Johanna Sigurdardottir, Iceland's new prime minister, said Tuesday she will present a bill to reshuffle governors of Central Bank, according to reports reaching Stockholm from Reykjavik.
Sigurdardottir sent letters Monday to the Central Bank's three governors and requested them stepping down by Thursday this week, reported the Icelandic newspaper Morgubladid.
"The government's most important project is to restore faith in
financial system," Sigurdardottir was quoted by Morgunbladid as saying, adding that she will not only reduce the Central Bank's current three governors to one, but also change the appointment process to the bank's supervisory board.
At a press conference later Tuesday, Sigurdardottir expressed that accession to the European Union and adoption of the euro was the best way for economic recovery in financial crisis-hit Iceland.
She emphasized that she would pass some bills until elections on April 15, including changing the constitution to allow EU membership talks after the vote, reported Morgunbladid.
Two days ago, Sigurdardottir was appointed as the prime minister, the first woman to hold this position in the country. She promised that the new coalition will focus on restarting the economy and protecting the households.
Iceland's financial system collapsed last October under the weight of billions of U.S. dollars from foreign debt incurred by its banks. The previous government headed by Geir Haarde, was forced to resign on Jan. 26 after months of increasingly violent protests triggered by the current economic crisis.
(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2009)