Decision Day For President Halla Following Government Collapse

President of Iceland Halla Tómasdóttir met with all party leaders represented in Parliament yesterday. She is still weighing her decision of how to proceed following the ruling coalition’s collapse on Sunday, October 13, reports RÚV.

If Halla intends to approve Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson’s request to hold a snap election on November 30, she cannot dissolve Parliament until Thursday. According to law, no more than 45 days can pass between the dissolution of Parliament and an election being held. If Parliament is dissolved today, the last legal date to hold an election would be 23 November 2024, assuming the election would take place on a Saturday.

Ólafur Þ. Harðarson, a professor of political science, notes that the president has considerable flexibility in how she approaches this situation. He believes it is most likely that she will approve Bjarni’s proposal to dissolve Parliament, as it is supported by all parties in Parliament.

On the political discussion show Silfrið yesterday, where all party leaders met, the issue of a caretaker government was a key topic.

During Silfrið, Bjarni stated that he would request his resignation, but did not specify when he intended to do so.

Svandís Svavarsdóttir, leader of the Left-Green Movement, announced that her party does not plan to participate in a caretaker government under Bjarni’s leadership. Instead, she favours an interim government led by Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, leader of the Progressive Party.

According to Ólafur Harðarson, the two most likely options for President Halla are:

A caretaker government led by Bjarni Benediktsson, without ministers from the Left-Green Movement.

An interim government led by Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson.

A caretaker government is a temporary government that takes over after the dissolution of a sitting government, usually during an election period, until a new government is formed. It has limited powers, ensuring the continuity of governance without introducing significant initiatives or policies. While also being a temporary government, interim government can have broader powers, including the authority to make important decisions or change policy.

There are precedents for both options. The last time a president appointed an interim government was in 1979 when President Kristján Eldjárn formed a minority government led by the Social Democratic Party after a caretaker government had governed for three days.

Halla will meet with Bjarni at Bessastadir at 16:00 today. After the meeting, the president will address the media.

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