Tomasdóttir won 34.6% of the vote, becoming the Nordic country’s second female president.
Businesswoman and investor Halla Tomasdottir has taken first place among a number of candidates in Iceland’s presidential election, with women coming in third, Iceland’s state broadcaster reported.
Tomasdóttir, 55, was elected as deputy with 34.3% of the vote, beating former Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir (25.2%) and Hala Hrund Rogadóttir (15.5%), RUV said on Sunday. .
Tomasdottir is currently on leave as CEO of The B Team, a global non-profit co-founded by British business tycoon Richard Branson with offices in New York and London to promote business practices focused on humanity and climate.
The President of Iceland is a largely ceremonial position, acting as guarantor of the constitution and national unity in the parliamentary republic. However, he or she has the power to veto the bill or put it to a referendum.
Tomasdottir campaigned ahead of party politics as someone who could help foster public debate on fundamental issues such as the impact of social media on the mental health of young people, Iceland’s development as a tourist destination, and the role of artificial intelligence.
She will replace President Gudni Th Johannesson, who was not re-elected to two four-year terms. Tomasdóttir will take office on August 1.
Iceland’s second female president
Iceland, a Nordic island nation located in the North Atlantic, has a long tradition of electing women to high-ranking positions.
When Vigdis Finnbogadottir became Iceland’s head of state in 1980, she was the first democratically elected female president of any country.
The country has also had two women serve as prime minister in recent years, providing stability amid years of political turmoil.
Johanna Sigurdardottir led the government from 2009 to 2013 after the global financial crisis devastated Iceland’s economy.
Jakobsdottir, 48, became prime minister in 2017 and led a broad coalition that ended a cycle of crises that had triggered three elections in four years. She resigned in April to run for president.
In this country of 380,000 people, anyone can run for office if they gather 1,500 signatures.
Jakobsdottir was at times considered a favorite, but political observers suggested that her background as prime minister may be a burden for her.
Other major candidates in 13 fields included political science professors, comedians, and Arctic and energy scholars.
