Where in the world is Johanna Sigurdardottir?
If you’re visiting from the planet Eadrax, you could be forgiven to think that Steingrimur J. Sigfusson is the Prime Minister of Iceland. Well, although he is constantly answering for the government and appears to be in the middle of everything, especially IceSave and people’s TV screens, he is [...]
Where in the world is Johanna Sigurdardottir?
If you’re visiting from the planet Eadrax, you could be forgiven to think that Steingrimur J. Sigfusson is the Prime Minister of Iceland. Well, although he is constantly answering for the government and appears to be in the middle of everything, especially IceSave and people’s TV screens, he is not.
Johanna Sigurdardottir is. Remember her?
Rarely has a head of state been so low key during such a tumultous time in her country’s history. The reasons might be the following.
Apparently she was on her way out before the economic disaster. She is after all 67 years old, the retirement age in Iceland and has battled for decades for issues that were hardly given priority during the Independence Party’s reign, such as public welfare. She’d seen the leadership role within the Social Democrats being handed solely to Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir and probably thought she’d given her all in the job as a minister of social affairs.
But after the crash, her party really did have no other credible person within their ranks that could lead it. She seemed to have been begged and coerced into accepting the position of the Social Democratic leader at the perilous time last winter. Without her, things might have gone much differently at the voting booths for the party in April.
So is she merely a figurehead? She doesn’t waste time meeting with foreign heads of state or visiting foreign countries like her predecessors, some say because of poor languague skills. She leaves the limelight to Steingrimur J. Sigfusson, maybe a smart move as he is becoming the face of the government that has to reach a deal on IceSave?
It seems like she is there to buy the Social Dems some time, and to lend them much needed credibility. There are few politicians around which garner as much trust as Johanna. But is it a smart move to keep number one underground during these times?
Then again, an invisible prime minister is so far better than what we had before.