In Iceland, businesswoman Hala Tomasdóttir was elected president

Businesswoman Halla Tomasdóttir was elected President of Iceland on Sunday, June 2, according to final results, replacing former Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

M^I Tomasdottir, 55 years old, received 34.3% of the votes, compared to 25.5% of the votes for M.^I Jakobsdottir (48 years old), who resigned in April from his position as prime minister of a left-right government, to run in the presidential elections.

These results give M^I Tomasdottir, who came in second place in the 2016 presidential elections, received stronger support than expected in opinion polls, which gave the candidates a tie.

The second president

Founder of Audur Capital, an investment firm created in 2007 to promote feminine values ​​in the financial sector, M.^I Tomasdottir is CEO of The B Team, a non-profit organization founded by British billionaire Richard Branson to promote humane and climate-friendly business practices.

She will be the second woman to hold the position of president in Iceland. In 1980, Vigdis Finnbogadóttir became the world's first democratically elected head of state.

The president holds a largely ceremonial position in Iceland, a parliamentary republic, but he is the guarantor of respect for the constitution and national unity. He has the right to veto parliamentary texts, and can submit them to a referendum.

“It seems to me that Hala Tomasdóttir will become the next president of Iceland.”M said,^I Jakobsdottir on RUV national television when the first results were announced. “I congratulate her and I know she will be a good president. »

M^I For his part, Tomasdottir told the Daily newspaper on Sunday morning morgenbladed What “Just trying to breathe”Adding: “I feel amazing. I know it's not over until it's over. So I'm just trying to stay calm and breathe. »

Without party affiliation

No topic emerged during the campaign. In Iceland, a country with a population of 380,000 people, candidates traditionally compete in these elections as independents, without party affiliation. Any citizen who collects 1,500 signatures can run. M^I Jakobsdottir was once seen as the favorite among the 13 candidates in Saturday's election.

Leader of the Green and leftist movement from 2013 until the presidential elections, she received praise for her management of the situation during the volcanic eruptions that have occurred one after another on the Reykjanes Peninsula since December 2023.

M^I Tomasdottir, who will take office on 1^any August Gudni succeeds the popular Thorlasius Johansson, who has been in office since 2016 and is not running again.

The five eruptions, including last week's explosion, led to the evacuation of thousands of residents, especially from the small town of Grindavik.