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Social Democratic Alliance

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This article is about the Icelandic political party. For other uses, see Social Democratic Alliance (disambiguation).
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Social Democratic Alliance
Samfylkingin
Chairperson Logi Einarsson
Vice-chairperson N/A
Chairperson of the board Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir
Secretary of the board Óskar Steinn Ómarsson
Chairperson of the parliamentary group Helgi Hjörvar
Founded 5 May 2000
Merger of
Headquarters Hallveigarstígur 1,
101 Reykjavík
Youth wing Social Democratic Youth
Ideology Social democracy,
Pro-Europeanism
Political position Centre-left
European affiliation Party of European Socialists (Associate)
International affiliation Socialist International
Nordic affiliation SAMAK
Colours Red, Orange
Seats in the Althing
3 / 63
Website
www.samfylkingin.is

The Social Democratic Alliance (Icelandic: Samfylkingin-Jafnaðarmannaflokkur Íslands) is a social-democratic[1][2][3] political party in Iceland. It is centre-left in alignment. It became the largest party in the Icelandic parliament after the 2009 Icelandic election, forming a coalition government along with the Left-Green Movement, until returning to opposition status after the 2013 Icelandic election.

History[edit]

The Social Democratic Alliance was born in the run-up to the parliamentary elections of 1999 as an alliance of the four left-wing parties that had existed in Iceland up till then: the Social Democratic Party, the People’s Alliance, the Women’s List and National Awakening.[4] The parties then formally merged in May 2000 under the name “The Alliance” (Samfylkingin). The merger was a deliberate attempt to unify the entire Icelandic centre-left into one political party capable of countering the centre-right Independence Party. The initial attempt failed however as a group of Alþingi representatives rejected the new party’s platform – which was inspired by that of Tony Blair’s New Labour – and broke away before the merger to found the Left-Green Movement, based on more traditional democratic socialist values as well as green politics and euroscepticism. The Icelandic Movement – Living Country merged into the party in March 2009.[5] In February 2013 the official name of the party was changed to “The Alliance – Social Democratic Party of Iceland” (Samfylkingin – Jafnaðarmannaflokkur Íslands).[6]

The current chair of the party is Oddný Guðbjörg Harðardóttir, who was elected in June 2016 to succeed Árni Páll Árnason, the outgoing party leader. Logi Einarsson, current member of the local council of Akureyri, has been vice chair since the same date. The youth wing of the Social Democratic Alliance is Social Democratic Youth.

Electoral results[edit]

Election Votes  % Seats +/– Position Government
1999 44,378 26.8
17 / 63

 Increase 17 Increase 2nd Opposition
2003 56,700 31.0
20 / 63

 Increase 3 Steady 2nd Opposition
2007 48,743 26.8
18 / 63

 Decrease 2 Steady 2nd Coalition
2009 55,758 29.8
20 / 63

 Increase 2 Increase 1st Coalition
2013 24,292 12.9
9 / 63

 Decrease 11 Decrease 3rd Opposition
2016 10,893 5.7
3 / 63

 Decrease 6 Decrease 5th TBD

Chairpersons[edit]

Chairperson Period
Margrét Frímannsdóttir 1999–2000
Össur Skarphéðinsson 2000–2005
Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir 2005–2009
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir 2009–2013
Árni Páll Árnason 2013–2016
Oddný Guðbjörg Harðardóttir 2016-2016
Logi Már Einarsson 2016-present

Members of the parliament[edit]

Member Since Title Constituency
Logi Már Einarsson 2016 Party leader Northeast
Oddný G. Harðardóttir 2009 Member of Parliament South
Guðjón S. Brjánsson 2016 Member of Parliament Northwest

Icelandic parliamentary election, 2016

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Icelandic parliamentary election, 2016
Iceland
2013 ← 29 October 2016
All 63 seats in the Althing
32 seats needed for a majority
Turnout 79.19% Decrease2.3
First party Second party Third party
Bjarni Benediktsson vid Nordiska Radets session i Stockholm.jpg Katrin Jakobsdottir, undervisnings- forsknings- og kulturminister i Island, samt samarbejdsminister i Nordisk Ministerrad.jpg Birgitta Jonsdottir 2015.jpg
Leader Bjarni Benediktsson Katrín Jakobsdóttir Birgitta Jónsdóttir[n 1]
Party Independence Left-Green Pirates
Leader since 29 March 2009 24 February 2013 24 November 2012
Last election 19 seats, 26.70% 7 seats, 10.87% 3 seats, 5.10%
Seats won
21 / 63
10 / 63
10 / 63
Seat change Increase2 Increase3 Increase7
Popular vote 54,990 30,166 27,449
Percentage 29.0 15.9 14.5
Swing Increase2.3 Increase5.0 Increase9.4
Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson 2016 (cropped).png Óttarr Proppé, ESC2014 Meet & Greet (crop).jpg
Leader Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson Benedikt Jóhannesson Óttarr Proppé
Party Progressive Viðreisn Bright Future
Leader since 2 October 2016 24 May 2016 31 January 2015
Last election 19 seats, 24.43% Did not contest 6 seats, 8.25%
Seats won
8 / 63
7 / 63
4 / 63
Seat change Decrease11 Increase7 Decrease2
Popular vote 21,791 19,870 13,578
Percentage 11.5 10.5 7.2
Swing Decrease 12.9 Increase10.5 Decrease1.5
Seventh party
Leader Oddný G. Harðardóttir
Party Social Democratic
Leader since 3 June 2016
Last election 9 seats, 12.85%
Seats won
3 / 63
Seat change Decrease6
Popular vote 10,893
Percentage 5.7
Swing Decrease7.1
Prime Minister before election
Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
Progressive		 Prime Minister-designate
TBD

The Independence Party emerged as the largest in the Althing, winning 21 of the 63 seats; the Progressive Party, which had won the most seats in 2013, lost more than half its seats as it was overtaken by the Left-Green Movement and the Pirate Party. Of the 63 elected MPs, 30 were female, giving Iceland the highest proportion of female MPs in Europe.[4]Parliamentary elections were held in Iceland on 29 October 2016. They were due to be held on or before 27 April 2017, but following the 2016 Icelandic anti-government protests, the ruling coalition announced that early elections would be held “in autumn”.

