27 April 2013
Last updated at 20:55 ET
Bjarni Benediktsson (l) and Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson (r) both hope to become PM
Centre-right opposition parties in Iceland have taken an early lead as votes are counted after the country’s parliamentary election.
With one-fifth of votes counted, the Independence party has 24.9% and the Progressive party 22.7%.
The ruling Social Democrats are trailing with 13.9%.
Victory would mark a dramatic comeback for the centre-right, which was widely blamed for Iceland’s near-economic collapse in 2008.
A win for the centre-right in the 63-strong parliament could also halt the island nation’s EU membership talks.
The two parties’ leaders, Bjarni Benediktsson and Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, are predicted to compete in a race to succeed the Social Democrat Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, who is retiring from politics.
Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, 70, is stepping down Many Icelanders are frustrated with the current government, saying that its austerity policies are too painful.
“We’ve seen what cutbacks have done for our healthcare system and social benefits … now it’s time to make new investments, create jobs and start growth,” said Mr Benediktsson, the Independence party leader.
“I’m very pleased,” said Mr Gunnlaugsson of the Progressive party, as results came in.
The centre-right camp had also promised debt relief and a cut in taxes.
The two parties are also seen as Eurosceptic, and their poll success could slow down Iceland’s efforts to become a member of the EU.
The Eurosceptics argue that Iceland already gets most of the benefits of full membership through existing free trade arrangements with the EU and by being part the Schengen visa-free travel zone.
However, some voters remained unconvinced about the centre-right parties’ appeal.
“People seem to have a very short memory,” HalldorGudmundsson, 44, told Reuters news agency after casting his ballot. “These are the parties that got us into the mess in the first place.”
Source Article from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22320282
Iceland vote: Centre-right opposition takes early lead – BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22320282
http://news.google.com/news?cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&topic=w&output=rss
World – Google News
Google News
http://www.gstatic.com/news-static/img/logo/en_us/news.gif
Iceland vote: Centre-right opposition takes early lead - BBC News
No comments:
Post a Comment