Jón Gnarr confirms strained ties between Viðreisn ministers

Jón Gnarr says he has experienced strained relations between Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir and Foreign Minister and Viðreisn leader Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir. In an interview on mbl.is’s Spursmál programme, he said the situation was part of the reason he left the party’s parliamentary group and described it as unhealthy.

Earlier in the programme, Hermann Nökkvi Gunnarsson, an assistant to the mayor of Reykjanesbær, said he had heard that relations between the ministers were very cold. He also said he had heard of discontent within Viðreisn in recent weeks, particularly after the referendum on 29 August, including dissatisfaction with how Þorgerður Katrín handled the campaign.

Hermann said Jón’s departure amounted to a rebuke of the party’s leadership. He suggested it could signal that the leader’s position was weakening and raised the possibility of a challenger when the party next chooses its leadership.

Jón said he was not in a position to take charge of the situation. He has left Viðreisn’s parliamentary group but remains a member of the party and says he supports the government. In the interview, he also described what he sees as a long-running lack of leadership, unclear decision-making and factionalism within the party.