This is the first time that Iceland has a left-wing government.

[bananas]

ICELAND: Taking the First Turn Left
By Lowana Veal

REYKJAVIK, Apr 27 (IPS) - Iceland's Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Party won the majority of the seats in the Apr. 25 election, and will continue to work together for the next four years as the ruling coalition.

The two parties had formed a minority government Feb. 1 after the collapse of the previous SDA and conservative Independence Party (IP) coalition. The LGP now have 14 members in the 63-member parliament and the SDP 20.

This is the first time that Iceland has a left-wing government, and the first time in 18 years that the IP has not become part of the ruling coalition.

The IP suffered its worst defeat. "The decline in popularity appeared straight after the collapse of the banks in opinion polls taken at the time," Gunnar Helgi Kristinsson, professor of politics at the University of Iceland told IPS. "The explanation is primarily people's dissatisfaction with how the party handled the crisis, and they hold it responsible for the collapse as the party had been in power so long."

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[Laelth]

1. Nothing like a good banking crisis to push out the paid hacks of high finance. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[KT2000]

2. Ha! The previous party

in power, the IP, is a party that has only men - no women.
They had many other problems as well. For a fun read:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/04/iceland200904

[Vidar]

3. Kudos to Iceland.

[bananas]

4. I like your sigline.

:hi: