2016 Icelandic presidential election

2016 Icelandic presidential election

←  2012 25 June 2016 2020  →
Turnout	75.70%
Candidate Guðni Th. Jóhannesson Halla Tómasdóttir Popular vote 71,356 50,995 Percentage 39.08% 27.93%   Candidate Andri Snær Magnason Davíð Oddsson Popular vote 26,037 25,108 Percentage 14.26% 13.75%
President before election Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson Elected President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson

Presidential elections were held in Iceland on 25 June 2016. ^[1] President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, elected in 1996, stepped down after serving five consecutive terms. The history professor Guðni Th. Jóhannesson was elected after receiving a plurality of 39.1% of the vote. ^[2] He took office on 1 August, as the first new president of Iceland in twenty years. ^[3]

Electoral system

The President of Iceland is elected by plurality in a single round of voting. ^[4] Candidates must be Icelandic citizens and at least 35 years of age on election day. ^[5]

Campaign

On 1 January 2016 incumbent president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson announced that he would not seek a sixth term in the office, wanting "to transfer the responsibilities of the president onto other shoulders". ^{[1] [6] [7]} He later retracted and decided to run in April, ^[8] citing political unrest after the fallout of the Panama Papers leak, which implicated Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson and forced him to resign after large anti-government protests. ^[9] In the following ten days five other candidates suspended their campaigns, one of them after endorsing Ólafur Ragnar. Former Prime Minister Davíð Oddsson declared his candidacy on 8 May, and Ólafur Ragnar withdrew from the race the following day, stating that there was now a supply of qualified candidates. A poll showing Ólafur Ragnar with only 25% support had been published the same day. ^[10]

Davíð Oddsson attacked Guðni Th. Jóhannesson in two TV-debates for allegedly having an unpatriotic view of the Cod Wars. Guðni, a historian of the Cod Wars, dismissed these charges and explained that his take on the Cod Wars was nuanced and supported by research. Davíð has also said that Guðni supported Icelandic responsibility for Icesave and is in favor of EU membership. Guðni responded, saying that his words were taken out context in both instances, and that he as President would make sure that the public would have a say in a referendum both on the resumption of EU accession negotiations and approval of any accession treaty. Furthermore, Davíð has alleged that Guðni will "undermine the Constitution" by supporting constitutional change. ^[11] Halla is personally against EU membership and Andri Snær is undecided.^{[ citation needed ]}

End-of-campaign developments

Despite an initial anti-establishment feeling, interest in the campaign waned in the last days due to the performance of the Iceland national football team in the Euro 2016. Like his predecessor, Guðni is opposed to membership of the European Union. In the final debate the day before the vote, he said the result of the Brexit vote changes "much for the better for us Icelanders", implying that the European Economic Area agreement that non-EU members Norway and Iceland have with the EU could play a more important role with the United Kingdom on board. His campaign promises included vowing to "modernise political life" and give voters a chance of direct democracy initiatives. ^[3]

Candidates

Candidates had to formally declare their intention to run on or before 20 May ^[12] (five weeks prior to the election) and "be proposed by not less than 1500 voters". ^[5] The number of candidates in previous elections had been six at most, but the announced departure of the incumbent president prompted an unprecedented number of people to consider running. A total of 21 people publicly declared their intention to run, and around ten more were reported to be seriously considering it. Finally, nine candidates fulfilled the requirements for ballot access. ^[13]

Main candidates

• Andri Snær Magnason – author and environmentalist. ^[14]
• Davíð Oddsson – editor-in-chief of Morgunblaðið and former Prime Minister for the Independence Party. ^{[15] [16]}
• Guðni Th. Jóhannesson – senior lecturer in history at the University of Iceland and author. ^[17]
• Halla Tómasdóttir – entrepreneur and investor, co-founder of Audur Capital. She was later elected president in 2024 presidential election. ^[18]
• Sturla Jónsson – truck driver, protester, former parliamentary candidate and chairman of the Sturla Jónsson party. ^{[19] [20]}

