A long-awaited change of government has taken place in Iceland. Elections were held in October, but since then several parties have tried and failed to reach a consensus to form a coalition government.
A new administration takes over today after almost three months of negotiations. The new administration is dominated by the Independence Party, with the Reform Party (Viðreisn) and Bright Future (Björt Framtíð).
Key ministries are held by the Independence Party, including the fisheries ministry. The post of fisheries minister goes to Thorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir of the Independence party, who has held ministerial posts under previous governments. She replaces Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson of the Progressive party, which is not part of the new coalition.
The Independence party made the initial attempts to reach consensus, since when the Left-Green Alliance and the Pirate Party also tried to form coalitions, until the President returned the mandate to the Independence party which now forms a government with an extremely narrow Parliamentary majority.
