election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON elected president; President GRIMSSON ran unopposed
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 8 May 1999 (next to be held by April 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party 40.7%, The Alliance (PA, People's Party, Women's List) 26.8%, Progressive Party 18.4%, Left-Green Alliance 9.1%, Liberal Party 4.2%; seats by party - Independence Party 26, The Alliance 17, Progressive Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 6, Liberal Party 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the president)
Political parties and leaders: Independence Party (conservative) or
IP [David ODDSSON]; Left-Green Alliance [Steinsvimur SIGFUSSON];
Liberal Party [Sverrir HERMANNSSON]; People's Party (Social
Democratic Party) or SDP [Sighvatyr BJORGIVINSSON]; Progressive
Party (liberal) or PP [Halldor ASGRIMSSON]; The Alliance (includes
People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SVP, People's
Movement, Women's List) [Ossur SKARPHEDINSSON]; Women's List or WL
[Kristin ASTGEIRSDOTTIR]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS,
CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB,
OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNU,
UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jon-Baldvin HANNIBALSSON
chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005