The government’s cooperation has been terminated

The government cooperation between the Independence Party, the Progressive Party, and the Left-Green Movement has been terminated. This is reported by Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson at a meeting in the Cabinet.

Benediktsson reports that he has informed the leaders of the Progressive Party and the Left Green Party that he will submit to the President of Iceland a proposal for a dissolution of parliament and general elections in November.

He has already contacted the President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, and he will go to her meeting tomorrow, Monday.

Benediktsson called a press conference in the Cabinet just a short while ago where he explained these news.

Weaknesses within the government

There has been a lot of unrest in the Government Cabinet this week. Two members of the board, Óli Björn Kárason, and Jón Gunnarsson, have said that the board's mission has come to an end because the Left-Green Movement does not want to do more on immigration and energy issues.

When the government was renewed under the leadership of Bjarni Benediktsson, it was said that the government's mission was to deal with economic issues, immigration issues, energy issues, and changes to the disability pension system.

In addition, independents and many progressives are not satisfied with the fact that Svandís Svavarsdóttir, the leader of the Left-Green Movement, should have said publicly that she wanted elections this spring without talking to the leaders of the other governing parties.

Options submitted yesterday

Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, chairman of the Progressive Party, published a post on Facebook yesterday where he said it was extremely urgent that there be labor peace in the government. If the other governing parties did not trust themselves to stand by and work on the governing agreement, it would have to be revealed in the very next 24 hours.

Then Viljinn reported yesterday that at an open meeting with Benediktsson in Garðarbær, he called for the Left-Green Movement to reconsider its stance on immigration issues and respect the agreement of the governing parties on the issue.

If they did not, there would be nothing else in the situation than to terminate the government cooperation and call for elections.