REYKJAVIK: Iceland’s conservative prime minister won a snap election despite a string of scandals, final results confirmed on Sunday, but it remained unclear whether he could form a viable coalition.
Bjarni Benediktsson, 47, was accused named last year in the “Panama Papers” worldwide tax-evasion leaks. He has also been accused of wrongdoing during Iceland’s financial collapse in 2008.
Nevertheless, his Independence Party beat its rivals in Saturday’s election, according to final results published on Sunday. It won 16 seats in the 63-seat parliament. Turnout was 81 percent.
No party won a majority. It could take months before Iceland has a new government in place as thorny coalition negotiations await. Benediktsson fended off a challenge from the Left Green Movement and its potential allies, the Social Democratic Alliance and the anti-establishment Pirate Party.
