All three People’s Party ministers miss parliamentary question session

None of the three People’s Party ministers in government was available to answer questions during an unscheduled session in Althingi, the parliament, on Monday, mbl.is reported.

The ministers are Inga Sæland, minister of education and children; Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson, minister of social affairs and housing; and Eyjólfur Ármannsson, minister of infrastructure.

Inga and Ragnar Þór have faced criticism in recent weeks after former education and children’s minister Guðmundur Ingi Kristinsson explained why he left the People’s Party. He said he was unhappy with pressure on him to resign from his ministerial post in January and with Inga’s treatment of him.

Inga has repeatedly declined to answer media questions about the events leading up to Guðmundur Ingi’s resignation. She has denied that he was pressured and said the decision was entirely his.

Guðmundur Ingi made public messages sent to him by Guðbjörg Ingunn Magnúsdóttir, his assistant at the time and Ragnar Þór’s wife. In the messages, she said the resignation decision rested entirely with “the Valkyries,” referring to Inga, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir and Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir. That account differs from what the three women have said, according to mbl.is.

Guðbjörg told Guðmundur Ingi he had two options: announce his resignation or “go to war,” adding that the latter would benefit no one. Ragnar Þór took a seat in government after Guðmundur Ingi resigned.

Ragnar Þór gave media interviews last week. He had missed an unscheduled question session because of illness on the day the messages became public and was unable to give interviews for several days. He told mbl.is he had not known he would join the government until after Guðmundur Ingi resigned.

Inga spoke to the media on Friday but said she would not answer questions about the matter. She again said Guðmundur Ingi had resigned of his own accord and done so “with dignity.”

At Monday’s session, the prime minister, the foreign minister, the finance and economic affairs minister and the health minister were available to answer questions.