Presidential elections were held in Iceland on 29 June 1996.[1] The result was a victory for Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, who received 41.4% of the vote.[2][3][4]
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| Turnout | 85.94% | ||||||||||||||||
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Electoral system
editThe President of Iceland is elected in one round by first-past-the-post voting.
Campaign
editPrime minister Davíð Oddsson and former foreign minister Jón Baldvín Hannibalsson considered running in the election.[3] Guðrún Pétursdóttir, an academic, ran, but withdrew from the race ten days prior to the election date.[3]
Ólafur was considered a left-wing politician at the time, having been the leader of the left-wing People's Alliance from 1987 to 1995.[3] Guðrún Agnarsdóttir, a former member of parliament for the Women's List, was considered on the left as well.[3] Pétur Hafstein announced his candidacy shortly after Davíð decided not to run. Pétur was a Supreme Court judge, and was expected to appeal to voters of the conservative Independence Party.[3] Ólafur's campaign was described by political scientist Ólafur Harðarson as "Americanized", as Ólafur emphasized his personal qualities rather than his political background and views.[3]
Results
edit| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson | 68,370 | 41.38 |
| Pétur Hafstein | 48,863 | 29.57 |
| Guðrún Agnarsdóttir | 43,578 | 26.37 |
| Ástþór Magnússon | 4,422 | 2.68 |
| Total | 165,233 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | 165,233 | 98.74 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 2,101 | 1.26 |
| Total votes | 167,334 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 194,705 | 85.94 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||
References
edit- ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p962 ISBN 9783832956097
- ^ Nohlen & Stöver, p980
- ^ a b c d e f g Hardarson, Ólafur Th. (1997). "Iceland". European Journal of Political Research. 32 (3‐4): 391–398. doi:10.1111/1475-6765.00051. ISSN 0304-4130.
- ^ Kristinsson, Gunnar Helgi (1996). "The presidential election in Iceland 1996". Electoral Studies. 15 (4): 533–537. doi:10.1016/s0261-3794(96)80470-7. ISSN 0261-3794.