Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson says that nothing stands in the way of him making a decision on whaling licenses, even though his cabinet is serving in an interim capacity ahead of the 30 November elections for Alþingi, Iceland’s Parliament, RÚV reports.
Hvalur hf, Iceland’s only active whaling operation, has applied for a license. A decision on its previous application for the 2024 whaling season was delayed by then-Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir of the Left-Green Movement this past spring, but the license was eventually granted.
In process at the Ministry
Bjarni ended the government coalition of his Independence Party with the Left-Green Movement and the Progressive Party on 13 October and called for a snap election. Since then, he stepped in as Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and appointed fellow party member and noted whaling supporter Jón Gunnarsson, as his special representative in the Ministry.
“I think it’s only right that licence applications go through the formal channels and are processed,” Bjarni said following a cabinet meeting Friday. “I don’t see that this process should be any different with an interim government and the same goes for all other applications for licenses or processing of requisitions sent to the ministries.”
He added that he had not made a decision on Hvalur’s application, which is now being processed by his Ministry. “We need to follow the letter of the law on this, that’s what I find most important,” Bjarni said.
Advocacy groups appeal to President
Last week, animal welfare and environmental groups appealed to President Halla Tómasdóttir to stop any plans to issue whaling licenses. They believe that an interim government decision on the matter would be tantamount to abuse of power and outside the purview of an interim government.
Vísir reports that 51% of those polled believe that it would be inappropriate for Bjarni to make a decision on whaling licenses while an interim government is in power. The poll was commissioned by theIceland Nature Conservation Association.
Whaling remains a controversial practice in Iceland and is regularly protested by activist groups.
