The Citizens' Party () was a

right-wing populist Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right populism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establishm ...

political party in Iceland which was formed in a split from the Independence Party in 1987. It disintegrated slowly until it ceased to exist in 1994. Albert Guðmundsson was a minister for the Independence Party. However, after being implicated in a large financial lawsuit concerning the defunct shipping company

Hafskip Hafskip (, ) was Iceland's second-largest shipping line before its collapse which became a national scandal. The firm had fallen deep into debt through its investment in new ships, intended to help the firm compete with Eimskip and American shippin ...

, he was deemed to be unsuitable to continue holding such office by his fellow party members. In protest, he resigned from the party to form the Citizens' Party and with him went a significant number of other members. 1987 was an election year and The Citizen's Party managed a remarkable feat, having 7 members elected to the

Alþingi The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (' thing fields' or 'assembly fields'), about east of what la ...

. In 1989, Albert resigned as chairman and was appointed as Iceland's

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to France. Two of the Members of Parliament then formed their own party (and later merged back into the Independence Party). The remaining Members of Parliament joined the government on 10 September 1989 in a coalition with

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

People's Alliance People's Alliance may refer to: * People's Alliance ( ''Volksunie''), Belgian political party which split in 2001 into the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie and Spirit * People's Alliance (Bulgaria), a Bulgarian party from 1921 to 1923 * People's Alliance ( ...

and Progressive Party under the leadership of

Steingrímur Hermannsson Steingrímur Hermannsson (pronounced ; 22 June 1928 – 1 February 2010) was an Icelandic politician who served as prime minister of Iceland from 1983 to 1987, and again from 1988 to 1991. He was the chairman for the Progressive Party from 197 ...

. This coalition lasted until 30 April 1991. The Citizen's Party was entrusted with the offices of

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

and

Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of a ...

during their only stay in power. In the 1991 elections, the Citizen's Party had fragmented so much that it did not enter.

Members of Parliament

The following members represented the Citizens' Party on

between 1987 and 1991. It was a total of seven seats between 1987 and 1989, and five between 1989 and 1991 as two members formed their own party in 1989 and later merged into the Independence Party. * Aðalheiður Bjarnfreðsdóttir * Albert Guðmundsson * Ásgeir Hannes Eiríksson *

Benedikt Bogason Benedikt may refer to: *Benedikt, a spelling of the name Benedict *Benedikt, Benedikt Benedikt () is the central settlement in the Municipality of Benedikt in northeastern Slovenia. Before 1998, it was part of the Municipality of Lenart. It lies ...

Guðmundur Ágústsson Guðmundur (), sometimes rendered as Gudmundur, is an Icelandic male first name, sometimes shortened to Gummi or Gvendur. The Icelandic surname Guðmundsson is a patronymic surname meaning ''son of Guðmundur''. Guðmundsdóttir is a patronymic s ...

* Guttormur Einarsson * Hreggviður Jónsson (split 1989) *

Hulda Jensdóttir Hulda/Holda and Huldah may refer to: People * Hulda (given name) * Hulda (poet), Icelandic poet * Huldah, prophetess from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Other uses * '' Hulda'', a genus of moth * ''Hulda'' (opera), by César Franck * Hulda, ...

Ingi Björn Albertsson Ingi Björn Albertsson (born 3 November 1952) is an Icelandic retired footballer who played as a striker, and former manager of the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild. After his playing career, he moved to politics and was a member of Althing, the Icelandi ...

(split 1989) * Júlíus Sólnes (Minister of the Environment) * Kolbrún Jónsdóttir *

Ólafur Granz Ólafur () is a common name in Iceland, derived from the Old Norse Óláfr , meaning "ancestor's relic". According to Icelandic custom, people are generally referred to by first and middle names and patronyms are used if disambiguation is require ...

* Óli Þ. Guðbjartsson (Minister of Justice)

References

{{Defunct political parties in Iceland Defunct political parties in Iceland 1987 establishments in Iceland Political parties established in 1987 1994 disestablishments in Iceland Political parties disestablished in 1994 Independence Party (Iceland) Right-wing populist parties