+ A
A -
Reykjavik The three parties currently in coalition government in Iceland announced in Reykjavik on Sunday that their alliance would continue following weeks of negotiations. The coalition of Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir’s left-green movement with the liberal Progress Party and the conservative Independence Party retained a clear majority in the Althing, the Icelandic parliament. However, the balance of power between the coalition partners shifted significantly in the election in September, in which Jakobsdottir ceded several seats to the Progress Party. The Independence Party remained overall the strongest force in the alliance, however. The focus of the new government will be on combating climate change as well as on health issues, Jakobsdottir said at a press conference. Iceland has been shaken by several political scandals in recent years, though politics in the island nation has been far less turbulent since Jakobsdottir became prime minister in 2017. Having managed the coronavirus pandemic better than many other countries in Europe, Jakobsdottir has proven to be a unifying figure. She enjoys popularity even among supporters of other political parties, even though some on the left are critical of the Left-Greens choice to enter a coalition government with right-wing parties. (Agencies)
