Progressive Party (Iceland)

Progressive Party Framsóknarflokkurinn
File:Framsóknarflokkurinn logo.gif
Chairperson	Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson
Vice-chairperson	Birkir Jón Jónsson
Chairperson of the parliamentary group	Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson
Chairperson of the municipal council	Elín Líndal
Founded	December 16, 1916 (1916-12-16)
Merger of	Farmers' Party Independent Farmers
Headquarters	Hverfisgata 33, 101 Reykjavík
Youth wing	Association of Young People in the Progressive Party
Ideology	Euroscepticism Liberalism Nordic agrarianism
Political position	Centrism
European affiliation	none
International affiliation	Liberal International
Colours	Green
Seats in Parliament	9 / 63
Website
www.framsokn.is
Politics of Iceland Political parties Elections

The Progressive Party (Icelandic: Framsóknarflokkurinn) is an agrarian, liberal and centrist party in Iceland. The party is a member of the Liberal International. Current chairman of the party is Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson. He was elected on January 18, 2009. His predecessor was Valgerður Sverrisdóttir, who only served as chairman for two months. Her predecessor, Guðni Ágústsson, who, as a vice-chairman became chairman when the previous chairman, Jón Sigurðsson, resigned after the Progressive Party suffered great losses in the 2007 election. Jón's predecessor as party leader was Halldór Ásgrímsson, chairman 1994-2006. Halldór was Prime Minister of Iceland 2004-2006.

The party had been in a government coalition partner to the conservative Independence Party in the period 1995-2007. From 1995 to 2004, it participated in the coalition as the junior partner under the premiership of Independence Party leader Davíð Oddsson, but the two parties agreed after the 2003 legislative elections that Halldór would become Prime Minister in September 2004. He took office on September 15, but later announced his intention to resign on June 5, 2006 following the party's poor results in the 2006 municipal elections. The coalition remained allied with the Independence Party chairman, Geir H. Haarde, as Prime Minister. The Progressive Party leader Jón Sigurðsson was minister of Industry and Commerce, until a coalition of the Independence Party and the Alliance took over after the elections in 2007.

Though the Progressive Party was originally founded as an agrarian party and still finds most of its support from farmers and fishermen, it has gradually adopted the position of a liberal party in the political spectrum. It was founded in 1916 as a merger of two agrarian parties, the Farmers' Party (Bændaflokkur) and the Independent Farmers (Óháðir bændur).

Throughout Iceland's history as a self-governing and independent nation, the Progressive Party has most often been the second largest political party in the country. It has often joined government coalitions with either the Independence Party on the right, or with left-wing parties.

In January 2009, it decided to change its party line on joining the European Union from being opposed to being in favour of EU accession, but with very strong caveats. In retrospect of how these caveats are likely to be considered, the party has now changed it policy to one of firm opposition to EU membership, leaving the Social Democratic Alliance as the only party favoring membership.

Recent elections

In the 2007 elections, the party dropped five seats, down from twelve. The coalition only held a one-seat majority in the Althing, and the Independence Party formed a government with the Social Democratic Alliance with the deal being signed on May 22, returning the Progressive Party to the opposition. When a left-wing minority government was formed in February 2009, in the wake of the 2008–2012 Icelandic financial crisis, the Progressive Party agreed to defend it from a no-confidence vote, but did not form part of the governing coalition.

In the 2009 elections, the Progressive Party fared somewhat better, securing 14.8% of the vote, and increasing its number of seats from seven to nine. It remained in opposition, however, with a coalition of the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement continuing to govern with an increased majority.

Electoral performance

Election	Number of votes for Progressive	Share of votes	Seats	Outcome of election
1916
1919
1923
1927
1931
1933
1934
1937
July 1942
October 1942
1946	15,429	23.1%	13	Independence Victory
1949	17,659	24.5%	17	Independence Victory
1953	16,959	21.9%	16	Independence Victory
1956	12,925	15.6%	17	Independence Victory
June 1959	23,061	27.2%	19	Independence Victory
October 1959	21,882	25.7%	17	Independence Victory
1963	25,217	28.2%	19	Independence Victory
1967	27,029	28.1%	18	Independence Victory
1971	26,645	25.3%	17	Independence Victory
1974	28,381	24.9%	17	Independence Victory
1978	20,656	16.9%	12	Independence Victory
1979	30,861	24.9%	17	Independence Victory
1983	24,095	18.5%	14	Independence Victory
1987	28,902	18.9%	13	Independence Victory
1991	29,866	18.9%	13	Independence Victory
1995	38,485	23.3%	15	Independence Victory
1999	30,415	18.4%	12	Independence Victory
2003	32,484	17.7%	12	Independence Victory
2007	21,349	11.7%	7	Independence Victory
2009	27,699	14.8%	9	Alliance Victory

Leadership

6 of its 12 chairmen have been prime ministers of Iceland:

• Tryggvi Þórhallsson PM 1927-1932 cm 1928-1932
• Ásgeir Ásgeirsson PM 1932-1934 chair man 1932-1933
• Hermann Jónasson PM 1934-1942 and 1956-1958 cm 1944-1962
• Ólafur Jóhannesson PM 1971-1974 and 1978-1979 cm 1968-1979
• Steingrímur Hermannsson PM 1983-1987 and 1988-1991 cm 1979-1994
• Halldór Ásgrímsson PM 2004-2006 cm 1994-2006
• Jón Sigurðsson cm 2006-2007
• Guðni Ágústsson cm 2007-2008
• Valgerður Sverrisdóttir cm 2008 - 2009
• Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson cm 2009 - present

In addition to those, Steingrímur Steinþórsson headed a government from 1950 to 1953.

See also

• Liberalism
• Contributions to liberal theory
• Liberalism worldwide
• List of liberal parties
• Liberal democracy
• Liberalism and centrism in Iceland

External links

• Progressive Party official site