Background[edit]

In early April 2016, following revelations in the Panama Papers, leaks from law firm Mossack Fonseca about the financial dealings of then Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson(Progressive Party) and his wife, there were calls for an early election from the opposition,[5] who planned to present him with a motion of no confidence. Mass protests calling on the Prime Minister to quit followed. Although Sigmundur Davíð had stated he had no intention of resigning, he apparently resigned on 5 April. However, it was later stated by the Prime Minister’s office that he had only taken a temporary leave of absence from his duties.[6][7][5][8][9] The Progressive Party’s deputy leader, Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, became acting Prime Minister the same day.[9]

The President, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, then said he would speak to both coalition parties, Progressive Party and Independence Party, before considering whether to call new elections.[10] Opposition parties continued to press for new elections.[8] On 6 April, Sigurður announced, “We expect to have elections this autumn.”[11] On 11 August, Bjarni Benediktssonmet with opposition parties and later announced that elections would be held on 29 October 2016.[3]

Electoral system[edit]

The 63 members of the Althing were elected using closed list proportional representation in multi-member constituencies of 8 to 13 seats.[12] Of the 63 seats, 54 were elected using constituency results and determined using the d’Hondt method. The remaining nine supplementary seats were awarded to parties that crossed the 5% national electoral threshold in order to give them a total number of seats equivalent to their national share of the vote.[12]

Participating parties[edit]

Main article: List of political parties in Iceland

The final deadline for parties to apply for participation in the parliamentary election was 14 October 2016.

Parties with a list for all constituencies
Parties with a list for only some constituencies

Campaign[edit]

Sigurður Ingi replaced Sigmundur Davíð as the party chairman of the Progressive Party on 2 October 2016.[13]

The Pirate Party announced on 16 October 2016 that they would not participate in post-election negotiations to form a coalition government with either the Progressive Party or the Independence Party.[14] The party did send letters to Viðreisn, Bright Future, Social Democratic Alliance and Left-Green Movement about the possibility of forming an alliance prior to the election.[14]

Opinion polls[edit]

Graphical summary of the opinion polls in Iceland since the previous parliamentary election. Each dot corresponds to one poll’s number for party. A smoothing spline is used to show the trends. The scatter of points around the spline curves gives an indication of the uncertainty of the polls. The thin circles at the very right show the results of the election, which for P and D deviate significantly from the polls.

