Iceland elects president in vote eclipsed by football fever

Iceland voted in a presidential election Saturday expected to see newcomer Gudni Johannesson waltz to victory with voters angry at the establishment -- though more excited about the country's Euro football debut. Johannesson, a 47-year-old history professor and political commentator who has never held public office, only decided to run after the so-called Panama Papers leak in April which detailed offshore accounts and implicated several senior Icelandic politicians, including the prime minister who was forced to resign. Johannesson has vowed to restore Icelanders' faith in the system after years of public anger toward politicians for miring the country in scandals and financial woes.

Continue reading...