Independence Party chair Bjarni Benediktsson announced on Saturday that he will not step down as leader of the party before the April 27 general election as he indicated he might last week. Bjarni made the announcement to a gathering of 700 of his supporters in his home town of Garðabær.
Bjarni Benediktsson. Photo: Páll Kjartansson/Iceland Review.
Weekly Viðskiptablaðið published a poll by MMR on Thursday indicating that support for the Independence Party would increase greatly if the party was led by vice-chair Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir.
In the latest polls, the Independence Party has a support rating of around 19 percent, 5 percent less than in the last election in 2009, the party’s worst result ever.
Following the release of the poll, Bjarni went live on national broadcaster RÚV, suggesting that he was unhappy that some members of his own party were supporting Hanna Birna as chair and that might step down.
But the grassroots of the party showed their support for Bjarni and he announced on Saturday that he would not step down.
Related:
12.04.2013 | Will Independence Party Chair Bjarni Benediktsson Step Down?
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