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The new agreement between Iceland, Holland and the UK appears closer to being ratified in parliament, as the Independence Party has given their written support for the bill.
The new deal – struck between Iceland, Holland and the UK last December – shows much lower interest rates and less financial burden for the state than the previous deal, which was defeated in a referendum last year. A recent poll shows that 56% of Icelanders support passage of the new deal, and even many ardent opponents of the original Icesave agreement have toned down their rhetoric somewhat.
The conservatives on the finance committee, Ásbjörn Óttarsson, Kristján Þór Júlíusson and Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, issued a joint statement expressing their support for the bill as it is now, Vísir reports. They say in part that the party has “long fought to find a political solution to the matter” and have come to find the new terms more acceptable.
With the ruling coalition and the largest party of the opposition on board, the Icesave deal may pass with a much stronger majority this time around, and may even dodge a presidential veto bullet.
Not that everyone in the Independence Party is thrilled about this new development. Journalist and conservative Andrés Magnússon announced on Facebook that he was resigning from the party over this, and SUS – the youth branch of the Independence Party – also voiced their opposition, telling Vísir that it was “naive” the believe what the ruling coalition says the ultimate tax burden will be.
Nonetheless, it seems that the agreement looks likely to be finally passed, although it still needs to survive the floor of parliament, then committee again, and then the floor of parliament one more time for a final vote.
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