Institute Release date V S P A B D C Others
2016 result 29 Oct 2016 15.91% 5.74% 14.48% 7.25% 11.49% 29.00% 10.48% 5.74%
Gallup 28 Oct 2016 16.5% 7.4% 17.9% 6.8% 9.3% 27.0% 8.8%
MMR 28 Oct 2016 16.2% 6.1% 20.5% 6.7% 11.4% 24.7% 8.9% 5.5%
Háskóli Íslands 27 Oct 2016 16.8% 5.7% 21.2% 6.7% 10.1% 22.5% 11.4% 5.5%
Fréttablaðið / Stöð 2 / Vísir 27 Oct 2016 16.4% 5.7% 18.4% 6.3% 9.9% 27.3% 10.5% 5.5%
MMR 26 Oct 2016 16.0% 7.6% 19.1% 8.8% 10.0% 21.9% 9.3% 7.3%
Fréttablaðið / Stöð 2 / Vísir 26 Oct 2016 16.4% 6.0% 20.3% 5.1% 11.2% 25.1% 10.8% 5.1%
Háskóli Íslands 21 Oct 2016 18.6% 6.5% 22.6% 6.0% 9.1% 21.1% 8.8% 7.3%
Fréttablaðið / Stöð 2 / Vísir 18 Oct 2016 19.2% 6.5% 20.7% 7.4% 8.5% 23.7% 6.6% 7.4%
MMR 14 Oct 2016 14.5% 9.0% 19.6% 8.2% 9.2% 21.4% 10.2% 7.9%
Háskóli Íslands 14 Oct 2016 17.7% 6.9% 17.5% 7.7% 8.6% 21.5% 11.4% 8.7%
Gallup 14 Oct 2016 14.5% 7.1% 18.3% 7.7% 9.8% 22.6% 12.4% 7.6%
Fréttablaðið / Stöð 2 / Vísir 12 Oct 2016 15.1% 7.3% 22.8% 8.2% 8.5% 22.7% 8.4% 7.0%
Fréttablaðið / Stöð 2 / Vísir 5 Oct 2016 12.6% 8.8% 19.2% 6.9% 11.4% 25.9% 6.9% 8.3%
Gallup 30 Sep 2016 15.6% 8.5% 20.6% 4.7% 8.2% 23.7% 13.4% 5.4%
Fréttablaðið / Stöð 2 / Vísir 28 Sep 2016 12.9% 5.9% 19.9% 3.6% 12.6% 34.6% 7.3% 3.2%
MMR 26 Sep 2016 11.5% 9.3% 21.6% 4.9% 12.2% 20.6% 12.3% 6.7%
MMR 22 Sep 2016 13.2% 8.1% 22.7% 4.1% 11.0% 22.7% 11.5% 6.7%
Gallup 16 Sep 2016 13.5% 8.8% 23.1% 2.9% 9.4% 25.5% 12.2% 4.6%
Fréttablaðið / Stöð 2 / Vísir 8 Sep 2016 12.7% 7.5% 29.5% 2.0% 10.7% 28.2% 6.7% 2.7%
Gallup 6 Sep 2016 16.2% 8.3% 25.8% 2.9% 9.0% 26.3% 10.6% 0.9%
MMR 30 Aug 2016 12.4% 9.1% 22.4% 4.5% 10.6% 24.6% 8.8% 7.6%
Gallup 29 Jul 2016 16.8% 8.0% 25.3% 4.2% 9.9% 26.2% 9.0% 0.6%
MMR 25 Jul 2016 12.9% 8.4% 26.8% 3.9% 8.3% 24.0% 9.4% 6.3%
MMR 7 Jul 2016 18.0% 10.9% 24.3% 2.9% 6.4% 25.3% 6.7% 5.4%
Gallup 29 Jun 2016 15.2% 8.2% 27.9% 3.4% 10.0% 25.1% 9.4% 0.8%
Háskóli Íslands 24 Jun 2016 17.0% 9.0% 28.0% 4.5% 9.5% 19.7% 9.7% 2.6%
Háskóli Íslands 14 Jun 2016 15.9% 7.6% 29.9% 2.9% 11.1% 22.7% 9.1% 0.8%
Háskóli Íslands 4 Jun 2016 16.5% 7.2% 28.3% 3.8% 11.8% 23.9% 7.9% 0.6%
Gallup 1 Jun 2016 16.8% 7.7% 27.4% 4.0% 10.2% 28.5% 4.3% 1.1%
Fréttablaðið / Stöð 2 / Vísir 27 May 2016 18.1% 6.1% 28.7% 2.5% 7.3% 31.5% 5.8%
Háskóli Íslands 17 May 2016 18.9% 8.9% 25.8% 4.8% 8.2% 28.2% 3.5% 1.7%
MMR 13 May 2016 15.8% 7.5% 31.0% 4.9% 10.4% 26.3% 2.5%
Fréttablaðið 12 May 2016 19.8% 7.4% 30.3% 3.1% 6.5% 31.1% 1.8%
Fréttablaðið 6 May 2016 14.0% 8.4% 31.8% 4.0% 8.3% 29.9% 3.6%
MMR 3 May 2016 14.0% 9.7% 28.9% 3.4% 11.2% 27.8% 5.0%
Gallup 30 Apr 2016 18.4% 8.3% 26.6% 5.2% 10.5% 27.0% 3.5% 0.5%
Gallup 13 Apr 2016 19.8% 9.0% 29.3% 5.0% 6.9% 26.7% 2.7% 0.6%
Háskóli Íslands 8 Apr 2016 14.7% 9.5% 30.9% 4.8% 12.9% 23.3% 3.9%
Maskína 8 Apr 2016 20.0% 7.2% 34.2% 5.2% 9.4% 21.3% 2.7%
Gallup 7 Apr 2016 16.7% 7.6% 32.4% 5.6% 10.8% 21.9% 3.3% 1.7%
MMR 6 Apr 2016 12.8% 9.9% 36.7% 5.8% 8.7% 22.5% 3.6%
Fréttablaðið 5 Apr 2016 11.2% 10.2% 43.0% 3.8% 7.9% 21.6% 2.3%
Háskóli Íslands 5 Apr 2016 14.9% 8.1% 39.4% 4.4% 10.0% 18.8% 4.4%
Gallup 31 Mar 2016 11.0% 9.5% 36.1% 3.2% 12.0% 23.2% 2.1% 2.9%
MMR 18 Mar 2016 9.3% 9.2% 38.3% 4.2% 12.4% 22.9% 3.4%
Fréttablaðið 9 Mar 2016 8.4% 8.2% 38.1% 1.8% 12.8% 27.6% 3.1%
MMR 2 Mar 2016 7.8% 7.8% 37.0% 4.2% 12.8% 23.4% 7%
Gallup 2 Mar 2016 10.8% 9.7% 35.9% 3.3% 11.0% 23.7% 5.6%
Gallup 2 Feb 2016 10.8% 9.2% 35.3% 3.6% 12.0% 24.4% 4.7%
MMR 2 Feb 2016 11.0% 9.4% 35.6% 4.4% 12.2% 21.1% 5.9%
Fréttablaðið 30 Jan 2016 9.6% 9.9% 41.8% 1.6% 10.2% 23.2% 3.7%
Gallup 2 Jan 2016 10.2% 10.4% 33.1% 4.2% 12.0% 25.2% 4.9%
MMR 18 Dec 2015 11.4% 12.9% 34.9% 5.3% 11.5% 20.6% 3.4%
Gallup 4 Dec 2015 11.4% 10.1% 32.9% 3.9% 12.0% 24.8% 4.9%
MMR 16 Nov 2015 9.9% 10.5% 35.3% 4.6% 10.8% 23.7% 5.2%
Gallup 4 Nov 2015 11.1% 10.6% 35.5% 4.6% 9.6% 24.6% 4.4%
MMR 21 Oct 2015 11.8% 11.3% 34.2% 6.5% 10.4% 21.7% 4.1%
Gallup 2 Oct 2015 10.6% 10.1% 34.6% 5.6% 10.1% 24.4% 4.6%
MMR 3 Sep 2015 9.6% 10.6% 33.0% 5.8% 11.4% 25.3% 4.3%
Gallup 1 Sep 2015 11.8% 9.3% 35.9% 4.4% 11.1% 21.7% 5.8%
Gallup 7 Aug 2015 8.9% 12.2% 32.3% 5.0% 12.4% 24.0% 5.2%
MMR 4 Aug 2015 10.2% 9.6% 35.0% 4.4% 12.2% 23.1% 5.5%
MMR 30 Jun 2015 12.0% 9.3% 33.2% 5.6% 10.6% 23.8% 5.5%
Rúv 29 Jun 2015 10.3% 11.4% 32.0% 6.4% 11.3% 24.5% 4.1%
MMR 25 Jun 2015 10.5% 11.6% 32.4% 6.8% 10.0% 23.3% 5.4%
FBL 19 Jun 2015 7.3% 11.1% 37.5% 3.3% 8.5% 29.5% 2.8%
MMR 16 Jun 2015 11.1% 11.8% 34.5% 6.7% 11.3% 21.2% 3.5%
Gallup 1 Jun 2015 9.8% 12.4% 34.1% 7.4% 8.9% 23.0% 4.3%
MMR 26 May 2015 10.4% 13.1% 32.7% 6.3% 8.6% 23.1% 5.6%
MMR 4 May 2015 10.8% 10.7% 32.0% 8.3% 10.8% 21.9% 5.5%
Gallup 30 Apr 2015 10.6% 14.1% 30.1% 7.8% 10.1% 22.9% 4.4%
Gallup 30 Mar 2015 10.1% 15.8% 21.7% 10.9% 10.8% 25.0% 5.7%
Kjarninn 26 Mar 2015 10.2% 16.1% 23.6% 10.1% 11.0% 24.8% 4.2%
MMR 21 Mar 2015 9.0% 16.3% 29.1% 9.0% 11.6% 23.4% 1.7%
MMR 18 Mar 2015 10.8% 15.5% 23.9% 10.3% 11.0% 23.4% 5.1%
Fréttablaðið 11 Mar 2015 10.4% 16.1% 21.9% 9.2% 10.1% 28.0% 4.3%
Rúv 2 Mar 2015 11.2% 17.1% 15.2% 13.3% 11.0% 26.1% 6.1%
MMR 19 Feb 2015 12.9% 14.5% 12.8% 15.0% 13.1% 25.5% 6.2%
Gallup 3 Feb 2015 11.0% 18.0% 12.0% 13.0% 13.0% 27.0% 6.0%
MMR 14 Jan 2015 11.9% 15.9% 12.8% 16.9% 9.4% 27.3% 5.8%
Mbl 16 Dec 2014 11.6% 16.1% 11.4% 16.2% 11.0% 29.0% 4.7%
Fréttablaðið 17 Nov 2014 13.1% 19.2% 9.2% 12.5% 12.8% 32.9%
MMR 4 Nov 2014 10.7% 16.1% 11.3% 18.6% 12.3% 23.6% 7.4%
Gallup 3 Oct 2014 13.0% 19.0% 7.0% 16.0% 12.0% 27.0%
MMR 8 Sep 2014 10.4% 16.9% 9.2% 17.8% 11.3% 28.2% 6.2%
MMR 28 Aug 2014 9.6% 20.3% 10.3% 17.6% 9.6% 26.6% 6.0%
MMR 31 Jul 2014 11.6% 17.0% 9.6% 19.2% 11.8% 24.1% 6.7%
MMR 24 Jun 2014 11.4% 16.5% 8.3% 21.8% 11.4% 25.0% 5.6%
MMR 13 May 2014 11.6% 16.4% 9.6% 19.4% 12.3% 22.1% 8.6%
MMR 2 May 2014 11.7% 17.4% 9.0% 15.5% 14.1% 25.1% 7.2%
MMR 14 Apr 2014 11.5% 15.1% 11.0% 17.1% 14.4% 23.9% 7.0%
MMR 3 Mar 2014 10.4% 14.0% 9.3% 16.4% 14.6% 29.0% 5.6%
RÚV 27 Feb 2014 13.0% 16.8% 9.8% 15.8% 15.3% 23.7% 5.6%
Capacent 1 Feb 2014 12.7% 14.9% 8.1% 14.2% 18.3% 26.9%
MMR 22 Jan 2014 11.0% 17.1% 6.9% 15.9% 17.0% 26.3% 5.6%
Capacent 24 Dec 2013 13.3% 15.1% 10.7% 13.1% 16.4% 25.3%
MMR 30 Nov 2013 12.6% 13.8% 9.0% 15.2% 15.0% 26.8%
2013 result 28 Apr 2013 10.87% 12.85% 5.10% 8.25% 24.43% 26.70%
Institute Release date V S P A B D C Others

