Iceland’s President has launched talks to determine who could form the next government after an inconclusive general election in which a record eight political parties won seats.
Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson called the snap election a month ago after a junior member of his centre-right coalition quit over a legal scandal involving Benediktsson’s father.
Growing public distrust of the elite in recent years has spawned several anti-establishment parties, splintering the political landscape and making it increasingly difficult to form a stable government.
None of the record eight parties that won seats in parliament in Saturday’s vote came close to obtaining a majority, and both the rightwing and the leftwing want a chance to form the next government.
No statement was released after President Gudni Johannesson wrapped individual talks with all the party leaders, and no date was set as to when Johannesson might announce his pick.
