Biggest and second-biggest winners both fail to pull together a government, with third-placed Pirate party now offering to try

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Iceland’s Left-Greens have suspended talks with four other parties on forming a coalition government, according to the movement’s leader, after disagreements on issues including health and education funding.

Katrin Jakobsdottir said she had not decided whether she would give up on trying to form a new government by handing back the mandate given to her by Iceland’s president.

After the talks to try to resolve differences over to how fund increases in spending on welfare and education, as well as other issues, Jakobsdottir told Icelandic television that “not all the parties ... have the necessary conviction to continue to these talks to form a government”.

“Therefore I have decided that these talks are over.”



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The Independence party was the biggest after the 29 October vote, with the Left-Greens the second largest. The Pirate party, which polls had forecast could upset the traditional political order, was third.

The Pirate party’s head, Birgitta Jonsdottir, told Icelandic television she would try to form a government if Iceland’s president asked her to do so.

“But then we must find some other way than the one we are faced with now, for the reason that none of these parties seems to be able to work together,” she said.

Five parties – the Left-Green Movement, Pirate party, Bright Future, Reform and the Social Democratic Alliance – have been in discussions after the centre-right Independence party failed to form a government following October’s election.

The Left-Greens want to hike taxes to pay for welfare and education.

Iceland went to an early election after the Panama Papers revelations led to the downfall of the prime minister.