Results[edit]

Althing October 2016.svg

Party Votes % Seats +/–
D Independence Party 54,990 29.00 21 +2
V Left-Green Movement 30,166 15.91 10 +3
P Pirate Party 27,449 14.48 10 +7
B Progressive Party 21,791 11.49 8 –11
C Viðreisn 19,870 10.48 7 New
A Bright Future 13,578 7.16 4 –2
S Social Democratic Alliance 10,893 5.74 3 –6
F People’s Party 6,707 3.54 0 New
T Dawn 3,275 1.73 0 0
R People’s Front of Iceland 575 0.30 0 0
E Icelandic National Front 303 0.16 0 New
H Humanist Party 33 0.02 0 0
Invalid/blank votes 5,574 – – –
Total 195,204 100 63 0
Registered voters/turnout 246,515 79.19 – –
Source: Iceland Monitor
Popular vote
D
29.00%
V
15.91%
P
14.48%
B
11.49%
C
10.48%
A
7.16%
S
5.74%
F
3.54%
T
1.73%
Others
0.48%
Parliamentary seats
D
33.33%
V
15.87%
P
15.87%
B
12.70%
C
11.11%
A
6.35%
S
4.76%

This was the lowest turnout in Iceland’s history.[15]

Government formation[edit]

Neither of the two main blocs — the outgoing coalition of Independence and Progressive parties, or the Pirates and allies (Left-Green Movement, Bright Future and Social Democrats) — secured an overall majority, leaving the new Viðreisn party as possible ‘kingmakers’.[16]

The Independence Party were expected to take the lead in forming a new government, with their party leader, Bjarni, expressing preference for a three-party coalition, although without saying which three parties. The Pirate Party, while significantly up on the last election, did less well than polls had previously suggested they might. They proposed a five-party coalition with the Left-Green Movement, the Social Democrats, Bright Future and Viðreisn, having previously ruled out working with either of the two outgoing coalition members.[4] The Pirate Party then suggested a minority coalition of Left-Green Movement, Bright Future and Viðreisn, with support but not ministerial representation from themselves and the Social Democrats, in order to simplify the process of government.[17]

The leader of Viðreisn ruled out a right-leaning three-party coalition with Independence and the Progressives.[18] Viðreisn have not ruled out supporting the Pirates bloc.

Bright Future (Iceland)

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Bright Future
Björt framtíð
Chairperson Óttarr Proppé
Founded 4 February 2012[1]
Ideology Liberalism
Social liberalism[2]
Pro-Europeanism
Political position Centre
European affiliation Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Colours Purple, White
Seats in the Althing
4 / 63
Website
www.bjortframtid.is

Bright Future (Icelandic: Björt framtíð) is a liberal[3] political party in Iceland.

The party is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe(ALDE) party and has links to the ALDE Group in the European Parliament.

History[edit]

The party was founded on 4 February 2012.[1] Before the 2013 general election, it included two Members of Parliament, Guðmundur Steingrímsson(who defected from the Progressive Party) and Róbert Marshall (who defected from the Social Democratic Alliance). Guðmundur had been elected as a candidate of the Progressive Party, but left the party to sit as an independent. In 2012, Guðmundur formed Bright Future with the Best Party, with which it shares initials in Icelandic, “BF”.[6][7][8] The party was formed to contest the April 2013 parliamentary election. The party won six seats, making it the fifth largest in parliament, but has since dropped significantly in opinion polls.[9]

Ideology[edit]

The party supports Iceland joining the European Union and adopting the euro currency.[3][5]

Electoral results[edit]

Election Votes  % Seats +/– Position Government
2013 15,583 8.25
6 / 63

 Increase 6 Increase 5th Opposition
2016 13,578 7.2
4 / 63

 Decrease 2 Decrease 6th TBD

Viðreisn

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Viðreisn
Chairperson Benedikt Jóhannesson
Founder Benedikt Jóhannesson
Founded 24 May 2016
Split from Independence Party
Ideology Economic liberalism
Green liberalism
Pro-Europeanism
Political position Centre-right[1]
Seats in the Althing
7 / 63
Website
www.vidreisn.is

Viðreisn (English: Revival[2], Regeneration,[3] or Reform[4][5]) is a Greenliberal political party in Iceland,[6] which was founded 24 May 2016, but had existed as a political network since June 2014. It split from the Independence Party, mainly over discontent with its decision not to hold a referendum on joining the European Union and lack of support for free-trade.

The party supports Icelandic EU membership, and reform of farming subsidiesand protective excise taxes on foreign produce. It wants public policy to focus on the general interest of society and reduce influence from special interests. Viðreisn is in favor of green policies and a publicly financed welfare state.

It has obtained ballot access for the 2016 elections to the Althing (Icelandic parliament) and been assigned the list letter C.

Electoral results[edit]

Election Votes  % Seats +/– Position Government
2016 19.870 10.5
7 / 63

 Increase 7 Increase 5th TBD

Party chairman[edit]

Progressive Party (Iceland)

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Progressive Party
Framsóknarflokkurinn
Chairperson Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
Leader of the parliamentary group Þórunn Egilsdóttir
Chairperson of the municipal council Elín Líndal
Founded 16 December 1916
Merger of
Headquarters Hverfisgata 33,
101 Reykjavík
Youth wing Association of Young People in the Progressive Party
Ideology Liberalism[1]
Agrarianism[1]
Euroscepticism[2][3]
Populism[4]
Political position Centre to Centre-right[5]
European affiliation None
International affiliation Liberal International
Colours Green
Seats in the Althing
8 / 63
Website
www.framsokn.is

Current chairman of the party is Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson who was elected on 2 October 2016. His predecessor was Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, who was elected on 18 January 2009 and was Prime Minister of Iceland from 23 May 2013 to 5 April 2016 following the 2013 parliamentary election: His predecessor was Valgerður Sverrisdóttir, who only served as chairman for two months. Her predecessor, Guðni Ágústsson, who, as a vice-chairman became chairman when the previous chairman, Jón Sigurðsson, resigned after the Progressive Party suffered great losses in the 2007 election. Jón’s predecessor as party leader was Halldór Ásgrímsson, chairman 1994 to 2006. Halldór served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2006.The Progressive Party (Icelandic: Framsóknarflokkurinn, FSF) is a centre-right liberal[6][7] and agrarian[6][7][8] political party in Iceland. The party has been a member of the Liberal International since 1983.[9]

History[edit]

The Progressive Party was founded to represent Iceland’s farmer class, which went from being dominant from settlement to the late 19th century to rapidly dwindling in the early 20th century as a result of industrialization and urbanization. Its primary support still comes from the rural areas of Iceland and its policy roots still stem from its origin as an agrarian party, although it has since come to self-identify as a liberal party, though this is disputed outside of the party. It was founded in 1916 as a merger of two agrarian parties,[10] the Farmers’ Party (Bændaflokkur) and the Independent Farmers(Óháðir bændur). In 1956 the party almost agreed to an aborted merger with the Social Democratic Party.[11]

Throughout Iceland’s history as a self-governing and independent nation, the Progressive Party has most often been the second largest political party in the country. It has often joined government coalitions with either the Independence Party on the centre-right, or with centre-left parties.[12] The party was a coalition partner to the Independence Party during the period 1995 to 2007.

