Well, the parties that are set to make up our new government have been jumping through the hoops today, observing the formalities and traditions required in these matters.
Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir, who – as has now been confirmed – will be our new Prime Minister, at least for the next 80 days, has just been granted a mandate from Prez Óli to form a government. The details will be announced at a special press conference scheduled for 4 pm today [an hour and a half's time].
As you will see from the previous post, the specifics of the new government were set to be announced yesterday, but this was held up by the Progressive Party, who have agreed to protect the new government against a vote of no confidence by other parties. The Progressives, it would seem, wanted to see a watertight plan of action, and demanded more specific explanations on a number of issues that were, in their view, too vague.
Good to know there’s a watchdog agency in place.
Jóhanna, meanwhile, breaks new ground, not only by becoming the first female PM in Iceland’s history, but by becoming the first openly gay PM in the world. It’s actually quite amusing to see how much has been made of this in the foreign press, whereas the Icelandic press only seems to mention it in relation to the attention it is getting abroad. Here in Iceland much of the attention is focused on her famous [in Iceland] words “My time will come!” – a phrase she uttered back in 1994 after losing the leadership bid for the Social Democratic Party and went on to form her own political movement, Þjóðvaki, which years later was incorporated into the Social Democratic Alliance. Prescient? Apparently so.
SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY
EPI took his skis and headed up to Heiðmörk, whereas YT decided it all sounded like a bit too much work and opted in favour of a walk by the sea … which I am about to undertake as soon as I press ‘publish’. That way I can be installed in front of the TV with popcorn and beer* by the time the press conference airs at 4. Just the very slightest of breezes at the moment, temps at the freezing mark [0°C / 32F], sunrise/sunset 10:07 am / 5:16 pm.
* kidding
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I think that all the international media’s attention to Johanna being “openly” gay is more to point out something that is unique to world leadership to date and is something to be celebrated. If I more was “sinnical” I’d say it was to sell papers/increase internet traffic to a site. Instead, as an adult child of a gay parent (my dad) I can’t wait to call him up and say “Hey, Dad – guess what?!”