Katrín Jakobsdóttir has launched her presidential bid, ending weeks of speculation. She made the announcement on her social media account Friday afternoon. In her announcement, Katrín said the president needs to understand the dynamics of politics and society and protect Iceland’s interests on the international stage.
Current serving as prime minister and chairman of the Left-Green Movement, Katrín will officially resign from both roles on Sunday. She had made it clear at the time she was elected prime minister in 2017 that her current mandate in Alþingi would be her last. “It is now the case that I have been in politics since 2002 and even longer since I was in university politics before,” she said. “It has been brewing with me this winter that now is the time to say goodbye. Everyone has their time in politics, and my time had simply come.”
Katrín said the low polling of the Left-Greens had no bearing on her decision to resign her post and run for president.
The latest polling indicated that the current coalition government comprising Katrín’s Left-Greens, the Independence Party and the Progressive Party would not hold if elections were held today. The Social Democrats, on the other hand, are polling at the highest numbers since 2009 when they last formed government in the wake of the economic collapse.
Katrín informed the cabinet of her decision at the close of a meeting Friday morning, before her announcement went live.
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