Following the 1971 parliamentary election, the Progressive Party formed a government with the People’s Alliance and Union of Liberals and Leftists, with Progressive Party chairman Ólafur Jóhannesson serving as Prime Minister.[13]

The 1974 parliamentary election led to a coalition government of the Independence Party and Progressive Party led by Geir Hallgrímsson.[13]

The 1978 parliamentary election returned Ólafur Jóhannesson to the role of Prime Minister, leading a coalition containing the Progressive Party, People’s Alliance and Social Democratic Party after two months of coalition negotiations.[13]

The snap 1979 parliamentary election caused by the withdrawal of the Social Democrats from government led to a new government being formed in February 1980 by the Independence Party of Prime Minister Gunnar Thoroddsen, Progressive Party and People’s Alliance.[13]

The 1983 parliamentary election resulted in Progressive Party leader Steingrímur Hermannsson becoming Prime Minister in coalition with the Independence Party.[13]

The 1987 parliamentary election in May saw a coalition being formed in July of that year led by Thorsteinn Pálsson of the Independence Party, with the Progressive Party and Social Democratic Party as junior partners. However, in September 1988, a new government was formed by the Progressive Party’s Steingrímur Hermannsson with the Social Democrats and People’s Alliance.[13]

Following the 1991 parliamentary election, the Progressive Party was in opposition, with the government being formed by Independence Party leader Davíð Oddsson.[13]

In the 1995 parliamentary election, Davíð Oddsson remained as Prime Minister, with the Progressive Party returning to government as junior coalition partner to the Independence Party, a coalition which continued after the 1999 election.[13]

In the 2003 parliamentary election, the Progressive Party received 17.2% of the vote and 12 seats in the Althing.[7] On 15 September 2004, Halldór Ásgrímsson of the Progressive Party took over as Prime Minister from Davíð Oddsson.[7] Halldór Ásgrímsson announced his intention to resign on 5 June 2006 following the party’s poor results in the 2006 municipal elections. The coalition remained allied with the Independence Party chairman, Geir H. Haarde, as Prime Minister. The Progressive Party leader Jón Sigurðsson was Minister of Industry and Commerce, until a coalition of the Independence Party and the Social Democratic Alliance took over after the elections in 2007.

In the 2007 parliamentary election, the party dropped five seats to hold only seven seats, down from twelve. The coalition only held a one-seat majority in the Althing, and the Independence Party formed a coalition government with the Social Democratic Alliance with the deal being signed on 22 May, returning the Progressive Party to the opposition. When a centre-left minority government was formed in February 2009, in the wake of the 2008–2012 Icelandic financial crisis, the Progressive Party agreed to defend it from a no-confidence vote, but did not form part of the governing coalition.[14]

In January 2009, it decided to change its party line on joining the European Union (EU) from being opposed to being in favour of EU accession, but with very strong caveats.[15][16] In retrospect of how these caveats are likely to be considered, the party has since changed its policy to one of firm opposition to EU membership, leaving the Social Democratic Allianceand Bright Future as the main Icelandic parties in favour of Icelandic EU membership.[17]

In the 2009 parliamentary election, the Progressive Party fared somewhat better, securing 14.8% of the vote, and increasing its number of seats from seven to nine. It remained in opposition, however, with a centre-left coalition of the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement continuing to govern with an increased majority.[18]

In the 2013 parliamentary election, the Progressive Party reached second place nationally, winning 24.4% of the vote and 19 seats. Following the election, a centre-right coalition government was formed between the Progressive Party and Independence Party, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson of the Progressive Party appointed as Prime Minister.[19]

Electoral performance[edit]

Election Votes  % Seats +/– Position Government
1919 3,115 22.2
11 / 40

 Increase 11 Increase 3rd Opposition
1923 8,062 26.6
15 / 42

 Increase 4 Increase 2nd Coalition
1927 9,532 29.8
19 / 42

 Increase 4 Increase 1st Coalition
1931 13,844 35.9
23 / 42

 Increase 4 Steady 1st Majority
1933 8,530 23.9
17 / 42

 Decrease 6 Decrease 2nd Coalition
1934 11,377 21.9
15 / 49

 Decrease 2 Steady 2nd Coalition
1937 14,556 24.9
19 / 49

 Increase 4 Increase 1st Minority
1942 (Jul) 16,033 27.6
20 / 49

 Increase 1 Steady 1st Opposition
1942 (Oct) 15,869 26.6
15 / 52

 Decrease 5 Decrease 2nd Opposition
1946 15,429 23.1
13 / 52

 Decrease 2 Steady 2nd Opposition
1949 17,659 24.5
17 / 52

 Increase 4 Steady 2nd Opposition
1953 16,959 21.9
16 / 52

 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd Coalition
1956 12,925 15.6
17 / 52

 Increase 1 Steady 2nd Coalition
1959 (Jun) 23,061 27.2
19 / 52

 Increase 2 Steady 2nd Opposition
1959 (Oct) 21,882 25.7
17 / 60

 Decrease 2 Steady 2nd Opposition
1963 25,217 28.2
19 / 60

 Increase 2 Steady 2nd Opposition
1967 27,029 28.1
18 / 60

 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd Opposition
1971 26,645 25.3
17 / 60

 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd Coalition
1974 28,381 24.9
17 / 60

 Steady 0 Steady 2nd Coalition
1978 20,656 16.9
12 / 60

 Decrease 5 Decrease 4th Coalition
1979 30,861 24.9
17 / 60

 Increase 5 Increase 2nd Opposition
1983 24,754 18.5
14 / 60

 Decrease 3 Steady 2nd Coalition
1987 28,902 18.9
13 / 63

 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd Coalition
1991 29,866 18.9
13 / 63

