Iceland elects Europe's first female-majority parliament
Iceland has elected a female-majority parliament, a
landmark for gender equality in the North Atlantic island nation, in a vote
that saw centrist parties make the biggest gains.
After all votes were counted Sunday, female candidates
held 33 seats in Iceland's 63-seat parliament, the Althing. The three parties
in the outgoing coalition government led by Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir
won a total of 37 seats in Saturday's vote, two more than in the last election,
and appeared likely to continue in power.
The election makes Iceland the only country in Europe,
and one of a handful in the world, with a majority of female lawmakers.
According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Rwanda leads the world with women
making up 61% of its Chamber of Deputies, with Cuba, Nicaragua and Mexico
narrowly over the 50% mark. Worldwide, the organization says just over a
quarter of legislators are women.
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