Editing Politics of Iceland (section)

==Political history==

===1990s===
In losing four seats in April [[1995 Icelandic parliamentary election|1995 parliamentary elections]], the [[Independence Party (Iceland)|IP]] and [[Social Democratic Party (Iceland)|SDP]] (so-called ''[[Viðey]] government'') mustered a simple majority in the 63-seat Althing. However, Prime Minister and IP leader [[Davíð Oddsson]] chose the resurgent [[Progressive Party (Iceland)|Progressive Party]] (PP) as a more conservative partner to form a stronger and more stable majority with 40 seats. Splintered by factionalism over the economy and Iceland's role in the [[European Union]] (EU), the SDP also suffered from being the only party to support Iceland's EU membership application.

===2000s - 2010s===
The beginning of the millennium saw a merger of all the [[Left-wing politics|left parties]] to form the [[Social Democratic Alliance]]. Some members chose to join another new left party instead, the [[Left-Green Movement]]. After the PP's loss in the [[2007 Icelandic parliamentary election|2007 elections]] its longstanding alliance with the IP ended despite still being able to form a majority. Instead, the IP's leader [[Geir Haarde]] chose a stronger but somewhat unstable coalition with the Social Democrats (the [[Þingvellir]] government).

Geir's administration fell apart in January 2009 and he called for an early election before standing down as party leader. The Social Democrats subsequently formed an interim government with the LGM.  In the [[2009 Icelandic parliamentary election|resulting election]], [[Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir]]'s administration prevailed, the first time Icelanders voted for a majority left-wing government.

After the 2008 financial crisis, there has been an increasing fractionalization of the Icelandic party system. The increase in the number of parties has made it harder for coalition governments to form.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hardarson|first1=Ólafur Th|last2=Kristinsson|first2=Gunnar Helgi|date=2018-12-01|title=Iceland: Political development and data for 2017|journal=European Journal of Political Research Political Data Yearbook|volume=57|issue=1|pages=135–141|doi=10.1111/2047-8852.12222|s2cid=158256950 |issn=2047-8852}}</ref> What's more, since the initial resignation of the government in January 2009 after the banking collapse, revelations of subsequent political scandals have resulted in the government collapsing in 2016, following the [[Panama Papers]], and again in 2017, following revelations of impropriety within the ranks of the political class; both instances culminated in anti-government protests being staged.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Heffernan|first=Timothy|date=2020-01-01|title=Crisis and Belonging: Protest Voices and Empathic Solidarity in Post-Economic Collapse Iceland|journal=Religions|volume=11|issue=1|pages=22|doi=10.3390/rel11010022|doi-access=free|hdl=1959.4/unsworks_65038|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Organized protests held to highlight and challenge political corruption since 2008 have therefore come to stress the necessity for the new [[Icelandic constitution]] that was co-drafted by the 2009 leftist government and select members of the public to be enshrined into law.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Heffernan|first=Timothy|date=2020-06-01|title="Where Is the New Constitution?" Public Protest and Community-Building in Post–Economic Collapse Iceland|journal=Conflict and Society|volume=6|issue=1|pages=236–254|doi=10.3167/arcs.2020.060114|doi-access=free|hdl=1959.4/unsworks_73167|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
[[File:Politics Of Iceland.svg|thumb|300px|Political system of Iceland]]

=== 2020s ===
After the 2021 parliamentary [[2021 Icelandic parliamentary election|election]], the new government was, just like the previous government, a tri-party coalition of the [[Independence Party (Iceland)|Independence Party]], the [[Progressive Party (Iceland)|Progressive Party]] and the [[Left-Green Movement]], headed by Prime Minister [[Katrín Jakobsdóttir]].<ref>{{cite news |title=New Government of Iceland Takes Office |url=https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/politics_and_society/2021/11/29/new_government_of_iceland_takes_office/ |work=Iceland Monitor |date=29 November 2021}}</ref>  In April 2024, Bjarni Benediktsson of the Independence party succeeded Katrín Jakobsdóttir as prime minister.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iceland appoints Bjarni Benediktsson to replace Katrín Jakobsdóttir as PM |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/10/iceland-conservative-foreign-minister-replaces-jakobsdottir-as-pm |access-date=21 December 2024}}</ref> In November 2024, centre-left [[Social Democratic Alliance]] became the biggest party in a [[2024 Icelandic parliamentary election|snap election]], meaning Social Democratic [[Kristrún Frostadóttir|Kristrun Frostadottir]] became the next Prime Minister of Iceland.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iceland gets new government under Social Democrat Frostadottir |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/iceland-presents-new-government-with-social-democratic-leader-frostadottir-pm-2024-12-21/ |access-date=21 December 2024}}</ref>