“Opposition left should unite for next elections”

Voters should be given a real choice for a left-wing government at the next election, says leader of the Left-Green Movement political party (‘Vinstri­hreyf­ing­in - grænt fram­boð’), Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

While Iceland’s Independence Party (‘Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn’) is the only major party officially covering the right-wing ground, the political left is fragmented over 3-4 different parties. The Independence Party is currently in government in Iceland, in coalition with the centrist Progressive Party (‘Framsóknarflokkurinn’).

Jakobsdóttir has told Icelandic weekly Fréttatíminn (link in Icelandic) that she will float the idea of “some sort of electoral alliance” at this weekend’s meeting of her party’s steering committee. She suggests a declaration by the parties of the current opposition to stand together and cooperate after the elections.

“As far as I am aware, these parties have never before united and worked together post-election on certain matters,” Jakobsdóttir says. “The issues I would prioritise are developing the welfare system, equality, and green industrial policy.”