 Steady 0 Steady 2nd Opposition
1995 38,485 23.3
15 / 63

 Increase 2 Steady 2nd Coalition
1999 30,415 18.4
12 / 63

 Decrease 3 Decrease 3rd Coalition
2003 32,484 17.7
12 / 63

 Steady 0 Steady 3rd Coalition
2007 21,350 11.7
7 / 63

 Decrease 5 Decrease 4th Opposition
2009 27,699 14.8
9 / 63

 Increase 2 Steady 4th Opposition
2013 46,173 24.4
19 / 63

 Increase 10 Increase 2nd Coalition
2016 21,791 11.5
8 / 63

 Decrease 11 Decrease 4th TBD

Chairpersons[edit]

Chairperson Period
Ólafur Briem 1916–1920
Sveinn Ólafsson 1920–1922
Þorleifur Jónsson 1922–1928
Tryggvi Þórhallsson 1928–1932
Ásgeir Ásgeirsson 1932–1933
Sigurður Kristinsson 1933–1934
Jónas Jónsson 1934–1944
Hermann Jónasson 1944–1962
Eysteinn Jónsson 1962–1968
Ólafur Jóhannesson 1968–1979
Steingrímur Hermannsson 1979–1994
Halldór Ásgrímsson 1994–2006
Jón Sigurðsson 2006–2007
Guðni Ágústsson 2007–2008
Valgerður Sverrisdóttir 2008–2009
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson 2009–2016
Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson 2016-

See also[edit]

Pirate Party (Iceland)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pirate Party
Píratar
Founder
Founded 24 November 2012
Headquarters Fiskislóð 31, 101 Reykjavík
Membership  (2015) 1,443 [1]
Ideology
Political position Centre [2]
European affiliation European Pirate Party
Colours Purple and Black
Seats in the Althing
10 / 63
Election symbol
P
Website
piratar.is

The Pirate Party (Icelandic: Píratar) is a political party in Iceland. The party’s platform is based on pirate politics and direct democracy.

History[edit]

The party was cofounded on 24 November 2012 by Birgitta Jónsdóttir(previously a member of the Movement), and several prominent Internet activists, including Smári McCarthy.[3][4][5][6] The party successfully applied for the ballot list letter Þ (resembling the party’s logo) in order to run in the 2013. In July 2016 the party requested and was issued the letter P for future elections.

In their first electoral participation, at the 2013 parliamentary election, the Pirate Party won 5.1% of the votes, just above the 5% threshold required to win representation in the Althing.[3] The three members elected, Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson and Jón Þór Ólafsson, were the first pirates elected to any national legislature in the world.[7][8]

Following the Charlie Hebdo shooting on 7 January 2015, the Pirate Party began a campaign to repeal Iceland’s blasphemy laws. The laws, which had been introduced in 1940, were successfully repealed in early July 2015. The repeal, introduced by the Pirate Party, read: “Freedom of expression is one of the cornerstones of democracy. It is fundamental to a free society that people should be able to express themselves without fear of punishment, whether from the authorities or from other people.”[9] During the vote on the repeal, the three Pirate Party members of the Althing stood and declared “Je suis Charlie“, in solidarity with the French satirical magazine.

For around a year from April 2015 to April 2016, the party consistently topped polling for the next Icelandic parliamentary election in 2016, with support roughly equal to the Independence Party and the Progressive Party combined, who are currently partners in a coalition government.

An MMR opinion poll published in January 2016 put their public support at 37.8%, significantly above that of all other Icelandic political parties.

In April 2016 public protests about the Prime Minister’s role in the Panama Papers brought out a significant percentage of the whole population, and may have been among “the largest demonstrations of any kind, in any country, ever (proportionately speaking)”.[15] In the wake of the Panama Papers scandal, polls in April 2016 showed the Pirate Party at 43% and the Independence Party at 21.6%.[16]

A poll by the Social Science Research Institute of the University of Iceland with data from 14–19 October 2016 put the Pirate Party in first place in the general election on the 29th of October 2016 with 22.6% of the vote.[17]

Recent issue stances[edit]

European Union[edit]

Main article: Accession of Iceland to the European Union

The party has not officially taken a position in favour of or against Iceland’s accession to the European Union. The party has however concluded the following in a party policy on the European Union:[18]

  • Iceland must never become a member of the European Union unless the membership agreement is put to a referendum after having been presented to the nation in an impartial manner.
  • Should Iceland join the European Union, the country shall be a single constituency in elections to the European Parliament.
  • Should Iceland join the European Union, Icelandic shall be one of its official languages.
  • If negotiations on the accession of Iceland to the European Union halt, or membership is rejected by either party, a review of the agreement on the European Economic Area must be sought, to better ensure Iceland’s self-determination. It is unacceptable that Iceland need to take up large part of European legislation through a business agreement without getting representatives or audience.
  • The conditions of Pirates for Iceland’s membership to the European Union are that Iceland be exempt from adopting the Data Retention Directive (2006/24/EC – declared invalid by the European Court of Justice in April 2014[19]) and the regulation regarding enforcement of uncontested claims (1869/2005/EC), which would otherwise defy fundamental human rights.

Edward Snowden[edit]

Main article: Edward Snowden
Further information: Global surveillance disclosure

On 4 July 2013, a bill was introduced in parliament that would, if passed, immediately grant Edward Snowden Icelandic citizenship. The proposer of the bill was Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson (Pirate Party) and it was co-sponsored by the other Pirate Party parliament members, Ögmundur Jónasson (Left-Green Movement), Páll Valur Björnsson (Bright Future) and Helgi Hjörvar (Social Democratic Alliance).[20][21][22][23] A vote was taken to determine whether the bill would be put on parliament’s agenda but it did not receive enough support.

Electoral results[edit]

Parliament[edit]

The elected representatives are Birgitta Jónsdóttir (Southwest), Ásta Helgadóttir (Reykjavik South) and Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson (Reykjavik North). Ásta replaced Jón Þór Ólafsson part-way through his term.

Election # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Position Government
2013 Steady 9,647 Steady 5.10
3 / 63

 Steady 3 Steady 6th Opposition
2016 Increase 27.449 Increase 14.48
10 / 63

 Increase 7 Increase 3rd TBD

Municipalities[edit]

Hafnarfjordur Town[edit]

Election # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Position Council
2014 Steady 754 Steady 6.70
0 / 11

 Steady 0 Steady 5th Outside

Kopavogur Town[edit]

Election # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Position Council
2014 Steady 554 Steady 4.04
0 / 11

 Steady 0 Steady 6th Outside

Reykjanes Town[edit]

Election # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Position Council
2014 Steady 173 Steady 2.48
0 / 11

 Steady 0 Steady 6th Outside

Reykjavik City[edit]

The elected representative is Halldór Auðar Svansson.

