Iceland's flags flutter next to the City Hall during a snap parliamentary election in Reykjavik, Iceland October 28, 2017. REUTERS/Geirix/File Photo

Iceland Sets Nov. 30 Election After Coalition Government Collapses

Iceland will hold a parliamentary election on Nov. 30 after the country's prime minister on Sunday said the three-party coalition government had collapsed, the president said late on Tuesday.

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17 Oct 2024, 7:22 am

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Iceland will hold a parliamentary election on Nov. 30 after the country's prime minister on Sunday said the three-party coalition government had collapsed, the president said late on Tuesday.

The coalition of the right-wing, pro-business Independence Party, the centre-right Progressive Party and the Left Greens, fell apart over disagreements ranging from asylum policies to energy efficiency, Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson has said.

Benediktsson, who leads the Independence Party, was appointed prime minister in April for his second stint in the job, replacing Katrin Jakobsdottir after she announced she would resign and run for president.

The presidency was ultimately won by Halla Tomasdottir, a businesswoman who took office in August.

Iceland has faced uncertainty after a recent string of volcanic eruptions that forced thousands to leave their homes, putting pressure on an economy already facing high inflation and interest rates.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Stine Jacobsen and Terje Solsvik)