News; New president promises citizen-initiated referendum for icelanders -Iceland

The people of Iceland have voted into power Gudni Johannesson as their first new president in 20 years. This came as an aftermath of the Panama Paper leaks that led to the resignation of the former prime minister.  Gudni Johannesson is a professor of history. He won the election by 39.1% of the votes. This came on his 48th birthday celebration on Sunday, 26th June 2016. *For more, visit us today*

 Halla Tómasdóttir, a businesswoman without party affiliation, came second with 27.9%. Davíð Oddsson, a former conservative prime minister and central bank governor who had been Jóhannesson’s closest rival throughout most of the campaign, won just 13% of the vote.

Although the position of the president is a ceremonial one, the newly elected president advocated a constitutional clause allowing citizen-initiated referendums over parliamentary bills, saying it would help ensure the nation always had the final say in the largest issues affecting it.