Word: olafur
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...Independence Party of wing-collared Premier Olafur Thors, alone in wanting the Americans to stay, got the largest popular vote, up 5% from the election three years ago, but Iceland's complicated electoral laws gave it only 19 seats in the Althing (parliament), a loss of two seats. An alliance of Progressive and Social Democrat parties won a commanding 25 seats (two short of majority). Holding the balance of power with eight seats: the Communists. They are strong among fishermen (the Soviet bloc has replaced Britain as the leading market for Iceland's main crop, fish...
What was wrong in Iceland? Partly, the answer was domestic politics. Premier Olafur Thor's coalition government broke up over the issue. Then the Progressive Party, Iceland's second biggest party, joined with several minority parties to push the measure through the Althing. All this might be changed by new elections in June, depending on who wins (the Progressives have 22% of the vote, the Communists about 15%). The possibility that the whole thing might be reversed in June led the Pentagon and State Department to play down the importance of the withdrawal request. Yet the reason that...