Iceland’s government collapses as Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson proposes elections for November 30

Iceland’s government has officially collapsed as Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson announced the end of the coalition yesterday. He is scheduled to meet with President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson at 9 AM today, where he will propose the dissolution of Parliament and call for new elections on November 30.

The President will now decide on Bjarni’s proposal and determine the next steps. The announcement of the government’s dissolution caught the leaders of the Left-Green Movement and the Progress Party by surprise, highlighting that Bjarni’s unilateral decision came without efforts to extend the coalition until the new year.

Political science professor Ólafur Harðarson noted that both Svandís Svavarsdóttir and Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson expressed dissatisfaction with Bjarni’s actions during interviews. He suggested that President Halla Tómasdóttir may soon gather party leaders from Parliament to ensure that forming a new majority is not feasible.

In the wake of the announcement, all opposition parties have declared their readiness for elections. A new party led by former presidential candidate Arnar Þór Jónsson, named the Democracy Party, has also indicated it’s prepared to contest elections in a month and a half.

As the political landscape unfolds this Monday morning, the ball is now in the court of the Icelandic President at Bessastaðir. Bjarni stated at a press conference that he is willing to lead a caretaker government until a new one can be established.