Icelandic government resigns – new elections in November

Published 14 October 2024
- By Editorial Staff
Bjarni Benediktsson has only led Iceland since April this year.

Yesterday, Iceland’s prime minister announced that the country’s government would resign and that new elections would be held as early as the end of November.

The main reason is said to be that the governing parties have had great difficulty agreeing on a number of issues, including migration and energy policy.

During the fall, difficulties in cooperation are said to have increased in the coalition government consisting of the Green Left, the liberal-conservative Independence Party and the social-liberal Progress Party.

According to the Icelandic media, representatives of both the Independence Party and the Progress Party have expressed dissatisfaction with several high-profile statements made by the leader of the Green Left, Svandis Svavarsdottir, without first consulting her government partners, and she is widely considered very difficult to work with.

Took office in April

– This is a decision I have taken after careful consideration, and I informed the chairpersons of the governing parties of this today, the prime minister said on Sunday.

Prime minister Bjarni Benediktsson has led the island nation since April this year, when his predecessor, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, resigned to run for president. He previously served as the country’s finance minister and foreign minister.

If the prime minister’s resignation is accepted by the president, it is proposed to hold new elections on November 30 to elect the 63 members of the country’s parliament – the Alltinget.

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