Iceland prepares for 2024 General Elections as candidates’ nomination deadline approaches

In the lead-up to the 2024 General Elections in Iceland, over a thousand eligible candidates with unblemished reputations, and who are not Supreme Court judges, must be nominated if the ten political parties intending to run in all electoral constituencies submit valid candidate lists by noon on Thursday, October 31. Each list needs to specify the name, identification number, address, position, and job title of the candidates, all of which must be provided in Icelandic and conform to decency standards.

Ástríður Jóhannesdóttir, Director of the National Electoral Commission, noted that various documents must accompany the candidacy, including a notification of the nomination and a complete candidate list. Each constituency must have as many candidates as there are parliamentary seats; for example, the smallest district, the Northwest Constituency, has seven seats, necessitating at least seven candidates.

The total number of seats in Parliament is 63. Each candidate list must include at least the same number of candidates as there are seats in the respective constituency, but not more than double that number. The candidates’ names, identification numbers, addresses, and titles must all be included, along with the consent of those listed to take up positions.

Moreover, representatives for each candidacy must be announced, and a report detailing the number of endorsements collected must be submitted. A new electronic endorsement system will also be made available for the collection of support for these nominations.

Unlike presidential elections, candidates for Parliament do not need to submit endorsements. The election legislation specifies the number required based on the number of parliamentary seats per constituency. Generally, 30 to 40 endorsements per seat must be gathered, meaning the Northwest Constituency will require 210 to 280 endorsements per list.

Once the nomination deadline passes, the National Electoral Commission will have limited time—estimated at three days and four hours—to review all submissions. It is anticipated that electronic signatures will facilitate the collection process and enhance security and efficiency in the electoral procedure.