Leaving Parliament and is not running for chair of the Independence Party

The Independence Party chairman Bjarni Benediktsson has no intention of running for chairman at the Independence Party’s next national convention. He also intends to resign from his parliamentary seat.

Benediktsson announced this in a Facebook post today.

Not seeking a renewed mandate

In his remarks, Benediktsson recalls that he has been in parliament since 2003 when he was 33 years old. This January he will turn 55, and he says his term in parliament has been longer than he expected.

“At this point, however, I have decided not to seek a renewed mandate to lead the Independence Party. The recent elections gave the Independence Party the next most MPs in the Icelandic parliament, where it was just over a percentage point smaller than the largest,” he stated in his remarks.

Benediktsson says he has talked to his family about the future in the last few days. “I feel that this is the time to change. It’s no secret that I will enjoy more time in the future with my family, which has grown, and pursue other concerns. In light of this situation, I have decided not to take a seat in the parliamentary session that starts later this month. In the next few weeks, I will take some time off, but I plan to take my last steps in the political field and say goodbye to my friends in the Independence Party at the national convention that is ahead,” he says in his remarks.

Jón Gunn­ar­sson First Deputy MP

Jón Gunn­ar­sson was the fifth person on the list of the Independence Party in the November elections, making him the first independent alternate MP.

Benediktsson took over as chairman of the Independence Party in 2009 and has been a member of the Icelandic parliament since 2003. He has served as prime minister, minister of finance, and minister of foreign affairs. He has led the Independence Party through six elections and was in government from 2013 to 2024.