Progressive Party (Iceland)

Progressive Party (Iceland)

The Progressive Party (Icelandic: Framsóknarflokkurinn) is a liberal, agrarian and centrist political party in Iceland. The party is a member of the Liberal International. Current chairman of the party is Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, who was elected on 18 January 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 liberal-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 15 September, but later announced his intention to resign on 5 June 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 centre-right, or with centre-left 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 favouring EU membership.