Prime Minister of Iceland Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir called ministers of her cabinet in for meetings yesterday to prepare for major changes to the government.
Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir. Photo by Geir Ólafsson.
Independent ministers Gylfi Magnússon, who has served as Minister of Economic Affairs, and Ragna Árnadóttir, current Minister of Justice, will leave the cabinet this week, visir.is reports.
It is considered likely that Minister of Transport Kristján L. Möller of the Social Democrats and Minister of Health Álfheidur Ingadóttir of the Left-Greens will also step down.
The changes to the cabinet will be announced tomorrow before parliament convenes.
According to Fréttabladid’s sources, Ögmundur Jónasson of the Left-Greens, the government’s original Minister of Health who resigned due to the Icesave dispute, will head a new Ministry for Internal Affairs and take over the duties of the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Justice.
It is also being speculated that MP Oddný G. Hardardóttir will enter the cabinet as a new minister for the Social Democrats and that Social Minister Árni Páll Árnason of the Social Democrats will take over the duties of the Ministry of Health in a new Ministry of Welfare.
However, according to Morgunbladid’s sources, Árnason will become Minister of Trade and MP Gudbjartur Hannesson of the Social Democrats head the new Ministry of Welfare. Economic affairs will be relocated to the Ministry of Finance.
Fréttabladid states Jón Bjarnason of the Left-Greens will continue as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Katrín Júlíusdóttir of the Social Democrats as Minister of Industry, at least until the end of this year when the ministries will be merged into one and become the project of the Left-Greens.
The parliamentary groups of the coalition parties will discuss these changes in meetings throughout the day. Preparations have been underway for some time.
