The Speaker of Parliament, Einar K. Guðfinsson, has denied requests by the minority parties to take up for debate a motion of no-confidence in the Prime Minister and the cabinet of Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson and to call for parliamentary elections as soon as possible. According to the local news site visir.is Einar argues the motion could easily be moot tomorrow.
Read more: Majority of Icelanders want shamed PM Sigmundur Davíð to resign
The motion was filed on Monday when parliament reconvened after the Easter break. The Speaker of Parliament then canceled Tuesday’s sesson at the request of the miniroty parties, who wanted time to go over the revalations of the Panama Papers, which linked three cabinet members to off-shore companies in tax-havens. Tuesday’s events then took an unexpected turn when the PM announced he would resign.
Sigmundur Davíð is technically still in office until he has formally tendered his resignation and the president accepted it, and his cabinet in power until. A motion of no confidence and new elections is therefore still relevant. However, the Speaker of Parliament argues this motion could easily be moot tomorrow, if the President has accepted the resignation of the Prime Minister.
Read more: The support for Iceland's Pirate Party is soaring, has never been measured higher
Einar told visir.is that he would not allow the motion to come up for debate until it was clear what would come out of the negotiations between the two majority parties. “I want to see what comes out of those negotiations, but of course this no-confidence motion will be taken up for debate and a vote, or a new motion of no-confidence, if that is necessary.”
The Speaker of Parliament, Einar K. Guðfinsson, has denied requests by the minority parties to take up for debate a motion of no-confidence in the Prime Minister and the cabinet of Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson and to call for parliamentary elections as soon as possible. According to the local news site visir.is Einar argues the motion could easily be moot tomorrow.
Read more: Majority of Icelanders want shamed PM Sigmundur Davíð to resign
The motion was filed on Monday when parliament reconvened after the Easter break. The Speaker of Parliament then canceled Tuesday’s sesson at the request of the miniroty parties, who wanted time to go over the revalations of the Panama Papers, which linked three cabinet members to off-shore companies in tax-havens. Tuesday’s events then took an unexpected turn when the PM announced he would resign.
Sigmundur Davíð is technically still in office until he has formally tendered his resignation and the president accepted it, and his cabinet in power until. A motion of no confidence and new elections is therefore still relevant. However, the Speaker of Parliament argues this motion could easily be moot tomorrow, if the President has accepted the resignation of the Prime Minister.
Read more: The support for Iceland's Pirate Party is soaring, has never been measured higher
Einar told visir.is that he would not allow the motion to come up for debate until it was clear what would come out of the negotiations between the two majority parties. “I want to see what comes out of those negotiations, but of course this no-confidence motion will be taken up for debate and a vote, or a new motion of no-confidence, if that is necessary.”
