We reported last week that the oldest candidate for Saturday’s parliamentary election was the 92-year-old Jónsteinn Haraldsson, running for the Left-Green Movement in the Reykjavík South district. RÚV reports that Jónsteinn passed away October 18, four days after the party turned in its ballot.
Jónsteinn will remain listed 22nd on the ballot, despite his death. A spokesperson for the Left-Green Movement stated that was the wish of his family.
According to Þórhallur Vilhjálmsson, secretary of the parliamentary elections committee, a similar incident has not occurred since the 1930s. He points out the law is not clear on what should be done in such cases, so the political party in question can determine how to react.
The deceased candidate can either remain on the ballot or a new candidate can replace that person, but in that case, a list of supporters must be collected anew. Should a deceased candidate be elected to parliament, then the parliamentary elections committee assigns the next person on the ballot that seat.
