Although the Independence Party and the Progressives maintain a majority coalition on Reykjavík city council, the leading candidate for the Progressive Party told attendees at an open meeting yesterday that he would not support current mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir to be mayor in the event of a “þjóðstjórn” – a situation where all political parties share power.
Hanna Birna brought up the idea of having all parties share power over the town – as opposed to having a ruling coalition and an opposition – and the idea has been met with mixed response. Some see it as a good idea, whereas some see it as a cynical attempt by the Independence Party to save themselves from their current free-fall in the polls.
Einar Skúlason, who leads the list of Progressive Party candidates, told attendees at an open meeting at the University of Iceland yesterday that in the event of a þjóðstjórn, he will not support Hanna Birna as mayor. He would prefer instead a “non-political mayor”, as he put it.
In fairness, Hanna Birna has never specified that she should, in fact, be mayor in the event of a þjóðstjórn, but as she’s the mayor now, and is running for mayor again, it’s probably not that great of an assumption to make that she wants to continue to work in that capacity.