Iceland polls: ruling bloc suffering defeat

PanARMENIAN.Net - Voters in Iceland are due to go to the polls in elections expected to oust the governing centre-left coalition, BBC News reported.

Analysts predict that two centre-right parties will be able to form a new cabinet, pledging to soften unpopular austerity policies.

This would mark a dramatic comeback for the centre-right, which was widely blamed for Iceland's near-economic collapse in 2008.

Their victory could also halt the island nation's EU membership talks.

Polls are due to open at 09:00 GMT and close at 22:00 GMT, with more than 230,000 voters eligible to cast their ballots.

The conservative Independence Party and their traditional coalition partners the Progressives are expected to secure a majority in the 63-strong parliament.

The parties' leaders, Bjarni Benediktsson and Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, are then predicted to compete in a race to succeed the Social Democrat Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, who is retiring from politics.

Opinion polls suggest the main governing Social Democratic Alliance will suffer a heavy defeat.

Many Icelanders are frustrated with the current government, saying that its austerity policies are too painful. This is despite the fact that Iceland has seen steady growth in recent years amid falling unemployment rates.