2018 Velkanian general election

An **election** was held in the Velkanian Isles on 24 February 2018 to elect all members of the Orthing. Parliament decided the election's date after passing legislation on 14 November 2017, with the election being constitutionally mandated to fall between 1 January and 31 March 2018.

In the lead-up to the election, polling showcased that the overwhelming support that the Liberal-Conservatives had amassed in previous years was beginning to run-up. Additionally, the scandal between Ásleif Guðlín Erlendardattir and the Social Democrats began to seriously impact the Social Democratic Party's nationwide popularity. With this dip in support, the Green-Socialists began to emerge as the new left-wing challenger to the Liberal-Conservatives' government. The rise of Ásleif and her Reform Party also appeared to come at the expense of the Centrist Party, who saw their polling numbers begin to dip widely.

After the conclusion of the election, while the Liberal-Conservatives won a plurality of seats, most commentators cited the Green-Socialists as the election's "true winners." Despite their plurality, the Liberal-Conservatives lost 11 seats, while their coalition partners the Centrists also lost 11 seats and were eliminated from parliament, while the Green-Socialists increased their count by 10 seats and became the second-largest party represented in parliament. This made them the chief opposition and most powerful left-wing party in the nation. The Social Democrats were cited as another big loser, losing 8 seats and going from the second-largest party and chief opposition to the fourth-largest party, accredited to scandals affecting the party and their leader Ólafur Hallgrímarson. The Reform Party entered parliament for the first time, amassing 8 seats; their success is accredited to the fall of the Social Democrats. The Independence Party and People's Party both had minor wins, both increasing their seat counts by 6 seats.

Sif María Vilhjálmardattir and the Liberal-Conservatives were tasked with forming a government, ultimately negotiating a coalition deal between the Liberal-Conservatives, People's Party, and Reform Party. The decision to give Sif a mandate to form a government became a minor controversy, alluding to her close friendship with Ragnhildur II. Ragnhildur and Sif were both criticized by left-wing groups, including Green-Socialist leader Svandís Hjarnarsdattir, as the Liberal-Conservatives were considered to be one of the biggest losers of the election. However, Sif defended herself, her party, and Ragnhildur by stating that the party still held a plurality in parliament, and that they were bound to lose some seats due to how many they accumulated in the preceding election. The new government was sworn in on 13 March 2018. The results of the election resulted in resignations from Ólafur and Auðdís Heiða Guðleikardattir, the party leaders of the Social Democrats and Centrists, respectively.

## Date

On 14 November 2017, the Orthing passed legislation to hold the election on 24 February 2018. The Velkanian constitution mandates that all scheduled elections be held four years following the previous, between the first of the preceding month and the last of the succeeding month. This meant that the election could have been held between 1 January and 31 March 2018. The Velkanian constitution also allows for snap elections.

## Electoral system

The 105 members of the Orthing are elected at-large, with the Velkanian Isles having no individual electoral constituencies. Prior to the election, each party that is standing creates an electoral list of 105 candidates. All members of the electoral list must also have an assigned deputy should they be elected to parliament and subsequently resign; this prevents any seat from being vacant during a legislative term.

During the election, each voter casts their vote for one of the party lists. The system uses closed lists, meaning no voter can vote across lists or cross off names from the list they are voting for. Seats are then allocated using the d'Hondt method, with a 5% electoral threshold.

Only Velkanian citizens who are aged 17 and older on the day of the election may vote, while only Velkanian citizens aged 18 and older who have resided in the Velkanian Isles for a continuous period of at least five years may stand as candidates. Voting-eligible Velkanians who are residing abroad may also vote, but their ballots must be mailed-in at least four days prior to the date of the election.

## Contesting parties

The following parties were represented in parliament following the 2014 election.

The following party was not represented in parliament, but received seats in the 2018 election:

* Reform Party (Anti-corruption)

## Aftermath

Following the announcement of the results, it emerged that the Liberal-Conservatives had won the election after amassing 32 seats. This made it highly likely that Sif María Vilhjálmardattir would continue as prime minister, although she would be forced to form a new coalition as the party's former partner the Centrist Party had lost all their seats. On 26 February 2018, Ragnhildur II entrusted Sif with forming a government. This ignited slight controversy amongst left-wing groups, including Svandís Hjarnarsdattir, who alleged that the Liberal-Conservatives and the Centrists both losing 11 seats showed that the "Velkanian people clearly lost confidence in their governing."

Just prior to beginning her coalition building, Sif swore off any coalition agreement with the Green-Socialist Party or the Independence Party, calling them "divisive, polarizing, and not what the Liberal-Conservatives stand for." On 27 February, the media began reporting that Sif had opened up coalition talks with the People's Party and Reform Party. The following day, it was reported that should her preferred coalition deal fall through, she was open to having talks with the Social Democratic Party.

On 7 March, it was reported that a coalition agreement had been reached between the Liberal-Conservatives, People's Party, and Reform Party, and the news was confirmed by the three respective party leaders later that day. On 8 March, the three party leaders began discussing ministerial appointments. The second Sif María Vilhjálmardattir cabinet was later announced on 13 March, and they were sworn into office by Ragnhildur II later that day.