Iceland began the work to form a new ruling coalition after opposition Social Democrats won Saturday’s elections on the Atlantic island.

Voters in Iceland appear to have rejected incumbent parties in a parliamentary election. Partial results show a center-left party in first place in the North Atlantic island nation.

Iceland's centre-left Social Democratic Alliance became the biggest party in a snap election that unseated the ruling coalition of the past seven years, the final count showed on Sunday. The Social Democrats gained 15 seats in the 63-seat parliament with 20.

Iceland’s opposition Social Democrats won snap parliamentary elections as the ruling bloc faced voter discontent with high costs of living and housing shortages.

Iceland’s election winner, the Social Democrats, were tasked to start talks on forming the island nation’s next government. Most Read from BloombergAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsPresident Halla Tomasdottir on Tuesday gave Social Democrats’ leader Kristrun Frostadottir the mandate to lead talks after her party emerged as the winner in Saturday’s general election.

Iceland's opposition Social Democrats overtook the governing Independence Party of Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson after a snap election prompted by the collapse of his fraught coalition government,