Iceland’s government facing no-confidence vote

Iceland's new government, together with President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.

Iceland's new government, together with President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. Photo: Ice­land Monitor/Eggert Jó­hann­es­son

Iceland’s brand new government will need to hit the ground running today as the opposition serves up a proposed vote of no confidence – on the first full day of the new government’s rule.

The leaders of Iceland’s four opposition parties have joined forces to call upon the Icelandic Parliament (‘Alþingi’) to reject the new government line-up.

“Alþingi hereby resolves to pass a vote of no confidence against the government,” reads the proposal. “Alþingi hereby expresses its wish for parliament to be dissolved and for general elections to be held as soon as possible.”

Opposition MPs argue that trust between the current government and the Icelandic people has been broken by the recent Panama Papers scandal.

No vote of no confidence in the history of modern Icelandic parliamentary politics has ever succeeded and Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson in on record as saying that this one will be voted down.

MPs will begin debating the vote of no confidence in Alþingi at 1pm today.

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