Geir H. Haarde, finance minister, was elected chairman of the Independence Party last night. He received 94.3% of the vote – there were 40 empty or invalid ballots and 23 others received votes. Geir was the only candidate seeking the chairmanship. Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, minister of education, was elected vice chairman with 728 votes beating Kristján Thór Júlíusson, the mayor of Akureyri, who received 424 votes.
In the closing speech at the Independence Party convention, Geir congratulated Thorgerdur Katrín and said, “We’ll be pretty good together”. He also said that when all members joined their forces the Independence Party was unbeatable. “Let’s not forget how scared our opponents are of us,” said Geir in his closing remarks at the convention last night.
