Iceland Party Ousted by Bank Crisis Seeks Coalition Talks
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The party ousted from government in 2009 after presiding over Iceland’s financial meltdown emerged as the biggest winner in the weekend’s parliamentary elections as talks start to form a ruling coalition.
The Independence Party, whose former leader and Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde was tried last year for economic mismanagement, won 26.7 percent in the April 27 vote. The Progressive Party -- a coalition partner of the Independents before the banking collapse -- won 24.4 percent. The Social Democrats of Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir saw its backing plunge by 16.9 percentage points to 12.9 percent. Together with its coalition partner, the Left Green Party, they garnered just 23.8 percent.