Prime Minister of Iceland Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir gave her keynote speech at the Althingi parliament yesterday, followed by discussions. Opposition MPs criticized the government’s work methods, claiming that it had lost the faith of the nation.
Inside Althingi. Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
“The public has come to realize in the past days and weeks that Iceland isn’t only suffering from an economic crisis,” said Bjarni Benediktsson, chairman of the Independence Party, according to ruv.is. “It is also suffering from a cabinet crisis. Although a government is formally ruling the country, the dissolution, lack of solidarity and disunity is such that the government is inoperable.”
The PM said that the current coalition is the only option since the opposition isn’t providing any proposals. The ruling parties, the Social Democrats and the Left-Greens, will work their way out of the problems they’re facing, she promised.
Vice-chairperson of the Left-Greens, Minister of Education Katrín Jakobsdóttir, called for solidarity. “Of course people disagree about methods and that disagreement is not tied to the government and the opposition. It is natural that we argue but the times demand that we rather focus on what unites us than what draws us apart.”
Click here to read more about the dissolution within the Icelandic government and here to read about parliament reconvening last week.
