Left-Green Movement
Left-Green Movement Vinstrihreyfingin – grænt framboð | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairperson | Katrín Jakobsdóttir |
| Vice-chairperson | Edward H. Huijbens |
| Chairperson of the parliamentary group | Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir |
| General Secretary | Björg Eva Erlendsdóttir |
| Founded | 6 February 1999 |
| Split from | People's Alliance |
| Headquarters | Túngata 14, 101 Reykjavík |
| Youth wing | Young Left-Greens |
| Ideology | Democratic socialism[1] Eco-socialism[1] Feminism[1][2] Pacifism[2] Euroscepticism[3] |
| Political position | Centre-left[4] to left-wing[5][6] |
| European affiliation | Nordic Green Left Alliance |
| International affiliation | None |
| Colours | Red and Green |
| Seats in the Althing | 11 / 63 |
| Election symbol | |
| V | |
| Website | |
| www.vg.is | |
| Part of a series on |
| Green politics |
|---|
.svg) |
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Core topics |
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Four pillars |
The Left-Green Movement (Icelandic: Vinstrihreyfingin – grænt framboð, also known by its abbreviation Vinstri Græn, VG) is a eco-socialist political party in Iceland.[1] It is the second largest party in the Althingi, with 11 members of 63 in total, and is currently the leading party in a three-party coalition government formed after the 2017 elections. The party chair is Katrín Jakobsdóttir, MP and the 28th Prime Minister of Iceland since 30 November 2017. The vice chair is Edward H. Hujibens. The secretary-general of the party is Björg Eva Erlendsdóttir. The Left-Green Movement is a member of the Nordic Green Left Alliance.[7]
Contents
History[edit]
The party was founded in 1999 by members of Althing who did not approve of the merger of left-wing political parties in Iceland which resulted in the formation of the Social Democratic Alliance.
In the 1999 parliamentary election, the Left-Green Movement took 9.1% of the vote and six seats in the Althing. The party had five members in the 63-seat Icelandic parliament after the 2003 parliamentary election, where it polled 8.8% of the vote. After the 2007 parliamentary election, the party had 9 seats in parliament, having received 14.3% of the vote.
In 2009, the Left-Green Movement joined the first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir as the minor partner to the Social Democratic Alliance after the previous coalition government of the Alliance and the centre-right Independence Party collapsed.[8] In the subsequent elections, it rose from 9 seats to 14, becoming Iceland's third-largest party (close behind the Independence Party) with 21.7% of the vote, which is the second largest outcome of a left-wing party in Iceland, after the post-communist People's Alliance in 1978 when it got 22.9% of the vote. The party gained one seat in addition, when a non-party parliamentarian joined the party.[9] Since then, three members of the parliamentary group have left the party. One joined the agrarian Progressive Party, and two others became non-partisans. After the elections of 2013, the party was in the opposition and had 7 seats in the parliament. In the 2016 parliamentary election, the Left-Green party polled 15.9% of the vote and 10 seats in the Althing becoming the second largest party after the Independence Party.
Ideology[edit]
The Left-Green Movement focuses on democratic socialist values, feminism, and environmentalism, as well as increased democracy and direct involvement of the people in the administration of the country. The party opposes Iceland's involvement in NATO, and also the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. The party rejects membership of the European Union, and supports the Palestinian cause in the Middle East. It supports the mutual adaptation and integration of immigrants into Icelandic society as necessary.[10]
Electoral results[edit]
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 15,115 | 9.1 | 6 / 63
|
 6
|
4th
|
Opposition |
| 2003 | 16,129 | 8.8 | 5 / 63
|
 1
|
4th
|
Opposition |
| 2007 | 26,136 | 14.3 | 9 / 63
|
 4
|
3rd
|
Opposition |
| 2009 | 40,581 | 21.6 | 14 / 63
|
5
|
3rd
|
Coalition |
| 2013 | 20,546 | 10.8 | 7 / 63
|
7
|
4th
|
Opposition |
| 2016 | 30,166 | 15.9 | 10 / 63
|
3
|
2nd
|
Opposition |
| 2017 | 33,155 | 16.9 | 11 / 63
|
1
|
2nd
|
Coalition |
Leadership[edit]
| Nº | Chairman | Took office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Steingrímur J. Sigfússon (1955) |
1999 | 2013 |
| 2 | .jpg)
|
Katrín Jakobsdóttir (1976) |
2013 | Present |
Members of Parliament[edit]
Since the elections in 2016, the Left-Green Movement has ten members of parliament.
| Member of Parliament | Since | Title | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steingrímur J. Sigfússon | 
|
1983 | Northeast Constituency | |
| Katrín Jakobsdóttir | 
|
2007 | Reykjavik Constituency North | |
| Svandís Svavarsdóttir | 
|
2009 | Leader of the Parliamentary Group | Reykjavik Constituency South |
| Lilja Rafney Magnúsdóttir | 2009 | Northwest Constituency | ||
| Bjarkey Gunnarsdóttir | 2013 | Northeast Constituency | ||
| Steinunn Þóra Árnadóttir | 2014 | Became a Member of Parliament when Árni Þór Sigurðsson left office mid-term. | Reykjavik Constituency North | |
| Ari Trausti Guðmundsson | 
|
2016 | South Constituency | |
| Andrés Ingi Jónsson | 2016 | Reykjavík Constituency North | ||
| Kolbeinn Óttarsson Proppé | 2016 | Reykjavík Constituency South | ||
| Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir | 2016 | Southwest Constituency | ||
| Ólafur Þór Gunnarsson | 2017 | Southwest Constituency | ||
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Iceland". Parties and Elections in Europe.
- ^ a b The Reykjavík Grapevine Election Guide 2013 Archived 14 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine, The Reykjavík Grapevine, April 5, 2013
- ^ "Iceland could be EU member by 2011". EUobserver. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ^ "Iceland forms left-right coalition government". Financial Times. Retrieved 30 November 2017. (subscription required)
- ^ Icelandic Parliamentary Election 2017: Party Overview. Iceland Review. Author - Jelena Ćirić. Published 27 October 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ Katrín Jakobsdóttir tipped as Iceland's new Prime Minister. Nordic Labour Journal. Author - Guðrún Helga Sigurðardóttir. Published 17 November 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "The Left-Green Movement of Iceland". Nordic Green Left Alliance. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
- ^ Wikinews:Icelandic centre-left coalition secures majority in parliamentary elections
- ^ "Independent Icelandic MP joins Left Greens". IceNews. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
- ^ "The Left-Green Movement". Left-Green Movement homepage. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
