The Progressive Party was founded at the Althing on 16 December 1916. During the initial period it operated solely as a Parliamentary party group composed of the Members of Parliament for the Progressive Party. In 1930 the Progressive Party was converted into a formal political mass movement with regular party members forming the basic party units.
The Party evolved from two public movements that greatly influenced the Icelandic society during the early years of the 20th century, i.e. the cooperative movement and the youth associations. These two organizations championed a policy of general progress and reform in Icelandic society, more education, and industries that would assure real value for products and work. These ideals had a great impact on the Policies of the Progressive Party and still do.
Ever since it was founded the Progressive Party has remained a liberal reform party working towards continuous reform and the solving of the common objectives of society through cooperation and equality. The Party is a guardian of the nation’s form of government, and the economic and cultural independence of the Icelanders, which is founded on democracy, parliamentarianism and the rule of law.
This entails that the Progressive Party has an unbiased approach towards the urgent issues of the day. The Party wants to apply the methods of knowledge and science to remove the obstacles to progress on the basis of the social values upon which the Party’s Policies are built. The Progressive Party is open minded towards the opinions of others. It has the view that all those who have something to contribute towards the solution of social problems should have the opportunity to express their views, and to explain their opinions and to try to win support for their point of view before decisions are made.
The Progressive Party has in its work placed great emphasis on the view that each generation should strive to return to the following generation a type of society, which is better than the type of society, which they had received, including a better standard of living, more opportunities and a more abundant culture. A society where human values are held in more esteem than wealth, and where work, knowledge and initiative have greater weight than the worship of wealth and financial speculation.
The general election popular vote for the Progressive Party increased rapidly from the founding of the Party in 1916 until 1931 when the Party received its highest percentage vote support of 35.9% of the votes. The Party has to a remarkable degree been able to maintain its share of the total number of votes when taken into consideration that the number of people engaged in agriculture has decreased dramatically since the founding of the Party. In addition to the Party’s commitment to the inhabitants of the rural areas the Party has introduced various new ways to appeal to the urban population. The voter support in the urban areas used to be strongly linked to the left wing issues, and to the nationalistic commitments of the Party. The political commitments set forth as a centre party have changed all that. By the end of the century the Party’s supporters in the urban areas were generally more rightist than the supporters in the rural areas, they were more in favour of free markets and more Europe-minded. The voter support in the urban areas is now an increasing portion of the total number of votes claimed by the Party. In the 2003 elections almost half the number of votes for the Party (45.5%) came from the three constituencies in the metropolitan area, the North Reykjavik, the South Reykjavik, and the South West Constituencies.
The Progressive Party has had an important and beneficial impact on the formation and growth of the Icelandic society as the Party has been a participant in various coalition governments for a period of at least 60 years of the 90-year history of the Party. The Party has had the good fortune to be able to change and evolve in tune with the Icelandic people under totally new social conditions.
The Progressive Party’s basic units are the local Progressive Party branches, the Women’s branches of the Progressive Party and the Societies for Young Progressive Party Members. Member Party branches in each constituency also operate an Association, the Constituency Association. These associations supervise the party work and provide the initiative for such work each within its own constituency.
The supreme authority in the affairs of the Progressive Party is the biennial Party Convention. The Party Convention decides the basic policy for the Party regarding its national agenda, and passes the by-laws for the Party. The Party Convention elects the Chairman of the Progressive Party.
The Party Central Administration holds the mandate for the Party during the interim period between Party Conventions and implements the Party’s basic policy with regard to national affairs. The Party Central Administration makes decisions regarding the Party’s participation in government formation. A draft agreement on Political Statements for a coalition government must be submitted to the Party Central Administration.
Working under the Party Central Administration are the following committees: i) Law Committee; ii) Information and Outreach Committee; iii) Committee on Political Statements; iv) Financial Committee.
The Members of Parliament for the Progressive Party constitute a Parliamentary Party Group. The following also hold seats on the meetings of the Parliamentary Party Group: Party Members holding Ministerial posts, the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, the Secretary, the Executive Manager of the Party, the Chairmen of the National Associations and in their absence their substitutes having the right to speak and make proposals. The Parliamentary Party Group elects the Ministers on behalf of the Party.
There are two national associations belonging to the Progressive Party, the National Association of Women in the Progressive Party (LFK) and the Association of Young People in the Progressive Party (SUF). The role of these associations is to strengthen and coordinate the work of its member associations and increase participation in party work.
The role of LFK is i.a. to enhance the cooperation between women in the Progressive Party, to increase their capabilities to take part in public and community work and to be involved in the Party’s work in the greatest number of fields. The most important Party institutions are the biennial National Party Convention, a 13 member National Party Administration, which meets 3 – 4 times a year and a 5 member Executive Committee that organizes the daily operations of the LFK.
The main role of the Association of Young People in the Progressive Party (SUF) is twofold: i) to present the policies of the Progressive Party to the young people of Iceland, and ii) to enhance the interests of young people during the process of policy making within the Party, and to increase the capabilities of young people to take part in political party work. The most important institutions of the Associations are the biennial Associations Convention, the Central Administration holding two meetings a year, and a 13 member Administrative Board holding monthly meetings, and a 5 member Executive Committee that organizes the daily operations of the SUF.
