Election results

I was unfortunately too tired to go to a birthday/election party I was invited to in the city last night (thought it best to go into today with a clear head!), but I am most eager to see what the upshot is this morning. With 97% returns counted, it looks like the two parties currently in power, Samfylkingur and VG will be able to hold their position, now with a majority of 34 Thingmen out of 63. But it seems to me it would be a very nice gesture, after everything that happened last fall, if these two parties would invite the new popular movement party, Borgarhreyfing, to join them. That party looks to get 4 Althingi seats, and in the process deflating several other wore out fringe parties. In my opinion, VG and S would be sending a clear message about their belief in democracy and in reform if they would offer Borgarhreyfing a real say in the new government, including a seat on the cabinet, and perhaps having them be in charge of the Constitutional Committee that many Icelanders have been counting on. 

That Samfylking picked up 2 seats is a bit surprising, given their role, albeit as an underdog, in the previous government. But I think in this case the voters (or at least me) were not looking back, but rather looking forward to the prospect of joining the E.U. I would interpret their success as a clear message from the voters about the necessity of doing that soon.  

VG picked up 5 seats, so they are clearly on their way up. 

Comments

ג. ג. said…
This is a chance for Iceland to open a new page in its history.
April 26, 2009 at 10:34 AM
Lissy said…
Indeed, I am really looking forward to seeing what this new government will accomplish. Read something about wind generators recently, and I was thinking, wow, why hasn't anyone already done that? Simple things that get overlooked when one is trying to apply a readymade model from elsewhere here.
April 26, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Valur said…
Yes, I got a bit curious last night about if Borgarahreyfingin would be approached, given all the previous talk about uprooting flokksræði in Iceland.
April 26, 2009 at 12:39 PM
Anonymous said…
well, a three-party coalition is always more difficult than 2 (and yes, the Borgarahreyfing must be counted as a political party). Let's see how they do in opposition.
April 28, 2009 at 9:15 AM
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