Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir told reporters she was disappointed that Leftist-Green MPs Ögmundur Jónasson and Lilja Mósesdóttir voted against the ruling coalition’s Icesave bill on Tuesday.
The Icesave bill was voted 32 to 29 in favor of going back to the Finance Committee – two members of parliament were absent. Apart from Jónasson’s and Mósesdóttir’s votes against it, a third Leftist-Green MP, Ásmundur Einar Daðason, told reporters that he has doubts about voting for the bill in the third and final debate, when it comes out of committee.
However, MP Þráinn Bertelsson – previously with the Civic Movement but now no longer affiliated with any party – voted in favor. As the ruling coalition only holds 34 of a possible 63 seats, if Jónasson and Mósesdóttir again vote against the Icesave bill – and if Daðason does indeed vote against it as well – the ruling coalition will need Bertelsson’s vote in order to pass the bill.
The situation has understandably put the government on shaky ground, and the Prime Minister told Vísir, “Of course it is disappointing that not all the ruling MPs voted with the bill. It’s a big issue and one of the foundation details of the government’s economic platform. It sometimes happens that you need to make unpopular decisions. I suppose many more had wanted to vote against it, but it’s just not an option with the situation we’re in right now.”
The Finance Committee chairman, Guðbjartur Hannesson, told reporters that there are a number of details that need to be ironed out with the opposition before it can leave committee again. It will likely not reach the floor of parliament before the new year.
(Photo: xinhuanet.com)