Presidential elections were held in Iceland on 1 June 2024. Incumbent president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson announced that he would not seek a third term. Entrepreneur Halla Tómasdóttir was elected as his successor, and took office on 1 August.
Background The previous presidential elections on 27 June 2020 saw incumbent president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson re-elected for a second four-year term with 92% of the vote, over Guðmundur Franklín Jónsson. The office of President is not term-limited; however, despite being eligible to serve a third term, Guðni announced in his New Year's address to the Icelandic people on 1 January 2024 that he would not stand for re-election again. Guðni got several challenge to run for re-election after he announce he will not seek re-election but he decided against it.
Electoral system The President of Iceland is directly elected by first-past-the-post voting, with a simple plurality of votes needed to win. Candidates must be Icelandic citizens and at least 35 years of age on election day.
On election day polling stations opened at 09:00 and ran until 22:00.
Candidates Prospective presidential candidates had until 26 April 2024 to collect more than 1,500 voter signatures to secure ballot access. Eighty candidates sought voter signatures by that date. The following individuals have received media attention for their potential candidacy for the position of president. On 29 April 2024, the National Electoral Commission announced which candidates had secured ballot access. Katrín Jakobsdóttir was seen as frontrunner in the election but Halla Tómasdóttir had a late surge to claim victory. Confirmed candidates Candidate Office(s) Campaign logo DetailsName(Age) Image Arnar Þór Jónsson(53) Former Deputy MP for the Independence Party (2021–2024) Lawyer and former judge who holds the right to speak before the Supreme Court of Iceland. He resigned his seat in the Althing and his membership with the Independence Party to run for President. Ásdís Rán Gunnarsdóttir(44) None Model and entrepreneur. She worked as a television producer in the 1990s. Ástþór Magnússon(70) None Businessman, activist, and perennial candidate, having run for President of Iceland in 1996, 2004, 2012, and 2016 — he had planned to run in 2000, but failed to get the necessary qualifying signatures. He is known for his Pro-Russian views. Baldur Þórhallsson(56) Former Deputy MP for the Social Democratic Alliance(2009–2013) Political science professor at the University of Iceland. He was previously a deputy member of the Althing for the Social Democratic Alliance. (47) None Fisherman who survived a sea disaster in 2012. Halla Hrund Logadóttir(43) Director of Energy Affairs at (since 2021) Director of Energy Affairs at the Icelandic Energy Agency, the first woman to hold the position. Also an adjunct professor at Harvard University in the United States. Halla Tómasdóttir(55) None Businessperson who has been CEO of The B Team since 2018. She finished as runner-up to Guðni Th. Jóhannesson in the 2016 presidential election. (55) Data Protection Commissioner Data Protection Commissioner and former prosecutor. Jón Gnarr(57) 20th Mayor of Reykjavík(2010–2014) Actor and comedian who served one term as Mayor of Reykjavík for the Best Party, where his election and tenure in office made international headlines. He joined the Social Democratic Alliance in 2017. Katrín Jakobsdóttir(48) 28th Prime Minister of Iceland(2017–2024) Former Prime Minister of Iceland, the first member of the Left-Green Movement to hold that position, overseeing a coalition government including her party, the Independence Party, and the Progressive Party. She was a member of the Althing from 2007 to 2024, and was chair of her party from 2013 to 2024. She resigned as chair of the Left-Green Movement, as a member of the Althing, and as Prime Minister to run for President. Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir(54) None Actress, TV show host, producer and writer. (35) None Economist. His endorsement list was initially declared invalid, but later corrected and confirmed on 2 May.
Withdrew or failed to get ballot access These candidates failed to collect enough signatures before the deadline expired. Agnieszka Sokolowska, project manager at the Capital Region Fire Service. Angela Snæfellsjökuls Rawlings, artist-researcher, on behalf of "Snæfellsjökul fyrir forseta", a geocultural intervention to nominate the non-human candidate Snæfellsjökull. Axel Pétur Axelsson, conspiracy theorist Guðbergur Guðbergsson, real estate agent and former stunt man Guðmundur Felix Grétarsson, former electrician and the world's first double-arm and shoulder transplant receiver Húni Húnfjörð, business administrator, teacher and former basketball player Kári Vilmundarson Hansen, disc jockey. Endorsement list declared invalid on 29 April. Margrét Friðriksdóttir, editor. Withdrew on 28 March after seeking voter signatures for five days. Sigríður Hrund Pétursdóttir, investor. Declared on 12 January and Withdrew on 26 April. Tómas Logi Hallgrímsson, rescue worker. Declared on 5 January and withdrew on 20 March (endorsed Baldur Þórhallsson)
Declined Alma Möller, Director of Health Andri Snær Magnason, writer and a candidate in the 2016 presidential election Björgvin Páll Gústavsson, handball player Björn Zoëga, CEO Karolinska University Hospital Dagur B. Eggertsson, former Mayor of Reykjavík Guðmundur Franklín Jónsson, businessman and a candidate in the 2020 presidential election Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland from 2016 to 2024 Gylfi Þór Þorsteinsson, team manager of the Icelandic Red Cross's fundraising and promotion department Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, former leader of the Social Democratic Alliance, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mayor of Reykjavík Jakob Frímann Magnússon, musical artist and MP for the People’s Party (endorsed Katrín Jakobsdóttir) Magnús Geir Þórðarson, artistic director of the National Theatre of Iceland Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson, businessman and writer Páll Pálsson, real estate agent Róbert Spanó, former President of the European Court of Human Rights Víðir Reynisson, police officer and the Chief superintendent of the Office of the National Commissioner of the Police Þorgrímur Þráinsson, writer Þórólfur Guðnason, doctor who served as the Chief Epidemiologist of the Icelandic Directorate of Health Þóra Arnórsdóttir, documentary film maker, media personality, and a candidate in the 2012 presidential election
Campaign issues Presidential debates have featured Iceland's membership in NATO, military aid for Ukraine, the possible sale of the state energy firm Landsvirkjun and the use of veto powers by the Presidency. Questions were also raised on whether Katrín Jakobsdóttir's background as a politician and prime minister would affect her tenure in office, to which she said that she "can rise above party politics". Halla Tómasdóttir ran her campaign on issues such as the effects of social media on the mental health of youth, tourism development and the role of artificial intelligence.
