Progressive Party (Iceland)

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Progressive Party
Framsóknarflokkurinn
Chairperson Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson
Vice-chairperson Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
Leader of the parliamentary group Sigrún Magnúsdóttir
Chairperson of the municipal council Elín Líndal
Founded 16 December 1916
Merger of
Headquarters Hverfisgata 33,
101 Reykjavík
Youth wing Association of Young People in the Progressive Party
Ideology
Political position Centre-right[1]
International affiliation Liberal International
European affiliation none
Colours Green
Seats in the parliament
19 / 63
Website
www.framsokn.is
Politics of Iceland
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Elections
Iceland
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The Progressive Party (Icelandic: Framsóknarflokkurinn) is a liberal[2][3] and agrarian-centrist[2][3][4] political party in Iceland. The party is a member of the Liberal International.[5] Current chairman of the party is Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, who was elected on 18 January 2009 and is Prime Minister of Iceland since 23 May 2013. His predecessor was Valgerður Sverrisdóttir, who only served as chairman for two months. Her predecessor, Guðni Ágústsson, who, as a vice-chairman became chairman when the previous chairman, Jón Sigurðsson, resigned after the Progressive Party suffered great losses in the 2007 election. Jón's predecessor as party leader was Halldór Ásgrímsson, chairman 1994-2006. Halldór was Prime Minister of Iceland 2004-2006.

The party had been in a government coalition partner to the liberal-conservative Independence Party in the period 1995-2007. From 1995 to 2004, it participated in the coalition as the junior partner under the premiership of Independence Party leader Davíð Oddsson, but the two parties agreed after the 2003 legislative elections that Halldór would become Prime Minister in September 2004. He took office on 15 September, but later announced his intention to resign on 5 June 2006 following the party's poor results in the 2006 municipal elections. The coalition remained allied with the Independence Party chairman, Geir H. Haarde, as Prime Minister. The Progressive Party leader Jón Sigurðsson was minister of Industry and Commerce, until a coalition of the Independence Party and the Alliance took over after the elections in 2007.

Though the Progressive Party was originally founded as an agrarian party and still finds most of its support from farmers and fishermen, it has gradually adopted the position of a liberal party in the political spectrum. It was founded in 1916 as a merger of two agrarian parties, the Farmers' Party (Bændaflokkur) and the Independent Farmers (Óháðir bændur).

Throughout Iceland's history as a self-governing and independent nation, the Progressive Party has most often been the second largest political party in the country. It has often joined government coalitions with either the Independence Party on the centre-right, or with centre-left parties.

In January 2009, it decided to change its party line on joining the European Union from being opposed to being in favour of EU accession, but with very strong caveats.[6] In retrospect of how these caveats are likely to be considered, the party has now changed its policy to one of firm opposition to EU membership, leaving the Social Democratic Alliance and Bright Future as the main parties favouring EU membership.[7]

Recent elections

In the 2007 elections, the party dropped five seats to hold only seven seats, down from twelve. The coalition only held a one-seat majority in the Althing, and the Independence Party formed a government with the Social Democratic Alliance with the deal being signed on 22 May, returning the Progressive Party to the opposition. When a centre-left minority government was formed in February 2009, in the wake of the 2008–2012 Icelandic financial crisis, the Progressive Party agreed to defend it from a no-confidence vote, but did not form part of the governing coalition.[8]

In the 2009 elections, the Progressive Party fared somewhat better, securing 14.8% of the vote, and increasing its number of seats from seven to nine. It remained in opposition, however, with a coalition of the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement continuing to govern with an increased majority.[9]

