Government meeting held in Iceland amid ministerial transitions

The government meeting commenced at 4 PM, with ministers from the Left-Green Movement present, despite their announcement yesterday that they would not participate in a caretaker government led by Bjarni Benediktsson. A proposal regarding the division of ministries will be presented at the meeting.

All ministers from Benediktsson’s outgoing majority government, who resigned from their positions yesterday, were summoned to this meeting, including those from the Left-Green Movement, who had previously declared their intention not to join a government under his leadership. Prime Minister Benediktsson stated that the government remains unchanged until a presidential decree is issued. The agenda includes discussing the redistribution of responsibilities among ministers.

Svandís Svavarsdóttir, Minister of Infrastructure, noted her attendance was primarily procedural. She emphasized that it was not a sudden decision to assert that starting today, the Left-Green ministers would be transitioning to ordinary members of parliament.

Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir, Minister of Food and Agriculture, expressed she always knew she would continue in her role, although this may have been uncertain for the Prime Minister. Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson remarked that the meeting aims to clarify the status of ministers in the government.

Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, leader of the Progressive Party and Minister of Finance, was less forthcoming on his way to the meeting, stating that it would become clear whether new responsibilities would be assigned to him there.