althing, 19 are new, but this is considerably lower than in 2016 with 32.[8]

On 30 October, President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson met with the leaders of the eight parliamentary parties.[9] The four former opposition parties held informal talks,[10] with the Progressive Party in pole position to determine whether the Independence Party or the Left-Greens would lead the next government.[11] After meeting with Guðni, Left-Green leader Katrín Jakobsdóttir declared that she wanted to form a government with the four former opposition parties,[12] noting that though a coalition with additional parties would provide more than 32 seats, it was out of consideration before a four-party coalition was first attempted.[13] On 2 November, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson granted Katrín Jakobsdóttir, leader of the Left-Green Movement, the mandate to form a coalition between her party, the Progressives, Social Democratic Alliance, and Pirates,[14] the four having agreed to begin formal coalition talks.[15]

On 6 November, after the Progressives announced that they would not continue talks over difficult issues with such a thin majority, Katrín announced that she would return her mandate.[16] In the following days, the leaders of the Left-Greens, Independence Party, and Progressive Party discussed the possibility of forming a coalition together, with the Left-Greens insistent that Katrín become prime minister in that case,[17] an idea supported by the Progressives;[18] in exchange, demissionary prime minister Bjarni Benediktsson would be appointed finance minister.[19] Talks between the three parties were completed swiftly, and after meeting with Katrín on 28 November, Guðni formally granted her the mandate to lead a government with the Independence Party and Progressive Party, pending the support of each of the parties, with the new government seated on 30 November.[20]

According Article 22 of the constitution, the president must convene the newly elected Althing within 10 weeks of the election, though it may need to meet earlier in order to approve the 2018 budget.[21]

Per Article 20 in Chapter V of Act No. 24 from the 16 May 2000 Law Concerning Parliamentary Elections to the Althing, last amended in 2017, elections must be held no later than the same weekday of the month four years after the previous elections, counting from the turn of the month;[28] therefore, because the 2017 election took place on the fourth Saturday in October, the latest possible date for the next election would be 23 October 2021.[29]

Members of the opposition parties had called for the election to be scheduled for the spring of 2021, arguing that Icelandic elections are traditionally held during the spring — a tradition broken only by the premature elections in autumn 2017 – and that autumn elections give a newly-formed government too little time to prepare next year's budget.[30] Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson dismissed those arguments, saying that gaining power had involved "blood, sweat and tears" and he had no interest in giving it away half a year earlier than required.[31]

On July 24, 2020 Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir announced that the elections would take place on September 25, 2021, a month earlier than required, calling the decision "a compromise".[1]

D = Independence Party, V = Left-Green Movement, S = Social Democratic Alliance, M = Centre Party, B = Progressive Party, P = Pirate Party, F = People's Party, C = Reform Party, J = Socialist Party.