Icelanders headed to the polls on Saturday to elect a new parliament, following political disagreements that led Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to dissolve his coalition government and call for an early election. Disputes over immigration, energy policy, and the economy contributed to the collapse of the government, which had struggled to remain united. Despite severe weather conditions that blocked roads across the island, all polling stations opened as scheduled. The ballot-counting process began after polls closed at 10 p.m. local time (2200 GMT), with results expected on Sunday morning. This election marks Iceland’s sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis, which left the country’s economy in tatters and initiated a period of political fragmentation. Opinion polls suggested that the three governing parties would face significant challenges, with support for the current coalition — which includes Benediktsson’s Independence Party, the centrist Progressive Party, and the Left-Green Movement — declining sharply. Read: Iceland holds election amid debates on immigration, energy, economy Voters in Iceland, a country of around 400,000 people, will choose 63 members of the Althingi, Iceland's parliament, through a combination of regional constituencies and proportional representation. A minimum of 5% of the vote is required for parties to secure seats. Historically, voter turnout in Iceland has been high, with 80% of registered voters casting ballots in the 2021 election. The political landscape in Iceland has been deeply affected by the financial crisis, leading to a splintering of political parties. Since 2008, distrust in traditional political powers has given rise to new parties, including the environmentalist Left-Green Alliance and the Pirate Party, which advocates direct democracy. Key issues in the election include rising inflation, which peaked at 10.2% in February 2023, as well as pressures from immigration. Iceland has seen an influx of asylum-seekers, with more than 4,000 arriving annually in recent years, compared to fewer than 1,000 previously. In addition, ongoing volcanic eruptions in southwestern Iceland have displaced thousands and strained the government’s resources. The eruptions, which have caused significant housing shortages and disrupted local communities, have added to existing concerns over Iceland's housing market, exacerbated by the growth of the tourism industry. Benediktsson expressed hope that his Independence Party would emerge victorious, despite the challenges his coalition faced. However, analysts suggest that political fragmentation in Iceland is unlikely to subside anytime soon, as the economic and political landscape continues to evolve in the wake of the 2008 crisis. Source: With inputs from agencies