Presidential run: These five already have the minimum recommendations
Arnar Þór Jónsson, Ástþór Magnússon, Baldur Þórhallsson, Halla Tómasdóttir, and Jón Gnarr say they already have the minimum of recommendations needed to run. Composite image
At least five candidates for the office of President of Iceland have reached the minimum number of votes required to be eligible for election. 62 people are now gathering votes to be eligible for election.
Ástríður Jóhannesdóttir, the director of the National Electoral Commission, tells us that there have never been so many people who have collected recommendations before presidential elections as this year.
She says it is difficult to know for sure, however, because people used to collect recommendations only on paper.
Minimum to receive 1,500 recommendations
Candidates are now working to gather the votes to be eligible to run. Each candidate needs at least 1,500 signatures and at most 3,000 signatures.
According to the responses of candidates to the questionnaire, these are the candidates who have collected at least 1,500 signatures.
- Arnar Þór Jónsson
- Ástþór Magnússon
- Baldur Þórhallsson
- Halla Tómasdóttir
- Jón Gnarr
Already 62 individuals have announced they are runing for President. Among them are:
- Baldur Þórhallsson, Political Science Professor
- Halla Tómasdóttir, Entrepreneur
- Arnar Þór Jónsson, Lawyer
- Jón Gnarr, entertainer and former mayor
- Ástþór Magnússon, car dealer and a pacifist
- Ásdís Rán Gunnarsdóttir, entrepreneur
- Helga Þórisdóttir, Director of The Icelandic Data Protection Authority
- Sigríður Hrund Pétursdóttir, investor and former chair of FKA
- Guðmundur Felix Grétarsson
- Guðni Þór Þrándarson
If all 62 candidates, many of whom have not even announced their candidacies, received 1,500 votes, it means that 93 thousand eligible voters would have to vote for one candidate.
If you look at the only people who have specifically announced their candidacy, it’s about 10 people. That means that at least 15,000 eligible voters would have to recommend a candidate.
It's been a rumor for quite some time that the Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, is considering running. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon
Several others still pondering over running
The lines are getting clearer every day, but there are still the big names on the sidelines that have been written to the office and are under the column.
Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir has not taken a position on running, but the Left-Greens say she is considering the matter seriously at the moment.
Halla Hrund Logadóttir, the Energy Commissioner, told mbl.is last week that she would report on her decision shortly after Easter, and then Jakob Frímann, MP for the People’s Party, said that he was considering running.
Voting is on June 1
In response to a question from Morgunblaðið, President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson has admitted that he is constantly being encouraged and challenged to reconsider his decision to leave office this summer.
The election for President of Iceland will take place on 1 June 2024.
On April 26, the deadline for candidates to run for president will expire. On May 2, the National Election Board will announce who is running for president. After that, it will be possible to vote outside elections, including for district officials and foreign embassies and Iceland’s consular officials.
