Social democrats gain and incumbents are punished in Iceland’s election

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Voters in Iceland have joined a global trend and punished incumbents in the country’s parliamentary election. The center-left Social Democratic Alliance won the biggest share of votes in the North Atlantic island nation. It took 15 seats in the 63-seat parliament, the Althingi, and secured more than 21% of votes. The conservative Independence Party had 14 seats and just under 20% of votes, and the centrist Liberal Reform Party 11 seats and 16% of votes. Disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call Saturday’s early election.