2016 Icelandic anti-government protests
The 2016 Icelandic anti-government protests are a series of ongoing protests against the Icelandic government following the release of the Panama Papers.
Background
In 2007, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson and his wife, Anna Sigurlaug Pálsdóttir, set up Wintris Inc via the law firm Mossack Fonseca. The company was registered in the British Virgin Islands, "a well-known offshore tax haven."[1] In January 2009, Sigmundur Davíð was elected as the Chairman of the Progressive Party, and in the 2009 parliamentary election was elected as a member of the Althing. On the last day of 2009, Sigmundur Davíð sold his share in the company to his wife for $1, just before a new law came into force that would have forced him to declare his ownership as a conflict of interest. Wintris Inc lost millions of dollars as a result of the financial crisis.[2]
Following the 2013 parliamentary election, the Progressive Party and the Independence Party, both of which had won 19 seats, formed a coalition government. Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, as Chairman of the Progressive Party, became Prime Minister, and Bjarni Benediktsson, Chairman of the Independence Party, became Minister of Finance. As Prime Minister, Sigmundur Davíð pledged to fight demands from foreign creditors for full repayment by the Icelandic banks.[3]
In March 2016, it was revealed that Anna Sigurlaug Pálsdóttir, the wife of the Prime Minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, was a creditor for Iceland's three failed banks, Landsbanki, Kaupthing Bank and Glitnir. Her company, Wintris Inc, was claiming a total of ISK 515 million from the three banks, due to losses incurred during the financial crisis. Following this revelation, a number of Icelandic MPs criticised the arrangement, with Svandís Svavarsdóttir, a former minister, calling for the government to resign and for new elections.[1]
In the Panama Papers, released on 3 April 2016, not only Sigmundur Davíð, but also the finance minister, Bjarni Benediktsson, and the interior minister, Ólöf Nordal, were implicated in having offshore tax arrangements. The news was also broadcast in Iceland on a special edition of the current affairs program, Kastljós.[4]
Protests
In the wake of the Panama Papers revelations, on 3 April people began to use Facebook to organise a protest for the following day. According to Facebook, 10,000 people were planning to attend the protest.[5]
At midday on 4 April, Sigmundur Davíð did a live television interview during which he said he would not be resigning, but did apologise for his performance in an earlier television interview.[6] The protest was scheduled to take place at 5pm, and people slowly began gathering in Austurvöllur, the park just outside of Alþingishúsið, the building that houses the Althing. One early protester was arrested for throwing skyr at the building. When the protests began, members of the Althing were still sitting in a parliamentary session. The size of the crowd was estimated to be between 9,000 and 23,000 people, and was one of the biggest political demonstrations in Icelandic history. The planned parliament session for the following day, 5 April, was cancelled.[5][7]
On the morning of 5 April 2016, Sigmundur Davíð met with the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, who had just returned from a private visit to the United States. During the meeting, the Prime Minister asked the President to dissolve parliament and call new elections. Ólafur Ragnar refused this request, on the grounds that the Prime Minister had not consulted his coalition partner, the Independence Party, on this issue. The President also said that it was "inappropriate" to drag him into disputes between political parties.[8]
In the afternoon on 5 April, a meeting of Progressive Party MPs concluded that Sigmundur Davíð should resign as Prime Minister. The meeting proposed Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, who was Ministerof Fisheries and Agriculture, as his successor.[9] On 5 April, another protest took place in Austurvöllur, with a smaller crowd than the day before. At 6:30pm, the protesters left Austurvöllur and began protesting outside the Progressive Party headquarters in Hverfisgata, part of Reykjavik. Protesters were calling for the government to resign and for new elections.[10] That evening, a press release was sent out by the government saying that the Prime Minister "has not resigned" and was handing over the office to Sigurður Ingi "for an unspecified amount of time."[11]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Tax haven scandal: "Government must go!"". Iceland Monitor. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ Erlanger, Steven (4 April 2016). "'Panama Papers' Leaks Put Iceland Prime Minister Under Pressure to Quit". New York Times. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ Henley, Jon; Bowers, Simon (4 April 2016). "Icelandic PM faces no confidence vote over Panama Papers disclosures". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ Gittins, Charles (6 April 2016). "REVIEW: "So what's going on in Iceland?"". Iceland Monitor. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Police prepare for large protests at parliament square". Iceland Monitor. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "Iceland PM: "I will not resign"". Iceland Monitor. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "Thousands demand PM resign over Panama Papers". Iceland Monitor. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "President refuses to authorise PM to dissolve parliament". Iceland Monitor. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "Gunnlaugsson to resign as PM, party agrees". Iceland Monitor. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "Protests escalate at Reykjavik parliament square". Iceland Monitor. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "Prime Minister has not resigned - sends press release to international media". Iceland Monitor. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.