Iceland: Political Developments and Data in 2021

• Published in: European Journal of Political Research Political Data Yearbook
• Main Authors: HARDARSON, ÓLAFUR TH, KRISTINSSON, GUNNAR HELGI
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2022
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/2047-8852.12354; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/2047-8852.12354; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/2047-8852.12354

Abstract Icelandic politics in 2021 were strongly dominated by two features: the ongoing struggle with Covid‐19 and the parliamentary election which took place on 25 September. Covid‐19 was in many ways the primary task of government throughout the year and, while criticism of various restrictions of personal freedoms grew louder as the year wore on, the situation remained relatively calm compared to most other countries. The parliamentary election was to a certain extent overshadowed by the pandemic crisis and the opposition parties in particular had a difficult time of finding a clear voice in a situation where expert rule was the norm and by far the most prominent part of the government agenda. After four years in power, the three‐way coalition of the Left‐Greens, Independence Party and Progressive Party was re‐elected in September, signalling a continuation of the partial return to stability which its formation in 2017 had signalled.