| Liberal Party Frjálslyndi flokkurinn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairperson | Sigurjón Þórðarson |
| Vice-chairperson | Ásta Hafberg |
| Founded | 28, 1998 |
| Merger of | New Force |
| Split from | Independence Party |
| Headquarters |
Lyngháls 3, 110 Reykjavík |
| Ideology | Template:Ubl |
| Political position | Centre-right[1] |
| Colours | Blue, White |
| Seats in the parliament | Template:Composition bar |
| Website | |
| Template:URL | |
The Liberal Party (Frjálslyndi flokkurinn) is a centre-right conservative liberal political party in Iceland. It has no seats in the Althing, having lost its four seats at the 2009 election.
The Liberal Party was founded by former Independence Party MP Sverrir Hermannsson in 1998. It was founded primarily in opposition to the fishing quota, and became a protest vote.[2] In the following year's election, the party won two seats out of 63. This climbed to four in 2003: a level that was maintained at the 2007 election. However, the party lost all its parliamentary representation in 2009, after a financial crisis hit the country.
The party is a strong supporter of the free market, against subsidies and monopolies, and in favour of civil liberties.[2] It is oriented particularly towards the fishing industry.[3] The party chairman is Sigurjón Þórðarson.
History[]
The Liberal Party was founded by Sverrir Hermannsson, a former MP of the Independence Party and CEO of Landsbanki, in November 1998.
In 2006/7, the minor New Force party merged into the Liberal Party, which caused the prominent Liberal Party member Margrét Sverrisdóttir to leave the party and join the Icelandic Movement - Living Land, threatening to split the Liberal Party.[4][5]
The party has, before the 2007 parliament elections, moved from being primarily focused on issues of fishing quotas and small fishing communities toward immigration. It is the only political party in Iceland that supports strict restrictions on immigration, and consequently the party has been accused of xenophobia.Template:Citation needed The party conducted a members' poll in January 2009 in order to determine its EU stance. The outcome was against EU-accession of Iceland. The party supports strict neutrality.
In February 2009, two of the Liberal Party's parliamentarians left the party; Jón Magnússon joined the Independence Party and Kristinn H. Gunnarsson joined the Progressive Party.
Ideology[]
Fishing quotas[]
Privatisation[]
Immigration[]
The Liberal Party of Iceland is against unrestricted immigration and wishes to tighten these laws.Template:Citation needed
Foreign policy[]
Template:See also The Liberal Party is against the idea of Iceland joining the European Union. The party's stance was decided in a party members' poll which was conducted in December 2008. The question was: Should Iceland seek EU-membership?. The results were published in January 2009 with 51.6% being against EU-accession, 34.8% in favour and 9.5% undecided.[6]
The party supports Iceland's membership of NATO, but was firmly opposed to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Election results[]
| Election | Votes | Vote % | Seats | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 6,919 Template:Steady | 4.2 Template:Steady | Template:Composition bar | 5th Template:Steady |
| 2003 | 13,523 Template:Increase | 7.4 Template:Increase | Template:Composition bar | 5th Template:Steady |
| 2007 | 13,233 Template:Decrease | 7.3 Template:Decrease | Template:Composition bar | 5th Template:Steady |
| 2009 | 4,148 Template:Decrease | 2.2 Template:Decrease | Template:Composition bar | 6th Template:Decrease |
Leaders[]
Chairpersons[]
- Sverrir Hermannsson, 1998–2003
- Guðjón Arnar Kristjánsson, 2003–2010
- Sigurjón Þórðarson, 2010–
Vice-chairpersons[]
- Gunnar Ingi Gunnarsson, 1998–2003
- Magnús Þór Hafsteinsson, 2003–2009
- Ásgerður Flosadóttir 2009
- Kolbrún Stefánsdóttir, 2009–2010
- Ásta Hafberg, 2010–
See also[]
- Politics of Iceland
- Liberalism and centrism in Iceland
- Liberalism
- Liberal democracy
- Contributions to liberal theory
- Political parties
References[]
- ↑ Bjarnason, Magnus (2010). The Political Economy of Joining the European Union: Iceland's Position at the Beginning of the 21st Century. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. p. 52. ISBN 9789056296421. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uC5rwsZUJdQC.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Niedermayer, Oskar (2006) (in German). Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag. p. 254. ISBN 978-3-531-14111-4. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pqOS4GRDTm4C.
- ↑ Rademacher, A.K.; Bätz, C.; Hartmann, K. (2010) (in German). Iceland - An Overview: History, Economy, Culture, Educational System. Munich: GRIN Verlag. p. 6. ISBN 9783640768462. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sKamEXFm0rkC.
- ↑ http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=260125
- ↑ http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=260428
- ↑ "Liberal Party rejects EU-membership" (in Icelandic). 14 January 2009. http://xf.is/frettir/nr/82359/. Retrieved 25 January 2009. Template:Dead link
External links[]
- Official website Template:En icon
- Official website Template:Is icon
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