OSLO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iceland's Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson said Saturday that the president has accepted his resignation and a new parliamentary election will possibly be held on Nov. 4, local media reported.
After a meeting with Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson, Benediktsson told reporters that an executive committee should be in office as a provisional government until the election.
According to Icelandic laws, the final decision on new parliamentary elections will be made by the president. Johannesson, who was meeting leaders of other parties, was expected to make an announcement later Saturday.
Benediktsson on Friday called for a new parliamentary election after a junior coalition party decided to quit due to a "breach of trust" within the center-right government.
Early Friday, leaders of Bright Future, one of the three partner parties in the government, said they had ended their coalition with the Independence Party and the prime minister.
The Reform Party, another junior partner, has called for new elections as soon as possible.
It was revealed on Thursday that Benediktsson's father signed a letter of recommendation so that a convicted pedophile would receive what in Iceland is called "restored honor," which effectively wipes the criminal record of a person who has served his or her sentence.
Letters of recommendation are required for this procedure.
Minister of Justice Sigridur Andersen, also from the Independence Party, said Thursday night that she had informed Benediktsson of his father's letter in July, Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported.
But Benediktsson neglected to inform Bright Future and Reform Party leaders of the letter until Monday, according to RUV.
After the October 2016 election, the Independence Party took a strong lead by securing 21 out of the 63 seats in parliament after winning 29 percent of the ballots cast. Together, the three-party coalition holds a slim majority with 32 seats.
The center-right coalition government took office in January after lengthy negotiations.
