Grapevine

Iceland PM calls new election as coalition government collapses

Icelandic Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson has dissolved the country’s three-party coalition government and called for a new election to take place in November.

In a press conference on Sunday, Benediktsson said problems had mounted within the left-right coalition on issues related to foreign policy, asylum seekers, and energy, public broadcaster RUV reported.

The coalition comprised the right-wing Independence Party, which Benediktsson leads, the Left-Green Movement and the centre-right Progressive Party.

The prime minister said the issues were “less discussed in the last election [in 2021] than need to be discussed now,” emphasising “how different the [Left-Green] Movement’s vision for the future is, compared to what I want to stand for”.

Benediktsson told the Visir news outlet that it would be “best if the government [had] a common vision”.