Other candidates

• Ástþór Magnússon – businessman and peace activist; perennial candidate, who has run for president three times, in 1996, 2004, and 2012. ^{[21] [22] [23]}
• Elísabet Jökulsdóttir – author and freelance journalist. ^[24]
• Guðrún Margrét Pálsdóttir – nurse and founder of ABC Barnahjálp, an aid organization focusing on children in Asia and Africa. ^[25]
• Hildur Þórðardóttir – ethnologist, author, independent publisher and healer. ^[26]

Failed to get ballot access

Two candidates failed to collect enough signatures before the deadline expired. ^{[27] [28]}

• Baldur Ágústsson – businessman, who also ran in 2004. ^{[29] [30]} Did not submit before the deadline. ^[28]
• Magnús Ingberg Jónsson – fish processing engineer and entrepreneur. ^[31] Made an incomplete submission and was rejected by electoral authorities. ^[32]

Suspended campaign

• Ari Jósepsson – entertainer and self-proclaimed "YouTube star". Declared in January and withdrew on 13 May due to lack of media coverage of minor candidates. ^{[33] [34]}
• Benedikt Kristján Mewes – German-born dairy engineer and mailman, who wants to be the first gay president. ^[35] Failed to collect enough signatures and withdrew on the last day to hand them in. ^[36]
• Bæring Ólafsson – former COO of Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines. ^{[37] [38]} Declared in March and withdrew in late April. ^[39] Endorsed Andri Snær Magnason. ^[40]
• Guðmundur Franklín Jónsson – businessman and former chairman of the Right-Greens. ^[41] Announced in March and left in April. Endorsed Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. ^[42]
• Heimir Örn Hólmarsson – electrical engineer and project manager. ^[43] Announced in March and withdrew on 19 April due to the incumbent seeking reelection. ^[44]
• Hrannar Pétursson – sociologist and former Human Resource- and Marketing Director for Icelandic Vodafone. ^[45] Withdrew in April. ^[46]
• Magnus Ingi Magnússon – restaurateur and caterer. ^[47] Declared in April, withdrew on 17 May due to lack of signatures, saying he considered running for the Althingi instead. ^[48]
• Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson – Incumbent President. In January, he declared that he would not seek reelection, ^[6] but decided to enter the race on 18 April after political unrest in connection with the Panama Papers leak. ^[8] He subsequently withdrew on 9 May stating as his reason that other qualified candidates had now entered the race. ^[49]
• Vigfús Bjarni Albertsson – hospital chaplain. ^[50] Announced his candidacy in March but withdrew on 18 April. ^[51]
• Þorgrímur Þráinsson – author, motivational speaker, and former football player; announced he intended to run in November 2015, ^{[52] [53] [54]} which he confirmed on 1 January. ^[24] In April however, he said he would not go forth and implied he had not made a declaration. ^[55]

Declined

• Baldur Thorhallsson – Professor of Political Science at the University of Iceland. ^{[56] [57] [58]}
• Jón Gnarr – comedian and former Mayor of Reykjavík ^[59]
• Katrín Jakobsdóttir – leader of the Left-Green Movement ^[60]

Statement of intent

• Snorri Ásmundsson  [ is ] – a conceptual artist, released a statement in which he claimed he intended to run for president of both Iceland and Mexico, joining the presidential offices of the two countries. ^{[61] [62]}

