A dispute has erupted within the R-coalition that holds the majority of seats in the Reykjavik city council. The Left-Greens are against further aluminum projects and say that they will vote against the participation of the Reykjavik utility company, Orkuveita Reykjavíkur. The representative of the Progressives, and chairman of Orkuveita Reykjavíkur, threatened in turn to solicit the votes of the opposition Independence party to which the Greens responded by suggesting that the R-coalition would not survive such a vote.
In the northern part of the country, rural and urban citizens living in Eyjafjörður, which includes the towns of Akureyri and Dalvík, will meet this coming Saturday to form a coalition for diversified commercial development. The organizers are concerned that an aluminum smelter in Eyjafjörður would have adverse effects on local tourism and agriculture. They advocate instead further development of knowledge based industries.