Svandís announces leadership bid for Left Green Movement at national conference in Iceland

Svandís Svavarsdóttir, the Minister of Infrastructure, has announced her candidacy for the leadership of the Left Green Movement at the party’s national conference scheduled for October 4-6. Following a government meeting, Svandís expressed her intention to expedite parliamentary elections to the spring, rather than the previously planned autumn timeline.

Current party leader Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, also the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, disclosed yesterday that he would not seek re-election as chair. However, he plans to run for the position of deputy chair while continuing to represent the party in the Southwest constituency.

Guðmundur Ingi took over the leadership after Katrín Jakobsdóttir resigned her parliamentary seat to pursue a presidential candidacy earlier this spring.

In related political movements, Jódís Skúladóttir, a party member of the Left Greens, announced her candidacy for the deputy chair position. Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, confirmed that she would not seek a leadership role within the party and pledged support for Svandís’s candidacy.

According to recent polls from Gallup, the Left Green Movement faces challenges, garnering only 3.4% support, which would not be sufficient for representation in parliament should elections occur based on this level of backing.