Timeline

Opinion polls

Poll	Date	Olafur Ragnar Grímsson	Guðni Th. Jóhannesson	Andri Snær Magnason	Halla Tómasdóttir	Davið Oddsson	Others
MMR	22–26 April	52.6	–	29.4	8.8	–	9.2
Fréttablaðið	2–3 May	45	38	11	3	–	3
MMR	6–9 May	25.3	59.2	8.8	1.7	3.1 [†]	1.9
Fréttablaðið	10 May	3.2	69.0	10.7	1.0	13.7	2.4
Maskína	10–13 May	–	67.2	12.1	2.9	14.8	3.0
Félagsvísindastofnun HÍ	14 May	–	67.1	7.8	1.5	17.4	6.2
MMR	12–20 May	–	65.6	11.0	2.2	18.1	3.0
Gallup	19–25 May	–	57.2	10.9	5.4	22.0	4.6
Gallup	26 May – 3 June	–	56.7	10.6	7.5	20.3	5.3
Gallup	8–15 June	–	50.9	15.5	12.5	16.4	4.8
Félagsvísindastofnun HÍ	19–22 June	–	45.9	15.7	16.3	16.0	6.1
Gallup	20–24 June	–	44.6	16.0	18.6	16.0	4.8

† based on 27% of the poll.

Results

Guðni won the election with 39.1% of the votes. ^[2] Halla received 27.9%, Andri Snær 14.3%, Davíð 13.7% and Sturla 3.5%. ^[2] The turnout was 75.7%. ^[2]

After voting on his birthday, Guðni said that he was satisfied he had "managed to present to the people my vision of the presidency." He said that should he win, he would first "go to France on Monday and see Iceland play England." ^[3]

Candidate	Votes	%
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson	71,356	39.08
Halla Tómasdóttir	50,995	27.93
Andri Snær Magnason	26,037	14.26
Davíð Oddsson	25,108	13.75
Sturla Jónsson	6,446	3.53
Elísabet Jökulsdóttir	1,280	0.70
Ástþór Magnússon	615	0.34
Guðrún Margrét Pálsdóttir	477	0.26
Hildur Þórðardóttir	294	0.16
Total	182,608	100.00
Valid votes	182,608	98.50
Invalid/blank votes	2,782	1.50
Total votes	185,390	100.00
Registered voters/turnout	244,896	75.70
Source: Statistics Iceland

