The Icelandic Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde, in a press conference held at noon today, announced he will be stepping down as the leader of the Independence Party due to his grave health condition. He has been diagnosed with a malignant cancer of the oesophagus.
He also announced that he is, in cooperation with the Social Democrats who are in coalition with the Independence party, recommending national elections to take place on the 9th May this year.
As IceNews has reported, heavy and growing protests have been taking place in Reykjavik and all across the country and pressure has been mounting on the government to take action towards re-election.
The diagnosis of the Prime Minister comes as a shock to the nation, especially in light of the fact that the Foreign Minister, Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, the leader of the Social Democrats, has been undergoing treatment of a benign brain tumor since last autumn. Haarde expects to undergo surgery around the end of the month and will remain party leader until the Independence Party’s rescheduled conference on 26-29 March.
[…] Januari Haarde mengumumkan pengunduran diri sekaligus rencana untuk mengadakan pemilu Mei 2009 https://www.icenews.is/2009/01/23/pm-of-iceland-steps-down-elections-to-take-place-in-may/#more-5432. Singkat cerita, pemilu 2009 dimenangkan oleh koalisi antara partai Sos-Dem dengan Left-Green […]
[…] IceNews: PM of Iceland steps down, elections to take place in may (23.1.09) […]
[…] story has everything you could want in a government dissolution – economic implosion; not one, but two all-too-convenient cases of cancer; rotten egg throwing; riots; and now an openly-lesbian, […]
>A corrupt, criminal, immoral, crooked, greedy,lying, misleading, misrepresenting government will never have any support from any normal thinking Icelander.
> Yes he is diagnosed be having a prognosis, so Icelanders have to feel sorry for him and give him props even when the Economy is going down the drain and the currency is getting worthless??….
>He left the subject matter being he should step down, and telling the Icelandic people that he has been diagnosed to having a prognosis and he will only step down from the independent party announcing that he is in cooperation with the Social Democrats who are in coalition with the Independence party, recommending national elections to take place on the 9th May this year
>What a way to act the victim!!!… Who knows what will be Oddson’s own excuse??, I bet he will have a press conference to tell the Icelandic people that he will only step down if Elephants starts flying.
THEY HAVE FAILED AND THEY ARE LOOKING FOR LAME EXCUSES…!!! HAARDE OK GO AND GET WELL AND F@@K OFF DO NOT COME BACK TO THE PARLIAMENT NO MORE!!!!!
This is what should be published here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/iris-lee/whats-next-for-iceland-en_b_160526.html
This is the real view from outside.
Tryggvi said:
“This report is not correct. Icelandic PM, Geir Haarde, has not stepped down as PM or as leader of the Independence Party. He is taking a leave of absence due to his health. It has been made very clear that he plans to continue as PM after undergoing treatment until the proposed elections in May.”
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What part of this do you not understand?
Quote from the statement by the PM
“In view of the uncertainty which unavoidably results from the nature of the affliction with which I have been diagnosed, I have decided not to seek re-election as leader of the Independence Party at its upcoming national congress. I have already informed my colleagues in the parliamentary caucus and in the party’s central committee of this decision and the reasons behind it.”
“Why is everyone feeling so sorry for this guy”
Is everyone feeling sorry for this guy?
Talk about selective reading of the posts here.
Those who feel sympathy for him can separate the man from the political leader. This should not be too hard to comprehend.
He is after all a man with his own life and his family life. Anyone who is in the least aware of the medical prognosis will realise that, just like anybody else who has this medical condition, at a minimum will face a very difficult and uncertain time, both for himself and his loved ones.
As a political leader we are free to have critical opinion of him based on his record.
Why is everyone feeling so sorry for this guy – he looked straight into the eyes of the Icelandic public, at one of the Borgarafundir, and basically said, “I don’t care about you or what you think.”
He has been selfish and stupid throughout. A coward and a fool. At any point in his term he could have stood up and told somebody the truth or done something. Instead, he did nothing, and a lot of people will have to pay for actions.
Too bad for you, Geir Haarde, that’s the way it goes.
Surely if you elect an honest staff everything will become instantly better, that’s perfectly logical :-)
People, people, Geir is not steping down, he is just takeing a leave of absence, and they have said and made it very clear so later they can defende themselves, PROBABLY elections in may, thats all he is not going any way, dont you see it, they are just puting the krona down and spreading a confusin news so the protesters calm down, this is a first grade trick of polititians and media in evry other country people would see through im a blink of an eye, but here everybody is so exited, but they are just giving you a candy in the mouth, so the “protesters” calm down and now they are even protecting the police so they see how educated and nice “protesters” are. You really are babies in daipers.
