Left-Green Movement

The Left-Green Movement (Icelandic: Vinstrihreyfingin – grænt framboð), officially the Left Movement – Green Candidature and also known by its abbreviation Vinstri græn (VG), is an eco-socialist political party in Iceland.[1]

Left-Green Movement Vinstrihreyfingin – grænt framboð
Chairperson	Katrín Jakobsdóttir
Vice-chairperson	Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson
Chairperson of the parliamentary group	Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir
General Secretary	Björg Eva Erlendsdóttir
Founded	6 February 1999
Split from	People's Alliance
Headquarters	Túngata 14 101, Reykjavík
Youth wing	Young Left-Greens
Ideology	Democratic socialism[1] Eco-socialism[1] Feminism[1][2] Pacifism[2] Euroscepticism[3]
Political position	Centre-left[4] to left-wing[5][6]
Nordic affiliation	Nordic Green Left Alliance
Colours	Green
Seats in Parliament	9 / 63
Election symbol
V
Website
vg.is
Politics of Iceland Political parties Elections

The Left-Green Movement is the second largest party in the Althingi, with 9 members of 63 in total. It is also the leading party in a three-party coalition government formed after the 2017 Icelandic parliamentary election. The party chair is Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Member of Parliament and the 28th Prime Minister of Iceland since 30 November 2017. The vice chairperson is Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson while the secretary general of the party is Björg Eva Erlendsdóttir.

The Left-Green Movement is a member of the Nordic Green Left Alliance.[7]

History

The party was founded in 1999 by members of Althing who did not approve of the merger of left-wing political parties in Iceland which resulted in the formation of the Social Democratic Alliance.

In the 1999 Icelandic parliamentary election, the Left-Green Movement took 9.1% of the vote and six seats in the Althing. The party had five members in the 63-seat Icelandic parliament after the 2003 Icelandic parliamentary election, where it polled 8.8% of the vote. After the 2007 Icelandic parliamentary election, the party had 9 seats in parliament, having received 14.3% of the vote.

After the 2009 Icelandic parliamentary election, the Left-Green Movement joined the first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir as the minor partner to the centre-left Social Democratic Alliance after the previous coalition government of the Alliance and the centre-right Independence Party collapsed. In the 2009 Icelandic parliamentary election, it rose from 9 seats to 14, becoming Iceland's third-largest party (close behind the Independence Party) with 21.7% of the vote, the second largest outcome of a left-wing party in Iceland after the post-communist People's Alliance in 1978, when it got 22.9% of the vote. The party gained one seat in addition, when a non-party parliamentarian joined the party.[8] Since then, three members of the parliamentary group have left the party. One joined the Nordic agrarian Progressive Party and two others became non-partisans. After the 2013 Icelandic parliamentary election, the party was in the opposition and had 7 seats in the parliament. In the 2016 Icelandic parliamentary election, the party polled 15.9% of the vote and 10 seats in the Althing, becoming the second largest party after the Independence Party.

Ideology

The Left-Green Movement focuses on democratic socialist values, feminism and environmentalism as well as increased democracy and direct involvement of the people in the administration of the country. The party opposes Iceland's involvement in NATO and also the American invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. The party rejects membership of the European Union and supports the Palestinian cause in the Middle East. It supports the mutual adaptation and integration of immigrants into Icelandic society as necessary.[9]

Electoral results

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Government
1999	15,115	9.1	6 / 63	6	4th	Opposition
2003	16,129	8.8	5 / 63	1	4th	Opposition
2007	26,136	14.3	9 / 63	4	3rd	Opposition
2009	40,581	21.6	14 / 63	5	3rd	Coalition
2013	20,546	10.8	7 / 63	7	4th	Opposition
2016	30,166	15.9	10 / 63	3	2nd	Opposition
2017	33,155	16.9	11 / 63	1	2nd	Coalition

Leadership

Nº	Chairman		Took office	Left office
1		Steingrímur J. Sigfússon (born 1955)	1999	2013
2		Katrín Jakobsdóttir (born 1976)	2013	Present

Members of Parliament

Since the elections in 2017, the Left-Green Movement has eleven members of parliament.

Member of Parliament		Since	Title	Constituency
Steingrímur J. Sigfússon		1983		Northeast Constituency
Katrín Jakobsdóttir		2007		Reykjavik Constituency North
Svandís Svavarsdóttir		2009	Leader of the Parliamentary Group	Reykjavik Constituency South
Lilja Rafney Magnúsdóttir		2009		Northwest Constituency
Bjarkey Gunnarsdóttir		2013		Northeast Constituency
Steinunn Þóra Árnadóttir		2014	Became a Member of Parliament when Árni Þór Sigurðsson left office mid-term	Reykjavik Constituency North
Ari Trausti Guðmundsson		2016		South Constituency
Kolbeinn Óttarsson Proppé		2016		Reykjavík Constituency South
Ólafur Þór Gunnarsson		2017		Southwest Constituency

References

1. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Iceland". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
2. "The Reykjavík Grapevine Election Guide 2013". The Reykjavík Grapevine. 5 April 2013. Archived 14 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
3. Mahony, Honor (30 January 2009). "Iceland could be EU member by 2011". EUobserver. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
4. Milne, Richard (30 November 2017). "Iceland forms left-right coalition government". Financial Times. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
5. Ćirić, Jelena (27 October 2017). "Icelandic Parliamentary Election 2017: Party Overview". Iceland Review. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
6. Sigurðardóttir, Guðrún Helga (17 November 2017). "Katrín Jakobsdóttir tipped as Iceland's new Prime Minister". Nordic Labour Journal. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
7. "The Left-Green Movement of Iceland". Nordic Green Left Alliance. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
8. "Independent Icelandic MP joins Left Greens". IceNews. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
9. "The Left-Green Movement". Left-Green Movement homepage. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2010.

External links

• Official website
• The Left-Green Movement page at the Nordic Green Left Alliance website