References

1. "Ólafur Ragnar mun láta af embætti forseta í sumar". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 1 January 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
2. "Lokatölur komnar úr öllum kjördæmum". 26 June 2016. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
3. "Political Novice Elected Iceland President Amid Football Fever". NDTV.com. Agence France-Presse. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
4. "IFES Election Guide: Iceland Pres, June 2012". International Foundation for Electoral Systems . Retrieved 1 January 2016.
5. "Constitution | Government Offices". Government.is. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
6. Sigurdardottir, Ragnhildur; Jensen, Teis (1 January 2016). "Iceland's president says he will not run for re-election". Reuters UK. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
7. "Iceland's president not seeking re-election after 20 years". The Washington Post . Associated Press. 1 January 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
8. "Ólafur Ragnar to run for re-election". Iceland Monitor. Morgunblaðið. 18 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
9. "Panama Papers: Iceland PM Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson steps down". BBC News . 4 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
10. "Fylgi Ólafs Ragnars minnkar um helming" (in Icelandic). Market and Media Research. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
11. Steinarsson, Birgir Örn. "Vísir – Guðni Th. við Davíð: "Hefur þú enga sómakennd?"". Visir (in Icelandic). p. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
12. "Hægt að kjósa utankjörfundar á morgun". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 29 April 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
13. "Staðfest að núu verða í forsetaframboði". Kjarninn (in Icelandic). 25 May 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
14. Erla María Markúsdóttir (21 March 2016). "Baráttan um Bessastaði harðnar". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 31 March 2016.
15. "Davíð býður sig fram til forseta". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 8 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
16. "Ólíklegt að Davíð taki fylgi af Guðna". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 9 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
17. "Ólafur með 45% en Guðni 38%". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 5 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
18. "Halla ætlar að bjóða sig fram". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 17 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
19. "Skoðanakönnun Vísis: Hvern vilt þú sjá sem næsta forseta Íslands?". Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
20. "Sturla býður sig fram". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 13 April 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
21. "Ástþór býður sig fram til forseta". RÚV (in Icelandic). 2 January 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
22. Oddsson, Hallgrímur (12 April 2012). "Ástþór: Kom með kreditkortin til Íslands". Viðskiptablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 January 2016.
23. Fontaine, Paul (3 January 2016). "Ástþór Magnússon Running For President Again". The Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
24. "Tveir hafa ákveðið forsetaframboð". RÚV. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
25. "Guðrún Margrét ætlar í forsetann". Vísir (in Icelandic). 22 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
26. "Hildur gefur kost á sér til forseta". Vísir (in Icelandic). 3 January 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
27. Ásrún Brynja Ingvarsdóttir (21 May 2016). "Tíu frambjóðendur skiluðu inn gögnum". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 May 2016.
28. "Tíu skiluðu framboði". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 21 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
29. "Baldur Ágústsson tilkynnir framboð til forseta Íslands". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 11 May 2004. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
30. "Baldur býður sig fram". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 10 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
31. "Magnús Ingberg gefur kost á sér til forseta". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 10 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
32. "Fékk bréfið í morgun og íhugar að kæra". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 24 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
33. "Árni Björn og Ari gefa kost á sér". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 3 January 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
34. "Ari Hættir". Vísir (in Icelandic). 13 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
35. Jóhann Óli Eiðsson (10 April 2016). "Vill verða fyrsti samkynhneigði forsetinn". Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved 12 April 2016.
36. "Framboðsfrestur að renna út; Benedikt hættir". RÚV (in Icelandic). 20 April 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
37. Anna Marsibil Clausen (18 March 2016). "Vildi ekki bjóða sig fram gegn Ólafi Ragnari". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 31 March 2016.
38. "Bæring Ólafsson býður sig fram til forseta". Vísir (in Icelandic). 18 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
39. "Bæring dregur framboð sitt til baka". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 25 April 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
40. "Bæring enn hættur við". Vísir (in Icelandic). 12 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
41. "Guðmundur Franklín býður sig fram". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 20 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
42. "Guðmundur Franklín dregur framboðið til baka". Vísir (in Icelandic). 18 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
43. "Heimir Örn tilkynnir framboð til forseta". RÚV (in Icelandic). 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
44. "Dregur framboð sitt til baka". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 20 April 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
45. "Embættið ekki frátekið fyrir stjörnur". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 20 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
46. "Hrannar hættur við forsetaframboð". Vísir (in Icelandic). 27 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
47. "Magnús Ingi býður sig fram til forseta". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 17 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
48. "Hættur við Bessastaði, vill á þing". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 17 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
49. "Ólafur Ragnar hættur við framboð". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 9 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
50. "Vigfús Bjarni býður sig fram til forseta". RÚV (in Icelandic). 6 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
51. "Vigfús Bjarni hættur við: Segir Ólaf Ragnar ala á ótta". Vísir (in Icelandic). 18 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
52. ""Er að fylgja mínu innsæi," segir Þorgrímur". RÚV (in Icelandic). 24 November 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
53. "Þorgrímur fram: "Verð heiðarlegur og tala um hamingju og heilbrigði"". Vísir (in Icelandic). 24 November 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
54. "Fjöldi meðmælenda sem forsetaefni þurfa að skila inn ekki breyst í 64 ár". Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 January 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
55. "Þorgrímur hættur við forsetaframboð". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 9 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
56. "Vísir – Kanna landið fyrir framboð Baldurs" . Retrieved 23 June 2016.
57. "Baldur og Felix á Bessastaði?" . Retrieved 23 June 2016.
58. Hauksdóttir, G. "Majority supports a gay couple at Bessastaðir | IceNews – Daily News" . Retrieved 23 June 2016.
59. "Jón Gnarr býður sig ekki fram til forseta". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
60. Hafstad, Vala (4 January 2016). "Field Open for Up to 159 Presidential Candidates". Iceland Review . Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
61. Grettisson, Valur (19 February 2016). "Snorri Ásmundsson býður sig fram til forseta Íslands – og Mexíkó". DV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 22 February 2016.
62. Ásmundsson, Snorri (20 February 2016). "President 2016". snorriasmundsson.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.