February 1, 2009: New Government Formed in Iceland; Prime Minister Says Board of Central Bank Will Be Fired

Following the resignation of the previous cabinet (see January 26, 2009), a new government is formed in Iceland by the Left-Green Movement and the Social Democratic Alliance. The new government will be in office for only a few months, until fresh elections in the spring. New Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir sets out her government’s plan to deal with the financial crisis. She says her priority will be to replace the central bank’s board, which failed to prevent the collapse of the country’s banking system. She also says she will ask a parliamentary committee to look into joining the EU. [BBC, 2/2/2009]