Bright Future (Icelandic: Björt framtíð) is a liberal[2][6] political party in Iceland founded in 2012.
Bright Future Björt framtíð | |
|---|---|
.png){kind=logo} | |
| Chairperson | Theodóra Sigurlaug Þorsteinsdóttir |
| Founded | 4 February 2012[1] |
| Headquarters | Austurstræti 8–10 |
| Ideology | Liberalism[2][3] Social liberalism[3][4] Green liberalism[3] Pro-Europeanism[3] |
| Political position | Centre[3][5] |
| Nordic affiliation | Centre Group |
| Colours | Purple, White |
| Election symbol | |
| A | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The party was a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) party and had links to the ALDE Group in the European Parliament,[7][8] although it resigned its membership of ALDE in October 2019.[9]
History
editThe party was founded on 4 February 2012.[1] Before the 2013 general election, it included two Members of Parliament, Guðmundur Steingrímsson (who defected from the Progressive Party) and Róbert Marshall (who defected from the Social Democratic Alliance). Guðmundur had been elected as a candidate of the Progressive Party, but left the party to sit as an independent. In 2012, Guðmundur formed Bright Future with the Best Party, with which it shared initials in Icelandic, "BF." Several members of Best Party, which was dissolved in June 2014, joined Bright Future.[10][11][12] The party was formed to contest the April 2013 parliamentary election. The party won six seats, making it the fifth largest in parliament, but has since dropped significantly in opinion polls.[13] The party lost all of its Althing seats in the 2017 election. In the 2018 Icelandic municipal elections the party presented a combined list with the Liberal Reform Party under “BF-Viðreisn”. In 2019, the party’s leader, Theodóra Sigurlaug Þorsteinsdóttir, expressed an interest in merging the party with the Liberal Reform Party, but the plans have not come to fruition. The party did not present any lists in the 2021 parliamentary elections. Despite inactivity, the party continues to have a registered election symbol, meaning it is considered an active party.
Ideology
editThe party supports Iceland joining the European Union and adopting the euro as Iceland's national currency.[2][8]
Electoral results
edit| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 15,583 | 8.25 | 6 / 63
|
 6
|
5th
|
Opposition |
| 2016 | 13,578 | 7.2 | 4 / 63
|
 2
|
6th
|
Coalition |
| 2017 | 2,394 | 1.2 | 0 / 63
|
4
|
9th
|
Extra-parliamentary |
Elected politicians
editChairpersons
edit| Chairperson | Period |
|---|---|
| Guðmundur Steingrímsson | 2012–2015 |
| Óttarr Proppé | 2015–2017 |
| Björt Ólafsdóttir | 2017–2018 |
| Theodóra Sigurlaug Þorsteinsdóttir | 2018– |
Members of the Althing
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Declaration of the founding policy for Bright Future" (in Icelandic). Björt framtíð (Bright Future). 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ a b c Tom Lansford, ed. (2015). Political Handbook of the World 2015. SAGE Publications. p. 2683. ISBN 978-1-4833-7155-9.
- ^ a b c d e Jelena Ćirić (27 October 2017). "Icelandic Parliamentary Election 2017: Party Overview". Iceland Review. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Iceland". Parties and Elections in Europe.
- ^ "Politics in Iceland: A beginner's guide".
- ^ Bale, Tim (2021). Riding the populist wave: Europe's mainstream right in crisis. Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-009-00686-6. OCLC 1256593260.
- ^ "ALDE Party - Member Parties". aldeparty.eu. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ a b The Reykjavík Grapevine Election Guide 2013, The Reykjavík Grapevine, issue 4, 5 April 2013, p. 20.
- ^ https://www.aldeparty.eu/news/alde-welcomes-new-member-parties-1 [dead link]
- ^ "Iceland's newest political party gets shiny new name". IceNews – Daily News. Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
- ^ "Iceland Review Online: Daily News from Iceland, Current Affairs, Business, Politics, Sports, Culture". Icelandreview.com. 2005-12-06. Retrieved 2013-12-29.[permanent dead link]
- ^ e.c Software. "Online, Iceland news, Travel, Vacation, Culture, Hotels, Politics, Business". IcelandReview. Retrieved 2013-12-29.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "From Iceland — is the Future Bright for Iceland's Bright Future Party?". 21 May 2015.