Campaign group InDefence has launched a new petition, challenging President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson to veto the amended legislation on the state guarantee on Icesave, provided the government’s bill will be passed at parliament, so that it will be up for a referendum.
President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.
The group’s members say it is only fair that the Icelandic nation has a say on this legislation and can vote on it in a referendum because it involves a heavy financial burden on the Icelandic public which future generations will struggle to repay, Morgunbladid reports.
“When the president signed the Icesave legislation this fall, he released a statement saying that he would not have signed the legislation without the preconditions introduced by Althingi [the Icelandic parliament],” said Jóhannes Th. Skúlason, the group’s spokesperson.
“With the bill currently being discussed at parliament, one could say that the preconditions have been annulled and our risk and the risk posed to the Icelanders of the future is being increased,” Skúlason added.
“It must therefore be considered that the president cannot accept the matter the way it is today and therefore we want him to reject the legislation and let the nation decide,” Skúlason concluded.
People can sign the petition on the group’s website, indefence.is.
InDefence launched a petition in October 2008 because of the anti-terrorist legislation used by British authorities on Icelandic companies following the banking collapse.
Click here to read more about InDefence and here to read more about Icesave.
