About the Independence Party
The Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) was founded on 25 May 1929, the result of a merger between the Conservative Party (Íhaldsflokkurinn) and the Liberal Party (Frjálslyndi flokkurinn).
The Chairman of the party Bjarni Benediktsson is currently the Prime Minister of Iceland and the party holds 5 ministries out of 12 in the Government.
The Independence Party is a liberal-conservative political party in Iceland. It is currently the largest party in the Icelandic parliament (Alþingi), with 17 seats. Since its formation in 1929, the party has won the largest share of the vote in every general election except 2009. Every Independence Party leader has also at some point held the office of Prime Minister. Since 2013, there have been three different coalition governments in Iceland, all of which have included the Independence Party. The party has been a partner in 25 of the 34 governments elected since Iceland became a republic in 1944. The party currently has 113 elected councillors in 35 municipalities and forms a majority in 24 of them.
The Independence Party participates in the Nordic cooperation of sister parties and is a participant in the group of Conservative parties in the Nordic countries. The party has also been a member of IDU for years and in addition is a full member of EPP in Europe.
The first leader of the party was Jón Þorláksson (1929–34). He was followed by:
- Ólafur Thors (1934–61)
- Bjarni Benediktsson (1961–1970)
- Jóhann Hafstein (1970–73)
- Geir Hallgrímsson (1973–83)
- Þorsteinn Pálsson (1983–91)
- Davíð Oddsson (1991–2005)
- Geir H. Haarde (2005–09)
- Bjarni Benediktsson (2009–date).
Contact
Email: xd@xd.is
Telephone: +354 515 1700
Office staff
General Secretary: Þórður Þórarinsson – tt@xd.is
Deputy General Secretary: Sigurbjörn Ingimundarson – sigurbjorni@xd.is
Corporate Information Officer: Ingvar P. Guðbjörnsson – ingvarp@xd.is
Party Conference Manager: Lilja Birgisdóttir – lilja@xd.is
Head of the Reykjavik City Council Independence Party Group: Marijón Ósk Nóadóttir – marijon@xd.is
Head of Vörður (council of representatives of Independence Party associations in Reykjavik): Jón Birgir Eiríksson – jonb@xd.is
Leadership
Chairman: Bjarni Benediktsson
Deputy Chairman: Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir
Secretary: Vilhjálmur Árnason
Charmain of the Parliamentary Group: Hildur Sverrisdóttir
Political resolution of the 44th party conference (2022)
The political resolution can be found here.
Party organisational rules
The party’s organisational rules can be found here.
Main electoral priorities in 2021
We pledge to:
- ensure responsible economic management – the basis for further improving quality of life in Iceland;
- bring about a revolution in green energy – Iceland should be a leader in energy exchange by harnessing green domestic energy;
- lower taxes – benefitting both households and businesses;
- safeguard patients’ right to healthcare – a new healthcare insurance system putting people first, not the system itself;
- pursue a digital revolution in health and welfare services;
- conduct a full-scale review of the insurance system for senior citizens – income-tax personal allowance to be raised immediately to ISK 200,000;
- reorganise the social security system for the disabled – fostering financial independence and increasing employment opportunities;
- foster a more dynamic and diverse economy – lower levies, simpler regulation and incentives for innovation;
- ensure free international trade – further opening up worldwide markets for Icelandic exports;
- bring about better service, faster handling, easier accessibility, and a simpler life by means of Digital Iceland;
- further invest in modern, efficient and safe transport – building a robust infrastructure, led by freedom of choice and diversity;
- further diversify the education system – to keep up with rapid developments in society and business needs. Independent schools should enjoy equal treatment.
