Lilja Rafney Magnúsdóttir secures second spot on People’s Party list for Northwest constituency in Iceland

Lilja Rafney Magnúsdóttir, a former MP for the Left-Green Movement, has secured the second spot on the People’s Party list for the Northwest constituency ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections. Eyjólfur Ármannsson will continue to lead the party in the region.

Lilja Rafney served as a member of the Left-Green Movement for twelve years, from 2009 to 2021, and previously held positions as a deputy MP for both the Left-Greens and the People’s Alliance. She was the party leader in parliament, but lost out to Bjarni Jónsson in a recent primary election, after which Jónsson announced his departure from the party. Lilja Rafney expressed concerns regarding the democratic integrity of the primary process, stating it was neither fair nor transparent. However, after careful consideration, she agreed to take the second position on the People’s Party list and is now a deputy MP.

This past summer, Lilja Rafney left the Left-Green Movement following the party’s approval of a bill related to quotas for capelin fishing.

Eyjólfur Ármannsson, an MP for the People’s Party in the Northwest constituency, will lead the list, with Bragi Þór Thoroddsen, mayor of Súðavíkurhreppur, in third place and Heiða Rós Eyjólfsdóttir, a dental technician and hairstylist, in fourth. The list notably features several fishermen, including two captains and the chairman of a small boat association.