The Social Democrats and the Leftist-Greens take two very different positions with regards to changing government ministries – while the former wants to combine more ministries, reducing their number from 12 to 9, the latter would rather wait instead.
As reported this morning, a government meeting held yesterday brought up the idea of combining several ministries into one. The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Health would become one, for example, while the ministries of fishing, agriculture and industry would join to become the Ministry of Employment.
However, Eyjan reports that this is an idea mostly touted by the Social Democrats. They argue that there are budget cuts ahead, and that will mean letting the axe fall somewhere.
The Leftist-Greens, on the other hand, do not believe the time is right for such changes. Rather, they would like to see the government’s two non-political ministers – Minister of Business Gylfi Magnússon and Minister of Justice Ragna Árnadóttir – step down and be replaced by ministers from either party.
Sources from either party who spoke to Eyjan said that no matter what happens, any changes to the government are not likely to occur before this fall at the soonest, and even so, the ministries would not combine instantly.