Yesterday, talks continued between the leaders of the three political parties that have led the government since 2017. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Bjarni Benediktsson and Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson are still not showing.
After the announcement of the parliamentary election results (despite several lawsuits to recount the votes), it became clear that the current tripartite coalition government would retain the majority (37 out of 63 MPs). The leaders of the three parties expressed their intention to start negotiations to maintain the coalition.
As reported by Mbl.is, the remaining members of the coalition parties stated that the negotiations were entirely in the hands of the leadership. However, they expect to be called to the table when the framework for the government agreement is outlined, possibly next week.
MEPs stressed that the parties would have enough time before a new government agreement was drawn up to resolve the “difficult issues” that remained from the previous term. These contentious issues include the Central Highlands National Park and questions about energy consumption. However, their resolution turned out to be more time-consuming than expected.
As Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir pointed out, the party leadership is optimistic about resolving these issues, but is reluctant to offer a clear timetable for an agreement. “We know from experience the value of a carefully drafted government agreement” Says Katrín.
The prime minister also refused to say whether the Progress Party’s relative success during the recent elections would translate into greater influence. “The reason this coalition has been successful is because we have approached it on an equal footing, and in this way we have managed to resolve the issues at stake.”
Negotiations between the leaders of the three coalition parties are expected to continue after the weekend.
Source: Yle