The Race For President Is On

The race for the Icelandic presidency is officially on as the portal for collecting electronic signatures supporting candidacy opened March 1. Presidential hopefuls have until April 26 to collect 1,500 to 3,000 signatures supporting their run. The National Electoral Commission will then announce the candidates for president on May 2.

A presidential election was called for June 1 after sitting president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson announced in his New Year’s Eve address that he would not be seeking reelection. Guðni has served for eight years, but pledged when first elected that he would serve for 12. Recent polling indicated that he enjoys an 80% approval rating.

Those looking for throw their support behind a registered candidate can do so on Ísland.is. If you’re an Icelandic citizen and will be at least 35 years old on election day, you can also create a candidate profile to begin collecting signatures of support.

May the odds be ever in your favour.