Submitted article urges MPs to topple Icelandic government

A submitted article published by Morgunblaðið’s mbl.is website calls on Icelandic MPs to bring down the government after voters rejected continued negotiations on joining the European Union.

The writer says the government intends to continue aligning Iceland with the EU through the European Economic Area while refusing to formally withdraw the country’s application for membership. The article argues that the referendum result was a rejection of the government’s foreign policy and says the foreign minister should resign.

It also calls on MPs to submit a motion of no confidence as soon as Parliament reconvenes, arguing that the government was responsible for the policy rejected by voters.

A bill before Parliament would make EU laws and regulations superior to Icelandic legislation, according to the article. The writer says MPs must respect the referendum result, which is described as binding on Parliament in the same way as the outcome of a parliamentary election.

The article criticises Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, saying the issue was not presented to voters during the last election campaign. It alleges that she either misled voters, lied to them deliberately or was pressured into following the foreign minister’s position.

The writer also claims that the foreign minister made promises and commitments on Iceland’s behalf abroad that are largely unknown to the Icelandic public. The Parliament’s foreign affairs committee is said to have complained that it has not received information and that its members are not permitted to discuss matters on its agenda.

The article compares the government’s alleged secrecy with the conduct of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her commissioners in Brussels. It refers to a leaked officials’ memorandum published by Politico and Bruxelles Times on January 28, and alleges that von der Leyen outsourced work on legislative proposals to international consulting firms with which she had long-standing connections. The writer claims this costs EU taxpayers 3.5 billion euros a year.

The article concludes that the public has a right to know about the foreign minister’s political and financial commitments abroad. It again urges MPs to remove the government and hold ministers accountable for their actions in Parliament.