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Centre Party (Iceland)

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Centre Party
Miðflokkurinn
ChairpersonSigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson
FounderSigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson
Founded24 September 2017
Split fromProgressive Party
Ideology
Euroscepticism
Political positionCentre-right[1] to right-wing[4]
Nordic affiliationCentre Group
Seats in Parliament
2 / 63
Election symbol
Website
midflokkurinn.is

The Centre Party (Icelandic: Miðflokkurinn) is a Nordic agrarian, populist[3] and conservative political party in Iceland, established in September 2017.[5][6][7] It split from the Progressive Party due to leadership disputes, when two factions decided to band up as a new party before the 2017 Icelandic parliamentary election. The Centre Party belongs to the Nordic agrarian party family; like many parties in Iceland, is Eurosceptic.

Ideology

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A self-proclaimed liberal and centrist party, the party is generally conservative and populist.[3] The party proposes to reform the state's banking sector, maintaining government ownership of Landsbankinn, while reclaiming the state's stake in Arion Bank, which is controlled by hedge funds,[8] and redistributing a third of its shares among Icelanders.[9] It also plans to sell the government's existing stake in Íslandsbanki. The party supports scrapping indexation on debts and opposes the accession of Iceland to the European Union.[10]

At the inaugural meeting of the party in Reykjavik on 8 October, the party's chairman and founder Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson stated that the party supported the best ideas of the left and right, emphasizing both the protection of individual rights and social security, while also focusing on regional issues in the same vein of the Northern Powerhouse in the United Kingdom and improving benefits for the elderly.[11] The party also proposes to improve ferry services and construct a new university hospital.[12]

The party opposed the expansion of the abortion limit from the 16th week of the pregnancy to the 22nd week.[13] The party opposed legislation to allow individuals to define their own gender in the eyes of the law.[14] One of the party's members has called for teaching climate change denial views in public schools.[15] In 2021, Sigmundur Davíð called for the Icelandic government to take up the same asylum policy as that implemented by the Danish Social Democrats, that policy being to send asylum seekers to countries outside of Europe while their case is being processed. Sigmundur Davíð stated that the goal of this policy was to ensure that no one would come to the country seeking asylum.[16]

Supporters

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According to a poll conducted by the Social Science Research Institute at the University of Iceland for Morgunblaðið in October 2017, the party drew nearly half its support from supporters of the Progressive Party in the 2016 Icelandic parliamentary election, with another quarter from the Independence Party, and 13% from the liberal Reform Party and Bright Future.[17] Sigmundur Davíð has traditionally attracted support due to his nationalist and populist views, though he did not express such views during the 2017 campaign.[18]

Controversy

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In December 2018, a leaked recording captured four MPs of the Centre Party, including party leader Sigmundur Davíð, discussing women and a disabled woman in denigrating and sexually charged language. The scandal was known as the Klaustur Affair.[19]

In October 2021, Birgir Þórarinsson, who was elected as a Centre Party candidate in elections the month before, announced that he was leaving the Centre Party and joining the Independence Party instead. Birgir cited the 2018 scandal as his reason for leaving the party. After Birgir's defection, the Centre Party was left with two members of the Althing.[20]

Electoral results

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Election Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
2017 21,335 10.9
7 / 63
 Steady 7 Steady 5th Opposition
2021 10,879 5.5
3 / 63
 Decrease 4 Decrease 8th Opposition

Leaders

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Chairperson Took office Left office
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson 2017 Present

References

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  1. ^ a b c Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Iceland". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  2. ^ a b c "Wahlcheck: Das wollen Islands Parteien". Deutsch-Isländische Gesellschaft Bremerhaven/Bremen. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Jelena Ćirić (27 October 2017). "Icelandic Parliamentary Election 2017: Party Overview". Iceland Review. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  4. ^ Fontaine, Paul (30 October 2017). "Elections '17: Who Are Iceland's Political Parties & Who Will Lead Next?". The Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  5. ^ Anna Lilja Þórisdóttir (28 September 2017). "Flokkur Sigmundar heitir Miðflokkurinn og býður fram undir X-M". Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  6. ^ Richard Martyn-Hemphill (28 October 2017). "Iceland Goes to Polls Amid Scandals, Disgust and Distrust". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Miðflokkurinn er stærsta popúlíska hreyfing Íslands". Stundin (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2018-06-21.
  8. ^ Ragnhildur Siguroardottir (27 October 2017). "Icelanders May Look Beyond Scandal to Vote With Their Wallets". Bloomberg. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  9. ^ Björn Malmquist (27 October 2017). "Iceland's ex-leader poised for political resurrection". Politico Europe. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  10. ^ Ragnhildur Siguroardottir (24 October 2017). "A Guide to the Parties in Iceland's Nail-Biter Election". Bloomberg. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  11. ^ Margrét Helga Erlingsdóttir (8 October 2017). "Vill að ríkið nýti forkaupsrétt að Arion-banka". Vísir. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Birgir Þórarinsson: Til Eyjamanna". Eyjafréttir. 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Sjö karlkyns þingmenn Sjálfstæðisflokks sátu hjá í atkvæðagreiðslu um þungunarrof - Vísir". visir.is. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
  14. ^ "Krafðist þess að frumvarp um kynrænt sjálfræði yrði tekið af dagskrá - Vísir". visir.is. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
  15. ^ "Þingmaður Miðflokks vill láta kenna sjónarmið afneitunarsinna í loftslagsmálum í grunnskólum". Stundin. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
  16. ^ Brynjólfur Þór Guðmundsson. "Spyr hvort Ísland fari leið Dana í málum hælisleitenda - RÚV".
  17. ^ Jón Birgir Eiríksson (9 October 2017). "Baráttan verður snörp". Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  18. ^ Jakob Bjarnar (18 October 2017). "Sigmundur vekur Ingu frá þingmennskudraumum". Vísir. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  19. ^ Peter, Laurence (2018-12-03). "Iceland scandal over MPs' sexist bar talk". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  20. ^ Ciric, Jelena (11 October 2021). "Switches Parties Two Weeks After Election". Iceland Review. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
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