REYKJAVIK (AFP) -
Iceland is ending an eventful year in a political quagmire, left without a government for two months after the Panama Papers scandal and a snap election reflecting deep divisions in the island nation.
"In recent years we thought we were seeing the craziest, but we were proven wrong every time -- Iceland found ways to be even crazier," a parliamentary assistant from the Icelandic opposition said on April 6, seeing a government in tatters hesitate on its next move.
Iceland, getting even crazier. Finland has some work to do.
Apparently, the Pirate Party made a run at it, but ultimately failed to take the ship of state.
Update: The AFP article doesn't tell us this, but according to the Wikipedia article linked above, the Pirates actually won 23.9% of the vote and are the largest party in Iceland right now.
But it's not all bad:
Its economy is flourishing with growth expected to reach five percent, after 4.2 percent in 2015. Unemployment has virtually disappeared. Incomes are rising fast. Construction is booming.
Iceland has become a hot spot for tourists from Britain, the US, Asia or Germany, at almost any time of the year, fuelling the creation of thousands of jobs and generous spending.
Cause? Effect?
2 comments:
A year with no government, huh? I guess 2016 wasn't rotten for everyone.
Icelandic air is the way to go to Europe from the west coast usa- a nice break halfway, good aircraft, and they actively encourage people to interrupt the travel and spend some time there,
I don't know full details, but Iceland was the only country to tell the EU banks to stuff the debt incurred in the 2008 financial crisis.
Hot tip- if you go in the summer, get a room off the main drag or at least on the side away from the street- like Alaskans, there is a certain frenetic 24/7 party atmosphere in the summer months.
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