Early signs of win for Iceland's left-wing parties

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iceland's leftist government was headed Saturday for a strong victory in the country's general election, according to preliminary results. Early results showed that a left-wing coalition made up of the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left Green Movement has won 35 out of the 63 seats in parliament. The two parties are part of a caretaker government that took office in February after public protests about Iceland's economic collapse toppled the previous conservative administration. The left-wing coalition is led by interim Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir. The results are an overwhelming rejection of the conservative, pro-business Independence Party, which headed a coalition government last fall when the banking system failed. For the first time in the party's 70 years history it is not the largest party in the parliament.