Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir announced her resignation on Friday April 5 to run for president in the June 1 election.
Ms. Jakobsdottir, 48, was the head of a left-right coalition that has governed Iceland since 2017. The three parties in the ruling coalition, including her Left-Green Movement, reached an agreement in 2021 to stay in power. power four more years after winning the legislative elections.
“I have decided to resign as prime minister of Iceland and run for president,” Jakobsdottir said in a video posted on social media. “The president must defend the fundamental values of Icelandic society (…) both at home and abroad,” she added. “My experience in politics could be put to good use in this position,” said the head of government.
Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson, in office since 2016, announced at the start of the year that he would not run for office in this largely ceremonial role.
Coming from a family of academics and parliamentarians, Ms. Jakobsdottir was the second woman to serve as head of government in Iceland. She enjoys strong popularity in the country, unlike her political party.
His coalition had particularly focused the program for this second term on climate change. It has had to face a sharp resumption of volcanic eruptions since the fall of 2023, which led to the evacuation of the port city of Grindavik.