National broadcaster RÚV has reported on the gender and occupation of candidates running for parliament in the October 28th election.
The largest single occupation represented is that of professional politicians. Many candidates, however, are students: around ten or more per party. A large number of candidates are also teachers in all levels of education.
Although expected occupations may be found among the candidates, such as managers, lawyers, doctors, and farmers, other candidates’ professions may prove surprising. These include filmmakers (Bright Future), opera singers (Reform Party, Pirate Party), a philosopher (Reform Party), and a football player (Independence Party). Four Left Green Movement candidates are poets, while ten Pirate Party candidates work in technology (ex. software development, web design).
In total, 682 men and 562 women are running in the election. The Reform Party, Social Democratic Alliance, and Left Green Movement have the most equal proportion of male and female candidates. The Reform Party is the only party which explicitly commits to an equal proportion of men and women candidates in each constituency. Bright Future and the Independence Party have more female candidates than male, as does Dawn, an active party which currently holds no seats in parliament.
The candidates are competing for a total of 63 seats which are divided into 6 constituencies. Seats are divided between parties based on the percentage of the vote they receive in each constituency.
Party candidate lists are ordered such that those highest on the list are first to receive a seat if their party gains enough votes in their constituency. The first spots on each party’s list are usually occupied by politicians with previous experience. Depending on their party’s success, candidates lower on the lists may often have little chance of receiving a seat.