Why doesn’t Iceland join the European Union?
Before, have the icelanders admitted any mistakes?
Liars and untruthful people are the cancer of any society. And, in Iceland, liars and untruthful people are the bankers; really, banks have been the liars of the icelandic society. Also the Icelandic society; the Icelanders cannot blame of terrible economic, financially and monetary situation to the politicians or bankers solely: they know what they have done. People should know how much and where spend the money; banking credit is not THEIR money, is not real money.
Economy of a country cannot be only financed with outside money. There was avarice: Icelandic banks were greedy. Awfully. There were frameworks perfectly geared these years until outside flow began to decrease; as soon as decrease has been untenable, beautiful and tiny house of genies has disappeared.
Iceland is a very small country, Icelanders does know but, they do not want to understand the dangers: each crisis will be stronger, and when the air of the autumnal storm blows, Iceland is only a small leaf without course. Air is moving the most prosperous root trees. Iceland needs a good umbrella, resistant: EU and Euro are that umbrella. If Iceland had umbrella – EU & Euro – now, situation had been so different! Iceland is not Norway.
Geir is a human, and, if he has cancer, he is a sick person. Also I wish him all the best in his fight against the cancer.
Some commentaries spilled here are very unfortunate.
Where is your compassion? When everything was fine, everybody ate pie; now, when everything is terrible, everybody looks for Eva. Everybody looks for evils.
The good side of this is that Iceland gets elections soon, and with several new political leaders.
The bad side is that Geir Haarde will probably die before he can be taken to court for treason against the Republic of Iceland. Oesophageal cancer is nasty, I wish him the best of luck in fighting it and I don’t support the death penalty. I still think he should face a criminal trial for his actions, if his health permits.
This report is not correct. Icelandic PM, Geir Haarde, has not stepped down as PM or as leader of the Independence Party. He is taking a leave of absence due to his health. It has been made very clear that he plans to continue as PM after undergoing treatment until the proposed elections in May. In the meantime, current Minister of ed. science & culture, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, will be acting PM. Haarde has also stated that he will not seek reelection as leader of the Independence Party. While everyone is shocked by the news about his health, many still feel that he should step down.
[…] not run for re-election as chairman of the independence party. read more on these sites: BBC News icenews.is Iceland Review The Reykjavik Grapevine […]
So many nasty comments about Haarde. This is a man who will be leaving his job because of a malignant tumour that was diagnosed via a biopsy a couple of days ago. There is a real possibility that, following tumor removal, cancerous cells will have nonetheless migrated to other parts of his body and chemotherapy (and possibly radiotherapy) will be necessary. People should separate their political opinions from this serious illness. Elections will be in spring and people should start to focus on rebuilding Iceland, including some vigorous political campaigning. But protests to remove Davíð Oddsson should continue!
That’s no shock. It’s just horrible that it takes cancer to make him step down and that he now uses cancer as the argument. Like this, nobody will ever admit any mistakes. These liars and untruthful people are the cancer of this society!
COME ON.
Casting stones at a sick person.
If Geir has cancer . He is a human and i wish him all the best in his fight against the cancer.
STOP talking about how bad he and his party was & is.
THIS is the whats wrong here we keep talking about the problem !
NOW….
IF we get the election we can focus on the SOLUTION.
It is a shame that he has been diagnosed with Cancer…..
….having said that he totally sucks as a polictian and it´s about time. We are not out of the woods yet till Mr Oddsson is sacked/resigns and a PROPER announcement is done for elections.
Oh and reworking of the constitution with resultant referendum with the next year/18 months wouldn´t go amiss either….
unfortunately it is not that easy and quick to get the icelandic nationality. i hope the medical state of the PM is not going to make people cry, it has nothing to do with politics! The PM still stays a bad politician that worked for the interest of his close friends instead of the interest of the icelandic nation, cancer or not. He should still step down before the election, he is wasting the time/money of Iceland.
Malignant cancer of the oesophagus? And now he comes to state that , come on!! take it like a man, and step down accepting that you suck as a politician.
Note the above article says-
recommending national elections to take place on the 9th May this year.
RECOMMENDING
This is not a done deal yet.
If indeed we do have a election soon ,now is the time to start following what the political parties are going to offer us.
So come on all you highly educated people become our NEW leaders.
JOIN the parties or start new ones.
Gus and other foreigners here apply for citizenship to this nation you claim to love and want to help to rebuild.
AS a Icelandic citizen you can make YOUR vote count.