Early general elections have been set for 30 November in Iceland, the government announced on Tuesday evening, following the collapse of the governing coalition.
Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson announced the resignation of his government on Sunday due to deep divisions within the right-left coalition over issues ranging from foreign policy to asylum seekers and energy policy.
The coalition was made up of Mr Benediktsson's Independence Party, the Left-Greens movement and the Progressive Party (centre-right).
On Tuesday, the government said that President Halla Tomasdottir had accepted its resignation and set the date for the next elections.
President Tomasdottir also asked the government to "act as an interim administration until a new cabinet is formed following parliamentary elections to be held on 30 November," the government added in a statement.
General elections were to have been held by September 2025 at the latest.
A Gallup poll published on 1 October showed that the ruling coalition had the support of just under 25% of voters, the lowest score recorded by an Icelandic government in thirty years.
