The
Left-Green Movement (
Vinstrihreyfingin - grænt framboð) is a left-wing
political partyA political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in
IcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
It was founded in 1999 by a few members of Alþingi who did not approve of the planned merger of the left parties in
IcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
that resulted in the founding of the Social Democratic Alliance (
Samfylkingin). The Left-Green Movement focuses on
democratic socialistDemocratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
values,
feminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
and
environmentalismEnvironmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, 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 U.S. invasion and occupation of
IraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and
AfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. The party rejects membership of the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and supports the
PalestinianThe Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
cause in the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. It supports the mutual adaptation and integration of immigrants into Icelandic society as necessary.
The Left-Green Movement is a member of the
Nordic Green Left AllianceThe Nordic Green Left Alliance is an alliance of Nordic left-wing parties, founded in Reykjavík, Iceland on February 1, 2004.The member organizations of NGLA are: Left Alliance Left-Green Movement Left Party Socialist Left Party Socialist People's Party Republicans Inuit Ataqatigiit Most of...
.
The Left-Green Movement has about 3,000 members. The party chairman is
Steingrímur J. SigfússonSteingrímur Jóhann Sigfússon is an Icelandic politician and Iceland's Minister of Finance. He has been a member of the Althing since 1983 and is the founding chairman of the Left-Green Movement...
,
MPA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. The vice chairman is
Katrín JakobsdóttirKatrín Jakobsdóttir is an Icelandic politician and a member of the Althing for the Reykjavík North constituency since 2007. She is vice-chairman of the Left-Green Movement and Iceland's Minister of Education, Science and Culture.Katrín graduated from the University of Iceland in 1999 with a...
,
MPA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. The secretary-general of the party is Auður Lilja.
In the
1999 parliamentary elections the Left-Green Movement took 9.1% of the vote and six seats in the Alþingi. It had five members in the 63-seat Icelandic parliament after the
2003 electionsThe 2003 Icelandic parliamentary election took place on 19 May 2003 to elect the members of the Althing of Iceland.-Background:For the previous 12 years Davíð Oddsson of the Independence Party had been Prime Minister of Iceland and since the 1995 election had ben ruling in coalition with the...
where it polled 8.8% of the vote. After the
2007 electionsThe 2007 Icelandic general elections were held on 12 May 2007. In this election, the public elected 63 members of parliament using proportional representation from six constituencies to the Alþingi...
the party had 9 seats in parliament, having received 14.3% of the vote.
In 2009 the Left-Green Movement joined Social Democratic Alliance (
Samfylkingin) as the minor partner in a coalition government after the center-right government of the Alliance and the conservative Independence Party collapsed. In the subsequent elections, it rose from 9 seats to 14, becoming Iceland's third-largest party (close behind Independence) with 21,7% of the vote, which is the second largest outcome of a left socialist party in Iceland, after the former communist
People's AllianceThe People's Alliance was an electoral alliance in Iceland from 1956 to 1968 and a political party from 1968 to 1998.-History:In 1916 the Social Democratic Party was formed in Iceland. In 1930 a split surged, thus forming the Communist Party of Iceland , recognised as the Icelandic section of the...
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. Currently, the party has 15 seats in the parliament.
Electoral performance
| Election |
Number of votes for Left-Green |
Share of votes |
Seats |
Outcome of election |
| 1999 |
15,115 |
9.1% |
6 |
IndependenceThe Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. Liberal conservative and Eurosceptic, it is the second-largest party in the Althing, with sixteen seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and vice chairman is Ólöf Nordal....
Victory |
| 2003 The 2003 Icelandic parliamentary election took place on 19 May 2003 to elect the members of the Althing of Iceland.-Background:For the previous 12 years Davíð Oddsson of the Independence Party had been Prime Minister of Iceland and since the 1995 election had ben ruling in coalition with the...
|
16,129 |
8.8% |
5 |
Independence Victory |
| 2007 The 2007 Icelandic general elections were held on 12 May 2007. In this election, the public elected 63 members of parliament using proportional representation from six constituencies to the Alþingi...
|
26,136 |
14.3% |
9 |
Independence Victory |
2009A parliamentary election was held in Iceland on 25 April 2009 following strong pressure from the public as a result of the Icelandic financial crisis...
|
40,580 |
21.7% |
14 |
Alliance Victory |
Parliamentarians and Ministers in the Icelandic Cabinet
| Parliamentarian | Since | Title | Constituency |
Steingrímur J. SigfússonSteingrímur Jóhann Sigfússon is an Icelandic politician and Iceland's Minister of Finance. He has been a member of the Althing since 1983 and is the founding chairman of the Left-Green Movement...
|
 |
23 April 1983 |
Chairman and Minister of Finance, Agriculture and Fisheries. |
North East Constituency |
Katrín JakobsdóttirKatrín Jakobsdóttir is an Icelandic politician and a member of the Althing for the Reykjavík North constituency since 2007. She is vice-chairman of the Left-Green Movement and Iceland's Minister of Education, Science and Culture.Katrín graduated from the University of Iceland in 1999 with a...
|
 |
12 May 2007 |
Vice-Chairman and Minister of Education |
Reykjavík North Constituency Reykjavíkurkjördæmi NorðurReykjavík NorthCountry:Main town: ReykjavíkArea:9.27 km²Population:119,357 Electors:43,784 Established:1999Representatives to Alþingi:11Composition:1 municipality 1 county 1 regionWebsite:?...
|
| Ögmundur Jónasson Ögmundur Jónasson is an Icelandic politician. He became Iceland's Minister of Health on 1 February 2009, but resigned on 30 September in connection with the Icesave dispute. He has been a member of the Althing since 1995.- References :...
|
|
8 April 1995 |
Minister of the Interior |
South West Constituency |
| Jón Bjarnason Jón Bjarnason is a member of parliament of the Althing, the Icelandic parliament. He is a member of the Left-Green Movement and is Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.-External links:*...
|
 |
8 May 1999 |
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. |
North West Constituency |
| Álfheiður Ingadóttir Álfheiður Ingadóttir is a member of parliament of the Althing, the Icelandic parliament. She is a member of the Left-Green Movement. She was Deputy Speaker of the Althing in 2009 and since 2010.-External links:*...
|
|
12 May 2007 |
Parliamentarian |
Reykjavík South Constituency Reykjavíkurkjördæmi SuðurReykjavík SouthCountry:Main town: ReykjavíkArea:? km²Population:119,357 Electors:43,748 Established:1999Representatives to Alþingi:11Composition:1 municipality 1 county 1 regionWebsite:?...
|
| Árni Þór Sigurðsson |
|
12 May 2007 |
Parliamentarian |
Reykjavík North Constituency Reykjavíkurkjördæmi NorðurReykjavík NorthCountry:Main town: ReykjavíkArea:9.27 km²Population:119,357 Electors:43,784 Established:1999Representatives to Alþingi:11Composition:1 municipality 1 county 1 regionWebsite:?...
|
| Atli Gíslason Atli Gíslason is a member of parliament of the Althing, the Icelandic parliament. He previously was a member of the Left-Green Movement, and is now a non-party member.-External links:*...
|
 |
12 May 2007 |
Parliamentarian |
South Constituency |
External links