Lesbian Icelandic minister could become nation’s Prime Minister
Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir could become the first permanent openly gay prime minister in the world after elections to be held this spring, according to The Iceland Revew.
The Huffington Post reports that Per-Kristian Floss served as interim prime minister of Norway in 2002.
According to the Associated Press, Iceland’s coalition government collapsed Monday after a wave of public dissent caused by the nation’s shattered economy. The AP reports:
Prime Minister Geir Haarde resigned and disbanded the government he’s led since 2006. Haarde was unwilling to meet the demands of his coalition partner, the Social Democratic Alliance Party, which insisted on choosing a new prime minister in exchange for keeping the coalition intact.
“I really regret that we could not continue with this coalition, I believe that that would have been the best result,” Haarde told reporters.
Sigurdardóttir currently serves as Iceland’s Minister for Social Affairs. Foreign Minister and chairwoman of the Social Democrats Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir proposed Sigurdardóttir replace Haarde.
The Iceland Review states that if she does become prime minister, she would not only become the first openly gay prime minister in the world, but the nation’s first female prime minister.
The publication reports:
Sigurdardóttir said the idea had only been discussed with her yesterday morning.
Her first choice of a coalition is a minority government with the Left-Greens and backing from the Progressive Party. “Another option is a minority government with the Social Democrats and passivity of the Left-Greens and Progressive Party.”
On whether she had discussed the matter with the Left-Greens, Sigurdardóttir replied, “I’m always talking with the Left-Greens.”
According to an opinion poll undertaken by Capacent Gallup in December 2008, Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir is the most popular minister—73 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with her work. Sigurdardóttir is also the only minister whose popularity had increased compared to a similar poll undertaken in December 2007.