Election # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Position Council
2014 Steady 3,238 Steady 5.93
1 / 15

 Steady 1 Steady 6th Coalition

Left-Green Movement

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Left-Green Movement
Vinstrihreyfingin – grænt framboð
Chairperson Katrín Jakobsdóttir
Vice-chairperson Björn Valur Gíslason
Chairperson of the parliamentary group Svandís Svavarsdóttir
Chairperson of the municipal council Bjarkey Gunnarsdóttir
Founded 6 February 1999
Split from People’s Alliance
Headquarters Suðurgata 3,
101 Reykjavík
Youth wing Young Left-Greens
Ideology Democratic socialism[1]
Eco-socialism[1]
Euroscepticism[2]
Feminism[3]
Pacifism[3]
Political position Left-wing
European affiliation Nordic Green Left Alliance
International affiliation None
Colours           Red and Green
Seats in the Althing
10 / 63
Website
www.vg.is

The Left-Green Movement is a member of the Nordic Green Left Alliance.[5]
It was founded in 1999 by a few members of Alþingi who did not approve of the planned merger of the left-leaning political parties in Iceland that resulted in the founding of the Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin). The Left-Green Movement focuses on democratic socialist values, feminism, and environmentalism, as well as increased democracy and direct involvement of the people in the administration of the country. The party opposes Iceland’s involvement in NATO and also the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. The party rejects membership of the European Union and supports the Palestinian cause in the Middle East. It supports the mutual adaptation and integration of immigrants into Icelandic society as necessary.[4]

The Left-Green Movement has about 3,000 members[citation needed]. The party chair is Katrín Jakobsdóttir, MP. The vice chair is Björn Valur Gíslason The secretary-general of the party is Daníel Haukur Arnarsson.

In the 1999 parliamentary elections the Left-Green Movement took 9.1% of the vote and six seats in the Alþingi. It had five members in the 63-seat Icelandic parliament after the 2003 elections where it polled 8.8% of the vote. After the 2007 elections the party had 9 seats in parliament, having received 14.3% of the vote.

In 2009 the Left-Green Movement joined the Social Democratic Alliance as the minor partner in a coalition government after the government of the Alliance and the liberal-conservative Independence Party collapsed.[6] In the subsequent elections, it rose from 9 seats to 14, becoming Iceland’s third-largest party (close behind Independence) with 21,7% of the vote, which is the second largest outcome of a left socialist party in Iceland, after the former communist People’s Alliance in 1978 when it got 22.9% of the vote. The party, gained one seat in addition, when a non-party parliamentarian joined the party.[7] Since then, three members of the parliamentary group have left the party. One joined the centrist Progressive Party and two others are now non-partisans. Currently, after the elections of 2013, the party is in the opposition and has 7 seats in the parliament.

Electoral results[edit]

Election Votes  % Seats +/– Position Government
1999 15,115 9.1
6 / 63

 Increase 6 Increase 4th Opposition
2003 16,129 8.8
5 / 63

 Decrease 1 Steady 4th Opposition
2007 26,136 14.3
9 / 63

 Increase 4 Increase 3rd Opposition
2009 40,581 21.6
14 / 63

 Increase 5 Steady 3rd Coalition
2013 20,546 10.8
7 / 63

 Decrease 7 Decrease 4th Opposition
2016 30,166 15.9
10 / 63

 Increase 3 Increase 2nd TBD

Chairpersons[edit]

Chairperson Period
Steingrímur J. Sigfússon 1999–2013
Katrín Jakobsdóttir 2013–present

Members of Parliament[edit]

Since the elections in 2013, the Left-Green Movement has seven members of parliament.

Member of Parliament Since Title Constituency
Steingrímur J. Sigfússon Steingrímur J. Sigfússon.jpg 1983 Northeast Constituency
Katrín Jakobsdóttir 2007 Chair Reykjavik Constituency North
Ögmundur Jónasson 1995 Southwest Constituency
Svandís Svavarsdóttir Islands miljominister Svandis Svavarsdottir. Nordiska radets session i Stockholm 2009.jpg 2009 Leader of the Parliamentary Group Reykjavik Constituency South
Lilja Rafney Magnúsdóttir 2009 Northwest Constituency
Bjarkey Gunnarsdóttir 2013 Northeast Constituency
Steinunn Þóra Árnadóttir 2014 Became a Member of Parliament when Árni Þór Sigurðsson left office mid-term. Reykjavik Constituency North

Independence Party (Iceland)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the modern Independence Party. For the historical Independence Party, see Independence Party (Iceland, historical).
Independence Party
Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn
Chairperson Bjarni Benediktsson
Vice-chairperson Ólöf Nordal
Secretary Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir
CEO Þórður Þórarinsson
Founded 25 May 1929
Merger of Conservative Party
Liberal Party
Headquarters Háaleitisbraut 1,
105 Reykjavík
Youth wing Young Independents
Ideology Liberal conservatism
Libertarianism[1]
Economic liberalism[2]
Euroscepticism
Political position Centre-right to Right-wing[3][4]
European affiliation Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe
International affiliation International Democrat Union
Colours Blue
Seats in the Althing
21 / 63
Website
www.xd.is

The Independence Party (Icelandic: Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) is a centre-rightpolitical party in Iceland.[5][6] Liberal conservative[7] and Eurosceptic,[7][8][9] it is the largest party in the Althing, with 21 seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and vice chairman is Ólöf Nordal. The secretary of the party is Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir.

It was formed in 1929 through a merger of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. This united the two parties advocating the dissolution of the Union of Denmark and Iceland, which was achieved in 1944, during the German occupation of Denmark. From 1929, the party won the largest share of the vote in every election until the 2009 election, when it fell behind the Social Democratic Alliance. Until Benediktsson took the leadership after the 2009 defeat, every Independence Party leader has also held the office of Prime Minister.

The Independence Party broadly encompasses all centre-right thought in Iceland. Economically liberal and opposed to interventionism, the party is supported most strongly by fishermen and high-earners,[10] particularly in Reykjavík.[11] It supports Icelandic membership of NATO but opposes the idea of joining the European Union (EU). It is a member of the International Democrat Union and it joined the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) in November 2011, a centre-right eurosceptic European political party.

History[edit]

The Independence Party was founded on 25 May 1929 through a merger of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. It readopted the name of the historical Independence Party, which had split between the Conservatives and Liberals in 1927.[12] From its first election, in 1931, it was the largest party in Iceland.[13]

The Independence Party won the 2007 elections, increasing their seat tally in the Althing by 3. It formed a new coalition government under Haarde with the Social Democratic Alliance, after the Progressive Party lost heavily in the elections. In the 2009 elections, the party dropped from 25–26 to 16 seats in the Althing, becoming Iceland’s second-largest party following the Social Democratic Alliance (which gained two seats, to 20.)

The Independence Party re-entered government after the general elections in 2013, gaining 19 seats in parliament and the most votes again becoming Iceland’s largest party. The Independence Party hence formed a majority government with the Progressive Party with Benediktsson becoming Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs under the premiership of Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson chairman of the Progressive Party.

