Almost three months after elections were held, Iceland finally has a new government in place. The new coalition government comprises the Independence Party, the Reform Party and Bright Future.
Eleven ministers are taking a seat in the government: six from the Independence Party, three from the Reform Party and two from Bright Future. Three of the current ministries, the Ministry of Industries and Innovation, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Welfare, will have two ministers each.
Iceland’s new prime minister is Bjarni Benediktsson, chairman of the Independence Party, while taking up the post of fisheries and agriculture minister is the Independence Party’s Thorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, who replaces Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson of the Progressive Party, which is not part of the new coalition.
In April 2016, Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, Iceland’s then fisheries and agriculture minister, was appointed the country’s prime minister after Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson quit the position in the wake of the so-called “Panama Papers” leaks scandal. A general election was then held in October.
