Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson
Encyclopedia
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson is an Iceland
ic politician
and chairman of the Progressive Party
. He was elected to the Althing
(Iceland's parliament) as the 8th member for the Reykjavík North constituency on 25 April 2009.
He was elected chairman of the Progressive Party on 18 January 2009 with 40.9% of the votes of party members, beating Höskuldur Þórhallsson
(37.9%).
On 22 January, he proposed the support of the Progressive Party's seven votes in the Althing for a minority coalition between the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement
, as an alternative to the ruling coalition between the Independence Party
and the Social Democratic Alliance and with the aim of forcing early elections. The next day, Prime Minister
Geir Haarde
announced elections for 9 May, at which for health reasons he would not be a candidate.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and chairman of the Progressive Party
Progressive Party (Iceland)
The Progressive Party is an agrarian, liberal and centrist party in Iceland. The party is a member of the Liberal International. Current chairman of the party is Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson. He was elected on January 18, 2009. His predecessor was Valgerður Sverrisdóttir, who only served as...
. He was elected to the Althing
Althing
The Alþingi, anglicised variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national parliament of Iceland. The Althingi is the oldest parliamentary institution in the world still extant...
(Iceland's parliament) as the 8th member for the Reykjavík North constituency on 25 April 2009.
He was elected chairman of the Progressive Party on 18 January 2009 with 40.9% of the votes of party members, beating Höskuldur Þórhallsson
Höskuldur Þórhallsson
Höskuldur Þórhallsson is a member of parliament of the Althing, the Icelandic parliament. He is a member of the Progressive Party.-External links:*...
(37.9%).
On 22 January, he proposed the support of the Progressive Party's seven votes in the Althing for a minority coalition between the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement
Left-Green Movement
The Left-Green Movement is a left-wing political party in Iceland.It was founded in 1999 by a few members of Alþingi who did not approve of the planned merger of the left parties in Iceland that resulted in the founding of the Social Democratic Alliance...
, as an alternative to the ruling coalition between the Independence Party
Independence Party (Iceland)
The Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. Liberal conservative and Eurosceptic, it is the second-largest party in the Althing, with sixteen seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and vice chairman is Ólöf Nordal....
and the Social Democratic Alliance and with the aim of forcing early elections. The next day, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Iceland
The Prime Minister of Iceland is Iceland's head of government. The prime minister is appointed formally by the President and exercises executive authority along with the cabinet subject to parliamentary support....
Geir Haarde
Geir Haarde
Geir Hilmar Haarde was Prime Minister of Iceland from 15 June 2006 to 1 February 2009 and Chairman of the Icelandic Independence Party from 2005 to 2009. Geir initially led a coalition between his party and the Progressive Party...
announced elections for 9 May, at which for health reasons he would not be a candidate.