Electoral results

Parliament

Election # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Position
1919 Steady 3,115 Steady 22.2
11 / 40
 N/A Steady 3rd
1922 Increase 3,196 Increase 27.1 N/A N/A Increase 2nd
1923 Increase 8,062 Decrease 26.6
15 / 42
 N/A Steady 2nd
1926 Decrease 3,481 Decrease 25.0 N/A N/A Steady 2nd
1927 Increase 9,532.5 Increase 29.8
19 / 42
 N/A Steady 2nd
1930 Decrease 7,585 Increase 31.4 N/A N/A Steady 2nd
1931 Increase 13,844.5 Increase 35.9
23 / 42
 N/A Steady 2nd
1933 Decrease 8,530.5 Decrease 23.9
16 / 42
 Decrease 7 Steady 2nd
1934 Increase 11,377.5 Decrease 21.9
15 / 49
 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd
1937 Increase 14,556.5 Increase 24.9
19 / 49
 Increase 4 Steady 2nd
July 1942 Increase 16,033 Increase 27.6
20 / 49
 Increase 1 Steady 2nd
October 1942 Decrease 15,869 Decrease 26.6
15 / 52
 Decrease 5 Steady 2nd
1946 Decrease 15,429 Decrease 23.1
13 / 52
 Decrease 2 Steady 2nd
1949 Increase 17,659 Increase 24.5
17 / 52
 Increase 4 Steady 2nd
1953 Decrease 16,959 Decrease 21.9
16 / 52
 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd
1956 Decrease 12,925 Decrease 15.6
17 / 52
 Increase 1 Decrease 4th
June 1959 Increase 23,061 Increase 27.2
19 / 52
 Increase 2 Increase 2nd
October 1959 Decrease 21,882 Decrease 25.7
17 / 60
 Decrease 2 Steady 2nd
1963 Increase 25,217 Increase 28.2
19 / 60
 Increase 2 Steady 2nd
1967 Increase 27,029 Decrease 28.1
18 / 60
 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd
1971 Decrease 26,645 Decrease 25.3
17 / 60
 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd
1974 Increase 28,381 Decrease 24.9
17 / 60
 Steady 0 Steady 2nd
1978 Decrease 20,656 Decrease 16.9
12 / 60
 Decrease 5 Decrease 4th
1979 Increase 30,861 Increase 24.9
17 / 60
 Increase 5 Increase 2nd
1983 Decrease 24,754 Decrease 19.0
14 / 60
 Decrease 3 Steady 2nd
1987 Increase 28,902 Decrease 18.9
13 / 63
 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd
1991 Increase 29,866 Steady 18.9
13 / 63
 Steady 0 Steady 2nd
1995 Increase 38,485 Increase 23.3
15 / 63
 Increase 2 Steady 2nd
1999 Decrease 30,415 Decrease 18.4
12 / 63
 Decrease 3 Decrease 3rd
2003 Increase 32,484 Decrease 17.7
12 / 63
 Steady 0 Steady 3rd
2007 Decrease 21,350 Decrease 11.7
7 / 63
 Decrease 5 Decrease 4th
2009 Increase 27,699 Increase 14.8
9 / 63
 Increase 2 Steady 4th
2013 Increase 46,173 Increase 24.43
19 / 63
 Increase 10 Increase 2nd

Leadership

7 of its 12 chairmen have been prime ministers of Iceland:

In addition to those, Steingrímur Steinþórsson headed a government from 1950 to 1953.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Centre-right opposition wins election" (in English). BBC News. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Parties and Elections in Europe: The database about parliamentary elections and political parties in Europe, by Wolfram Nordsieck
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Svante Ersson; Jan-Erik Lane (28 December 1998). Politics and Society in Western Europe. SAGE. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7619-5862-8. Retrieved 17 August 2012. 
  4. ↑ Christina Bergqvist (1 January 1999). Equal Democracies?: Gender and Politics in the Nordic Countries. Nordic Council of Ministers. pp. 320–. ISBN 978-82-00-12799-4. 
  5. ↑ http://www.liberal-international.org/editorialIndex.asp?ia_id=523
  6. ↑ Progressives support Iceland EU entry IceNews, 17 January 2009
  7. ↑ Progressive Party General Meeting: No to EU Iceland Review Online. 9 February 2013. Accessed 14 March 2013
  8. ↑ "Iceland’s Government Discusses Continued Coalition". Iceland Review Online. 2009-04-27. Retrieved 2009-04-30. 
  9. ↑ "Iceland’s PM: Optimistic after Talks with Left-Greens". Iceland Review Online. Retrieved 2009-04-30. 

External links

Parliament (63):
Outside Parliament:
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