Opinion polls
Polling firm Fieldworkdate Arnar ÞórJónsson Ásdís RánGunnarsdóttir ÁstþórMagnússon BaldurÞórhallsson Eiríkur IngiJóhannsson Halla HrundLogadóttir HallaTómasdóttir HelgaÞórisdóttir Jón Gnarr KatrínJakobsdóttir Steinunn ÓlínaÞorsteinsdóttir ViktorTraustason Others/Undecided Maskína 31 May 2024 4.4 0.5 0.2 12.0 0.2 18.030.2 0.2 9.5 23.0 1.0 0.6 – Gallup 24–31 May 2024 6.2 0.2 0.4 14.6 0.1 19.0 23.9 0.1 8.4 25.6 0.9 0.5 – Prósent 27–30 May 2024 6.1 0.5 0.1 14.6 – 22.023.5 0.4 9.0 22.2 1.1 0.5 – Maskína 27–30 May 2024 5.0 0.4 0.4 15.4 0.1 18.424.1 0.3 9.924.1 1.5 0.6 – Háskóli Íslands 22–30 May 2024 7.1 0.8 0.4 16.1 0.2 18.4 18.5 0.2 9.926.3 1.5 0.6 – Prósent 21–26 May 2024 6.4 0.6 0.3 16.9 0.121.0 20.2 0.7 11.4 20.1 1.5 0.8 – Gallup 17–23 May 2024 7 – – 18 – 19 17 – 927 1 – 2 Maskína 22–23 May 2024 5.4 0.3 0.6 18.2 0.1 16.6 18.6 0.5 12.425.7 0.9 0.7 – Prósent 14–19 May 2024 6.0 0.9 1.0 18.2 0.1 19.7 16.2 0.2 13.422.1 1.3 1.0 – Gallup 10–16 May 2024 6 – – 19 – 21 15 – 1123 1 – 4 Maskína 13–16 May 2024 5.2 0.4 0.7 16.2 0.1 21.8 14.9 0.2 12.626.1 1.1 0.7 – Prósent 7–12 May 2024 5.7 0.4 0.7 17.9 0.126.0 12.5 0.5 13.8 19.2 1.8 1.5 – Gallup 3–9 May 2024 6 – – 18 –25 11 – 1025 1 2 1 Maskína 30 Apr–8 May 2024 4.2 1.2 0.4 18.9 0.129.7 5.4 0.8 11.2 26.7 1.2 0.6 – EMC 2–8 May 2024 4.5 0.6 0.3 21.8 0.329.1 4.1 0.3 13.0 22.9 1.1 2.0 – Prósent 30 Apr–5 May 2024 4.3 1.0 1.1 20.4 0.229.7 5.1 0.3 14.7 21.3 1.9 – – Maskína 22 Apr–3 May 2024 4.2 1.5 0.3 19.9 0.129.4 3.7 0.4 12.9 26.8 0.9 – – Gallup 26 Apr–2 May 2024 3 – – 19 –36 4 – 10 23 2 – 2 Háskóli Íslands 22–30 Apr 2024 4.1 0.5 0.9 23.6 0.1 27.6 4.5 0.2 7.429.9 1.3 – – Prósent 23–28 Apr 2024 2.7 1.9 0.5 25.0 –28.5 3.9 0.2 16.0 18.0 2.3 – – Maskína 22–26 Apr 2024 3.3 1.5 0.5 21.2 –26.2 4.1 0.2 15.2 25.4 1.2 – 0.6 Gallup 17–22 Apr 2024 3 – – 28 – 16 4 – 1531 1 – 1 Prósent 16–21 Apr 2024 2.8 1.1 1.127.2 – 18.0 5.8 0.1 17.2 23.8 2.1 – 0.9 Maskína 12–16 Apr 2024 3.8 1.3 0.9 24.0 – 10.5 6.7 – 18.931.4 1.8 – 0.6 Prósent 9–14 Apr 2024 2.9 0.8 0.425.8 – 10.6 4.3 0.4 16.8 22.1 2.9 – 10.5 Gallup 5–11 Apr 2024 4 2 1 26 – 4 7 – 1830 2 – 6 Maskína 5–8 Apr 2024 3.2 – 0.6 26.7 – 5.7 7.3 0.4 19.632.9 1.9 – 1.7 Prósent 20–27 Mar 2024 5 4 237 – – 15 – – – – – 38
Results
Reactions After her victory was confirmed, Halla Tómasdóttir was congratulated by runner-up and former prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir. After the election Parliamentary election were held in Iceland roughly six months after the presidential election and two candidates Jón Gnarr and Halla Hrund Logadóttir were elected to Alþingi in the election and currently serves as MP. Arnar Þór Jónsson ran for Alþingi as well but he was not elected. References