History professor Johannesson claims victory in Iceland presidential votes
A history professor with no background in public office, who had nevertheless run in the presidential election in Iceland, has claimed victory in the polls.
Broadcaster RUV said on Sunday that with 36 percent of the votes counted, Johannesson has so far won 38.6 percent of the ballots.
David Oddsson, a former conservative prime minister and central bank governor who had been Johannesson’s closest rival throughout most of the campaign, has garnered just 13 percent of votes.
“All the votes have not been counted, but I think we have won,” Johannesson told his supporters.
Johannesson, who turns 48 on Sunday, was a political commentator from the University of Iceland, with no party affiliation and political background.
He was trailed by businesswoman Halla Tomasdottir, also non-partisan, who took 29.4 percent of votes.
Johannesson decided to join the election race only after a massive data leak known as the Panama Papers revealed details about offshore accounts of several senior politicians, including Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, who was forced to resign after massive protests.
The president holds a mainly ceremonial post in Iceland and acts as a guarantor of the constitution and national unity.
Johannesson will take over the post on August 1 and replace Olafur Ragnar Grímsson, who has been in office since 1996.
Throughout the campaign, he pledged to modernize political life and give people further voice through introducing citizen-initiated referendums.
He also vowed to restore people’s faith in the system as Panama documents created public distrust among Icelanders toward politicians.
Panama papers revealed that Gunnlaugsson and his wife had purchased the offshore Wintris company in the British Virgin Islands back in 2007 and placed millions of dollars there.
According to the documents, Gunnlaugsson then sold his share to his wife Anna Palsdottir for a symbolic sum of one US dollar after he entered the parliament in 2009. He is now accused of failing to declare his interest in the firm when he entered the legislature later to evade taxes.
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