Iceland requires over a thousand candidates for 2024 parliamentary elections

In the lead-up to the 2024 parliamentary elections in Iceland, political parties are required to present over a thousand candidates with impeccable integrity, who are not Supreme Court judges. This is contingent on all ten parties that have declared their intention to run in all electoral districts submitting valid candidate lists by noon on October 31.

Each candidate list must contain the name, national ID number, residence, and occupation of each candidate, all of which must be in Icelandic and must not contradict public decency standards.

Ástríður Jóhannesdóttir, the director of the National Election Commission, emphasized that various documents must accompany each candidacy, including a notice of candidacy and a complete candidate list. For each electoral district, the number of candidates must equal the number of parliamentary seats available. For example, the Northwest district, being the smallest, has seven parliamentary seats, requiring a minimum of seven candidates.

The Icelandic parliament consists of 63 members, and candidate lists must include at least as many candidates as there are seats in the respective districts, but not exceed double that number.

Unlike presidential elections, candidates for parliament do not need to submit recommendations from the public. Between 30 to 40 endorsements are required for each parliamentary seat, meaning the Northwest district must gather between 210 to 280 endorsements.

Once the submission deadline passes, the National Election Commission will have a limited three days and four hours to review all documents. They hope that electronic endorsements can streamline the process. The timeline for compliance with election laws is strictly outlined to avoid any confusion regarding critical deadlines.