After the five-party coalition talks, led by Left-Green Movement Leader Katrín Jakobsdóttir failed yesterday afternoon, it is unclear what happens next. Katrín has not determined her next step, but Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, will likely assemble next week.
Negotiations between the Left-Green Movement, the Pirate Party, the Reform Party, Bright Future and the Social Democratic Alliance failed, partly due to a disagreement on ways to fund the health care and education systems.
Katrín told RÚV she is going to use the morning to assess the situation with her party members. She admitted it’s not an easy one to be in: “This is like putting together a seven-piece puzzle [the number of parties represented in parliament], and they don’t fit well. And this doesn’t get any easier the more combinations are tried.”
She stated that since these negotiations failed, other parties can attempt to form a majority if they think they can. In her view, it’s clear that Alþingi must convene next week. “Parliament must assemble to address the state budget, whether it has reached government or not. I understand the last chance is at the end of the month, and I think that in itself is all right. Parliament can handle it, even though we don’t have a working majority. People will just have to work differently from what they’re used to, which I don’t regard as a bad thing.”