Ideology[edit]

The party has been the sole major right-wing party in Iceland since its inception, and has captured a broad cross-section of centre-right voters. As a result, the party is not as far to the right as most right-wing parties in Scandinavia, serving as a ‘catch-all’ party.[14] The party, like the British Conservatives, states a claim to be primarily ‘pragmatic’, as opposed to ideological,[10][11][15] and its name is seen as an allusion to being independent of dogma.[16] For most of its period of political dominance, the party has relied upon coalition government, and has made coalitions with all major parties in parliament.[17]

The Independence Party has generally been economically liberal and advocated limited government intervention in the economy.[10] It was originally committed to laissez-faire economics, but shifted its economic policies left-wards in the 1930s, accepting the creation of a welfare state.[11]

The party has historically been less conservative on social issues than centre-right parties in Scandinavia.[11] Most significant legislative advances in LGBT rights have happened while the IP was in government.[18] The party was the only consistent advocate for the end of prohibition of beer, and provided three-quarters of voters in favour of legalisation; the ban was lifted in 1989.[19]

The party’s sceptic position on EU membership was confirmed at its national congress in March 2009.[20] Its near-permanent position as Iceland’s largest party has guaranteed Iceland’s Atlanticist stance.[21] The party is in favour of allowing Icelanders to participate in peacekeeping missions, including in Afghanistan.[22]

Political support[edit]

Iceland
Coat of arms of Iceland.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Iceland
Constitution

Historically the party has been the most successful right-wing party in the Nordic countries.[14] It has a broad base of support, but is most strongly supported by Iceland’s large fishing community and by businesses.[10] On the biggest divide in Icelandic politics, between urban and rural areas, the Independence Party is firmly supported by the urban population,[10] mostly found in Reykjavík.[11]

The Independence Party has always attempted to avoid appealing to a social class.[23] As such, the party is relatively successful at attracting working class voters,[17] which partly comes from the party’s strong advocacy of independence in the 1930s.[24] However, most of its strength is in the middle class,[19][25] and the party is disproportionately supported by those on high incomes and those with university educations.[10]

The party has long been endorsed by Morgunblaðið,[19] an Icelandic newspaper of record.[26] Davíð Oddsson, the longest-serving Prime Minister, is one of two editors of the paper. The paper was also historically supported by the afternoon newspaper Vísir, now part of DV.[11]

Organisation[edit]

The party has a tradition of individualism and strong personalities, which has proven difficult for the leadership to manage. The Commonwealth Party split in 1941, while the Republican Party left in 1953, both in opposition to the leftwards shift of the party away from classical liberalism.[11] Neither splinter group managed to get seats in Althingi and vanished quickly. The Citizens’ Party split from the party in 1983, but collapsed in 1994.[15]

Its youth wing, Young Independents, is by far the largest youth organisation in Iceland, with over 12,000 members. It is slightly more classically liberal than the senior party.[27]

The party has a very large membership base, with 15% of the total population being a member of the party.[28]

International relations[edit]

For years the Independence party was a member of the EPP that include members like Høyre (Norway), Moderate Party(Sweden), UPM (France), the Kokoomus (Finland), and CDU (Germany). But with a new more eurosceptic leadership of the party it joined the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR) in November 2011, a centre-right eurosceptic political organization. Members of the AECR, includes among others, the British Conservative Party, Polish Law and Justice, and the Czech Civic Democratic Party.

Election results[edit]

Election Votes  % Seats +/– Position Government
1931 16,891 43.8
15 / 42

 Increase 9 Increase 2nd Opposition
1933 17,131 48.0
20 / 42

 Increase 5 Increase 1st Coalition
1934 21,974 42.3
20 / 49

 Increase 0 Steady 1st Opposition
1937 24,132 41.3
17 / 49

 Decrease 3 Decrease 2nd Opposition
1942 (Jul) 22,975 39.5
17 / 49

 Steady 0 Steady 2nd Minority
1942 (Oct) 23,001 38.5
20 / 52

 Increase 3 Increase 1st Opposition
1946 26,428 39.5
20 / 52

 Steady 0 Steady 1st Coalition
1949 28,546 39.5
19 / 52

 Decrease 1 Steady 1st Minority
1953 28,738 37.1
21 / 52

 Increase 2 Steady 1st Coalition
1956 35,027 42.4
19 / 52

 Decrease 2 Steady 1st Opposition
1959 (Jun) 36,029 42.5
20 / 52

 Increase 1 Steady 1st Opposition
1959 (Oct) 33,800 39.7
24 / 60

 Increase 4 Steady 1st Coalition
1963 37,021 41.4
24 / 60

 Steady 0 Steady 1st Coalition
1967 36,036 37.5
23 / 60

 Decrease 1 Steady 1st Coalition
1971 38,170 36.2
22 / 60

 Decrease 1 Steady 1st Opposition
1974 48,764 42.7
25 / 60

 Increase 3 Steady 1st Coalition
1978 39,982 32.7
20 / 60

 Decrease 5 Steady 1st Opposition
1979 43,838 35.4
21 / 60

 Increase 1 Steady 1st Opposition
1983 50,251 38.6
23 / 60

 Increase 2 Steady 1st Coalition
1987 41,490 27.2
18 / 63

 Decrease 5 Steady 1st Coalition
1991 60,836 38.6
26 / 63

 Increase 8 Steady 1st Coalition
1995 61,183 37.1
25 / 63

 Decrease 1 Steady 1st Coalition
1999 67,513 40.7
26 / 63

 Increase 1 Steady 1st Coalition
2003 61,701 33.6
22 / 63

 Decrease 4 Steady 1st Coalition
2007 66,754 36.6
25 / 63

 Increase 3 Steady 1st Coalition
2009 44,371 23.7
16 / 63

 Decrease 9 Decrease 2nd Opposition
2013 50,454 26.7
19 / 63

 Increase 3 Increase 1st Coalition
2016 54,990 29.0
21 / 63

 Increase 2 Steady 1st TBD

Leaders[edit]

Olafur Thors was party leader from 1934 to 1961, making him the longest-serving leader in the party’s history.

All former chairmen of the party have held the office of the Prime Minister of Iceland: Ólafur Thors, Bjarni Benediktsson, Jóhann Hafstein, Geir Hallgrímsson, Þorsteinn Pálsson, Davíð Oddsson and Geir H. Haarde. Jón Þorláksson, the first chairman of the Independence party was Prime Minister for the Conservative party prior to the foundation of the Independence party. Gunnar Thoroddsen, who was the party’s vice chairman 1974–1981, was Iceland’s PM from 1980 to 1983, but the Independence Party did not officially support his government, although some MPs in the party did.

Leader From To
1st Jón Þorláksson 29 May 1929 2 October 1934
2nd Ólafur Thors 2 October 1934 22 October 1961
3rd Bjarni Benediktsson 22 October 1961 10 July 1970
4th Jóhann Hafstein 10 July 1970 12 October 1973
5th Geir Hallgrímsson 12 October 1973 6 November 1983
6th Þorsteinn Pálsson 6 November 1983 10 March 1991
7th Davíð Oddsson 10 March 1991 16 October 2005
8th Geir Haarde 16 October 2005 29 March 2009
9th Bjarni Benediktsson 29 March 2009 Present

Footnotes[edit]

  1. Jump up^