Tight race as Iceland elects new president

Iceland's president holds a largely ceremonial position in the parliamentary republic, acting as a guarantor of the constitution and national unity.
He or she does however have the power to veto legislation or submit it to areferendum.
The hugely popular Gudni Johannesson, who has held the job since 2016 and wasre-elected in 2020 with a whopping 92 percent of the vote, announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election, reports BSS.
No one central issue has dominated the election campaign, where candidatestraditionally run as independents without party affiliations.
In addition to the former prime minister, the main candidates in the field of13 include a political science professor, a comedian, a businesswoman and anArctic and energy scholar.
In the country of 380,000 people, any citizen gathering 1,500 signatures canrun for office.
Jakobsdottir, who served as the head of a left-right coalition governmentfrom 2017 until April when she stepped down to run for president, has had tofend off criticism that she is too political for the job.
"I actually think that knowing the political environment doesn't make youless qualified to handle the job of president," the 48-year-old said Thursdayduring a televised debate, when asked if her political career would be ahindrance for her as president.
"On the contrary... I believe that I can rise above all party politics," shesaid.
The televised debate saw the candidates trade barbs on topics ranging fromthe country's NATO membership, weapons for Ukraine, the possible sale ofIceland's national power company and the use of presidential veto powers.
- Women in the lead -
Jakobsdottir and two other women -- Halla Tomasdottir and Halla HrundLogadottir -- have been leading in opinion polls.
Tomasdottir is a 55-year-old businesswoman who came second in the 2016presidential election, while Logadottir is a 43-year-old environmental,Arctic and energy expert and currently adjunct professor at HarvardUniversity,
A poll published in daily Morgunbladid on Friday put Jakobsdottir in the leadwith 26 percent, trailed closely by Tomasdottir with 24 percent andLogadottir with 19 percent.
Jakobsdottir, party leader for the Left Green Movement from 2013 until herpresidential bid, has been hailed for her handling of the resurgence involcanic eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula since December.
The five eruptions, including one on Wednesday, have sparked a series ofevacuations as well as the state's acquisition of homes from residentsevacuated from the threatened fishing town of Grindavik.
But political observers noted that Jakobsdottir's background as primeminister could work against her, and said the race remained wide open.
A woman president would not be a first in Iceland.
In 1980, Vigdis Finnbogadottir became the world's first woman democraticallyelected as head of state.
The election results are expected early Sunday.