Political party in Iceland
The Left-Green Movement (Icelandic : Vinstrihreyfingin – grænt framboð , lit. ' Left Movement – Green Candidature ' ), also known by its short-form name Vinstri græn (VG ), is an eco-socialist political party in Iceland .[1]
The Left-Green Movement is the third largest party in the Althing , with 8 members of 63 in total after the 2021 Icelandic parliamentary election . It is also the leading party in a three-party coalition government that has governed since the 2017 Icelandic parliamentary election . The acting party chairperson is Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson , the acting vice chair is Jana Salóme Ingibjargar Jósepsdóttir, and the general secretary is Björg Eva Erlendsdóttir.
The Left-Green Movement is a member of the Nordic Green Left Alliance .[10]
History
The party was founded in 1999 by members of Althing who did not approve of the merger of left-wing political parties in Iceland which resulted in the formation of the Social Democratic Alliance .
In the 1999 Icelandic parliamentary election , the Left-Green Movement took 9.1% of the vote and six seats in the Althing. The party had five members in the 63-seat Icelandic parliament after the 2003 Icelandic parliamentary election , where it polled 8.8% of the vote. After the 2007 Icelandic parliamentary election , the party had 9 seats in parliament, having received 14.3% of the vote.
After the 2009 Icelandic parliamentary election , the Left-Green Movement joined the first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir as the minor partner to the centre-left Social Democratic Alliance after the previous coalition government of the Alliance and the centre-right Independence Party collapsed. In the 2009 Icelandic parliamentary election , it rose from 9 seats to 14, becoming Iceland's third-largest party (close behind the Independence Party) with 21.7% of the vote, the second largest outcome of a left-wing party in Iceland after the post-communist People's Alliance in 1978, when it got 22.9% of the vote. The party gained one seat in addition, when a non-party parliamentarian joined the party.[11] Later, three members of the parliamentary group have left the party. One joined the Nordic agrarian Progressive Party and two others became non-partisans . After the 2013 Icelandic parliamentary election , the party was in the opposition and had 7 seats in the parliament. In the 2016 Icelandic parliamentary election , the party polled 15.9% of the vote and 10 seats in the Althing, becoming the second largest party, tied with the Pirates , after the Independence Party. However, after the collapse of the coalition government and snap parliamentary elections in 2017 , the party increased its seats in parliament to 11 and became the second-largest party, forming a three-party coalition with the Independence Party and Progressive Party, and party chair Katrín Jakobsdóttir became the prime minister. The party lost three seats in the 2021 parliamentary elections , but stayed in government. After the 2021 parliamentary election , the new government was, just like the previous government, a tri-party coalition of the Independence Party , the Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement, headed by Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir.[12]
Katrín stepped down as Prime Minister and party leader to run for President of Iceland in the 2024 election . She was replaced as party leader by Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson and as Prime Minister by the Independence Party's Bjarni Benediktsson .[13]
Ideology
The Left-Green Movement focuses on democratic socialist values, feminism , and environmentalism , as well as increased democracy and direct involvement of the people in the administration of the country. The party opposes Iceland's involvement in NATO , and also the American invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan . The party rejects membership of the European Union , and supports the Palestinian cause in the Middle East. It considers the mutual adaptation and integration of immigrants into Icelandic society as necessary.[14]
Electoral results
Election
Votes
%
Seats
+/–
Position
Government
1999
15,115
9.1
6
4th
Opposition
2003
16,129
8.8
1
4th
Opposition
2007
26,136
14.3
4
3rd
Opposition
2009
40,581
21.6
5
3rd
Coalition
2013
20,546
10.8
7
4th
Opposition
2016
30,166
15.9
3
2nd
Opposition
2017
33,155
16.9
1
2nd
Coalition
2021
25,114
12.6
3
3rd
Coalition
Leadership
Members of Parliament
Since the elections in 2017, the Left-Green Movement has eleven members of parliament.
References
^ a b c Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Iceland" . Parties and Elections in Europe . Retrieved 9 May 2020 .
^ Contemporary Far Left Parties in Europe From Marxism to the Mainstream? Luke March, 2008, P.4
^ Field, Luke (29 September 2021). "Iceland's centrist vote has resurged, but the left still has opportunities to govern and grow in a fragmented party system – RLS Brüssel" . rosalux.eu . Retrieved 11 July 2022 .
^ "Iceland Votes, With Its Dependence on Tourism Exposed" . Bloomberg L.P. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2022 .
^ "The Reykjavík Grapevine Election Guide 2013" . The Reykjavík Grapevine . 5 April 2013. Archived 14 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 14 September 2013.
^ Mahony, Honor (30 January 2009). "Iceland could be EU member by 2011" . EUobserver . Retrieved 9 May 2020 .
^ Milne, Richard (30 November 2017). "Iceland forms left-right coalition government" . Financial Times . Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2017 .
^ Ćirić, Jelena (27 October 2017). "Icelandic Parliamentary Election 2017: Party Overview" . Iceland Review . Retrieved 28 December 2017.
^ Sigurðardóttir, Guðrún Helga (17 November 2017). "Katrín Jakobsdóttir tipped as Iceland's new Prime Minister" . Nordic Labour Journal . Retrieved 28 December 2017.
^ "The Left-Green Movement of Iceland" . Nordic Green Left Alliance . Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2010 .
^ "Independent Icelandic MP joins Left Greens" . IceNews . Retrieved 19 September 2010 .
^ "New Government of Iceland Takes Office" . Iceland Monitor . 29 November 2021.
^ RÚV, Fréttastofa (5 April 2024). "Katrín Jakobsdóttir býður sig fram til forseta - RÚV.is" . RÚV . Retrieved 27 June 2024 .
^ "The Left-Green Movement" . Left-Green Movement homepage . Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2010 .
External links
Althing (63)Extra-parliamentary Defunct