Iceland PM resigns to run for president

Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said on Friday that she is resigning in order to run for president in the upcoming June elections.
It was not immediately clear who would succeed her as prime minister.
Jakobsdottir, 48, has led a left-right coalition government since 2017.
The three parties in the ruling coalition, including her Left-Green Movement, reached an agreement in 2021 enabling her to stay in power for another four years after winning parliamentary elections.
“I have decided to resign as Prime Minister of Iceland and run for the office of the President,” Jakobsdottir said in a video posted to social media.
The president “has to promote, in a robust way, the fundamental values Icelandic society are built on...both at home and on the international stage”, she said. “My experience in politics could, I believe, be put to good use in this office.”
Incumbent President Gudni Johannesson, in office since 2016, announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election to the largely ceremonial post.
Born into a family of academics and parliamentarians, Jakobsdottir was the second woman to hold the post of head of government in Iceland.
She enjoys a high level of popularity in the country, in contrast to her political party.
Her coalition has particularly focused its second term on climate issues.
The island nation of almost 400,000 people faces uncertainty after recent volcanic eruptions that triggered the indefinite evacuation of thousands, adding to pressures on an economy already facing high inflation and soaring interest rates.
Still, Jakobsdottir said she believed the government had made significant progress on the challenges and that the country was on a firmer footing than just a few months ago.