Iceland government collapses over paedophile furore
Image copyright EPA Image caption Bright Future – led by Ottarr Proppe (left) – has now exited its nine-month coalition with Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson’s Independence Party and Benedikt Johannesson’s Reform party
A furore over a paedophile’s links to Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson has triggered the collapse of Iceland’s ruling coalition.
The Bright Future party announced it was withdrawing from the three-party coalition after nine months in office.
Earlier it emerged that Mr Benediktsson’s father had written a letter recommending a convicted paedophile’s name be cleared.
The Icelandic system allows convicts to have their “honour restored”.
Letters of recommendation have to be provided, effectively erasing convicts’ criminal records and allowing them to return to work.
But Icelanders have been horrified by the secret backing for Hjalti Sigurjón Hauksson – convicted of raping his stepdaughter almost every day for 12 years.
The government has also been accused of an attempted cover-up after it initially refused to disclose who had written the letter of recommendation.
It has emerged that Prime Minister Benediktsson was informed in July about the involvement of his father, Benedikt Sveinsson.
