Leader of the nation - "Továbbállíthatatlan szívnél": Izland új elnöke: Halla Tómasdóttir
Following a thrilling election night filled with excitement, Iceland is preparing for its second female president in history. Businesswoman Halla Tomasdottir secured 34.3% of the votes, surpassing all eleven other candidates as reported by Icelandic broadcaster RUV.
After securing her win, Tomasdottir expressed her deep gratitude and joy for being chosen by the nation, admitting she never expected anything when going through this journey but remained hopeful.
Top rival concedes defeat
Katrin Jakobsdottir, Tomasdottir's main competition, also accepted her defeat with 25.2% of the votes. The excitement surrounding the presidential race between the two front-runners continued until the very end, with Jakobsdottir ultimately acknowledging her loss and graciously congratulating Tomasdottir on her victory. Jakobsdottir stated, "I'm congratulating her and know she'll make a great president." She has no intentions to pursue the presidency again. Surprisingly, Jakobsdottir resigned as prime minister in April to take up the presidential bid.
Family proud of Tomasdottir's achievement
On a personal level, Tomasdottir's family was filled with pride as her daughter spoke to broadcaster RUV during the election night, saying they were extremely proud of her and that it was "so much fun to be part of this type of campaign and inspire young people to vote." The voter turnout was the highest in a presidential election since 1996, with nearly 79% of Iceland's 270,000 eligible voters participating.
The presidency passed on to the next generation
This is Tomasdottir's second attempt at becoming president – she previously ran in 2016 but lost to incumbent Gudni Johannesson. In his New Year's address, Johannesson announced that he would not seek a third term and relinquished the office on August 1st, transitioning power to Tomasdottir. The role of Iceland's president or president is predominantly symbolic. The country is not part of the European Union, but joins the European Economic Area with Norway and Liechtenstein. Elections for a new president are held in Iceland every four years provided there's more than one candidate.
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Gudni Johannesson, the incumbent president, announced he would not seek a third term, leading to the presidential election. The upcoming president will be the second female head of state in Iceland's history, following Katrín Jakobsdóttir's concession of defeat. During her campaign, Tomasdottir's daughter expressed pride and excitement on election night, and Jakobsdottir graciously congratulated her rival. Tomasdottir had previously run for president in 2016 but ultimately lost to Johannesson. The symbolic position of President in Iceland will now pass onto Tomasdottir following Johannesson's August 1st transition of power. These presidential elections are held every four years in Iceland, given there are more than one candidate.
