Exciting race

Iceland’s new president: Tómasdóttir wins election

Halla Tómasdóttir is delighted to have won the election: she will be Iceland's new president.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Halldor KOLBEINS)

Halla Tómasdóttir has won the presidential election in Iceland. After most of the votes were counted during a long election night on Sunday, she had a clear lead over her rivals. 

It was initially a close race between Tómasdóttir and Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who already has a lot of experience in politics thanks to her former role as the country's prime minister. Jakobsdóttir eventually conceded defeat.

In office from August
Voter turnout was just under 79 percent, as reported by Icelandic broadcaster RUV. This was significantly higher than in the previous election. Almost 270,000 Icelanders were eligible to vote.

Halla Tómasdóttir celebrated after her election victory.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Halldor KOLBEINS)

A few votes were still being counted when it was already clear that Tómasdóttir had won. This makes her the country's seventh president and the second woman to hold the office to date. She takes up her new role on August 1.

The 55-year-old entrepreneur succeeds Gudni Jóhannesson, who has been President of the North Atlantic island since 2016. The 55-year-old announced in his New Year's address that he would not be seeking a third term in office.

Already ran once in 2016
Tómasdóttir had already run once in 2016 and lost the race for the presidency to her fellow candidate Gudni Jóhannesson, who then held the office for eight years.

The role of the president is largely representative. Iceland is not a member of the European Union, but is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), as are Norway and Liechtenstein. Presidential elections are held every four years on the island, which has a population of around 380,000, provided there is more than one candidate. This time there were twelve candidates - more than ever before.