Icelandic political parties prepare candidate lists for 2024 parliamentary elections

In preparation for the 2024 parliamentary elections, political parties in Iceland must present a list of over a thousand candidates who possess good character, are not Supreme Court judges, and meet the eligibility criteria. This requirement applies to the ten parties intending to run in all constituencies by the deadline of noon on October 31.

Each candidate list must include names, personal identification numbers, addresses, and titles, all in Icelandic and appropriate in nature. Ástríður Jóhannesdóttir, the Director of the National Election Commission, emphasized the necessity to submit various documents along with the candidacies. Each list must contain the same number of candidates as the number of parliamentary seats available in that constituency, with a minimum of seven candidates in the smallest, the Northwest constituency.

Candidates must also declare their approval to be on the list, and the parties need to notify the commission who their representatives are for each constituency. They will gather signatures of support electronically, which aims to enhance efficiency and security during the process.

Unlike presidential elections, party lists for parliament won’t require as many endorsement signatures. The law dictates that each list needs between 30 to 40 supporter signatures per parliamentary seat. For Northwest constituency, this means collecting between 210 and 280 endorsements.

Once the deadline passes, the Election Commission will have a limited time—approximately three days and four hours—to review all submissions. They aim to streamline the collection of endorsements, utilizing electronic identification to simplify the process. The commission is actively working on establishing timelines in alignment with the election laws to ensure clarity and efficiency.