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WORLD NEWS Saturday 28 OctOber 2017
Icelanders focus on trust in third election in 4 years

By EGILL BJARNASON analysts say the most likely
Associated Press outcome of the election is
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — a coalition government led
Words like “stability” and by Katrin Jakobsdottir of
“trust” compete for at- the Left Green Movement,
tention on campaign bill- who says she would em-
boards in Iceland’s capital phasize stability and con-
as politicians seek to at- sensus decision-making.
tract voters weary of po- “That may be the most rad-
litical and economic chaos ical approach in today’s
in this island nation that political climate - stability,”
became a symbol of the Jakobsdottir, 41, said in an
global financial crisis. interview with The Associ-
Icelanders go to the polls ated Press.
for the third time in four Ahead of the election,
years Saturday, six weeks voters on this wind-lashed
after the ruling coalition island of 330,000 people
collapsed amid revelations have taken to social media
that the prime minister’s to express a sense of déjà
father backed an effort to vu after new leaks focused
aid the job prospects of on Benediktsson’s assets,
a convicted pedophile. further weakening his cen-
Bjarni Benediktsson’s gov- ter-right Independence
ernment came to power Party. In this Oct. 30, 2016 photo, Katrin Jakobsdottir of the Left-Green Movement party sits in a TV studio
only last year after leaked Iceland’s post-crash elec- in Reykjavik, Iceland. In an interview Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, Jakobsdottir said a government
under her lead would stress stability and consensus decision-making.
documents linked his pre- tions have been defined (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
decessor to bank accounts by rapidly fluctuating party liament. The turnover rate promoting direct democ- Fewer than five of the mem-
in offshore tax havens. support, with voters more peaked at 51 percent last racy and anti-corruption bers of parliament seeking
A series of scandals that prone to back anti-Estab- year, when the Pirate Party efforts. Polls show support re-election this year served
began with the collapse lishment upstarts from all became the third-largest in for the party has dropped in the Althingi before the
of Iceland’s three major parts of the political spec- parliament on a platform by almost half. crash.q
banks in 2008 has triggered trum.
a rapid turnover in the na- In every election since the
tion’s parliament, the Alth- crash, first-time candidates
ingi, and a sense of fatigue have won around 40 per-
among voters. Political cent of the 63 seats in par-

Scottish leader asks May for

‘urgent clarity’ on Brexit plan

LONDON (AP) — Scottish Scottish voters backed re-
leader Nicola Sturgeon on maining in the 28-nation
Friday demanded that Brit- bloc.
ish Prime Minister Theresa Sturgeon, Scotland’s pro-
May provide “urgent clar- independence first min-
ity” on plans for a transition ister, has criticized May’s
period after Britain leaves plans to take Britain out of
the European Union, say- the bloc’s tariff-free single
ing she is concerned the market and its customs
country is heading for a union.
“no-deal” Brexit. In a letter to the prime min-
Britain is due to leave the ister released Friday, Stur-
EU in March 2019, but May geon said May must offer
suggested last month that “absolute clarity” that she
the U.K. could keep pay- is urgently seeking a transi-
ing the bloc in order to tion agreement.
keep relations largely un- Sturgeon said was “in-
changed during a two- creasingly concerned by
year “implementation pe- the possibility that your ne-
riod.” gotiations may result in a
This week, however, May ‘no deal’ scenario.”
suggested there could not She said the Scottish Parlia-
be a transition agreement ment would try to stop that
with the EU until there is a from happening because
deal on future trade rela- “no Brexit would be prefer-
tions — a discussion that able to no deal.”
has yet to start, and could May’s office confirmed it
take years. had received the letter
Britons voted in June 2016 and would respond “in
to leave the EU, but most due course.” q