Could rejoin the cabinet

Former Minister of the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, who yesterday announced her resignation as a result of a leak from her ministry, could possibly rejoin the government later. This is reported by the Icelandic daily Morgunblaðið today quoting both Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson and Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson.

"Everything is possible in politics. The one thing which is entirely certain is that everything is possible when it comes to that," Benediktsson, who is chairman of the conservative Independence Party, says when asked if Kristjánsdóttir could rejoin the government. She will remain an ordinary MP but has decided to take time off from politics and return again in the beginning of next year.

Kristjánsdóttir will also remain vice-chairman of the Independence Party. Benediktsson says when asked about her position as vice-chairman that it would not change. If anything Kristjánsdóttir would now have more time to attend to the party. Prime Minister Gunnlaugsson is quoted saying that he regrets seeing her leaving the government and that from his point of view it is quite possible that she will rejoin the government in the future.

Speaking to mbl.is Gunnlaugsson says Kristjánsdóttir had had his support to remain Minister of the Interior. "She enjoyed support for carrying on. She, however, came to the conclusion that resigning was the right thing to do. Not the least because of the hard times she and her family have endured." Previously it had been announced that Kristjánsdóttir enjoyed strong backing from the Independence Party's parliamentary group.

Kristjánsdóttir had been under pressure to resign which escalated last week when her former political advisor got suspended prison sentence after admitting having leaked to the press a confidential document about an asylum seeker. Both the former political assistant and Kristjánsdóttir have maintained she had no knowledge who was responsible for the leak.

Benediktsson said yesterday to mbl.is that it had not been decided who would replace Kristjánsdóttir as Minister of the Interior. However, he thought it was important to appoint a new minister as soon as possible.

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Finance Miister Bjarni Benediktsson. mbl.is/Ómar Óskarsson

Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson. mbl.is/Ómar Óskarsson