2010 Icelandic municipal elections

2010 Icelandic municipal elections
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The Icelandic municipal elections of 2010 were held on 29 May in that year to elect the municipal councils of Iceland.

Results

PartySeats+/–
Independence Party117-13
Progressive Party51+6
Social Democratic Alliance42+7
Left-Green Movement15+1
Best Party6New
Liberal Party1-2
Other party lists186-23
Independents94+1
Total512-17
Source: Statistics Iceland, Statistics Iceland

Reykjavík

See also: Reykjavík City Council

A new political party called The Best Party (Besti flokkurinn) won the most seats on the council, defeating the established parties.

Campaign

The Best Party led in the polls in the run up to the election with one survey showing they could win a majority on their own.[1][2] Among the policies in the party's "best manifesto" were plans for a polar bear for the city's zoo, a Disneyland at Reykjavík Airport, palm trees on the waterfront and free towels at swimming pools.[2][3] However the leader of the Best Party, comedian Jón Gnarr, said that his party, which had only been founded in November 2009,[2] was serious and his campaign manager said they wanted "to take a stand against a system that is completely ruined".[3]

Political analysts saw the strong support for the Best Party being due to the economic crisis that had taken place since 2008, which had led voters to lose confidence in the traditional political parties.[1] Meanwhile, other politicians called on voters to get serious and avoid putting the city in the "hands of clowns" during a time of economic difficulty.[4] As the election neared a poll showed the Best Party dropped slightly while remaining ahead, with the Independence Party rising, making it unlikely that the Best Party would win a majority.[5]

Results

The results saw the Best Party become the largest party on the council with 6 of the 15 seats, but short of a majority.[6] They defeated the Independence Party of incumbent mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir into second place with 33.6% of the vote, compared to 34.7% for the Best Party.[6] The results were described as "a shock" by the Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, with the leader of the Best Party, Jón Gnarr saying he should now become mayor of Reykjavík.[7]

Gnarr formed a coalition with the Social Democrats and was mayor until June 16, 2014.

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Best Party20,66634.726New
Independence Party20,00633.615–2
Social Democratic Alliance11,34419.063–1
Left-Green Movement4,2557.151–1
Progressive Party1,6292.740–1
Reykjavík Candidacy List6811.140New
List of Candidates for Honesty6681.120New
Liberal Party2740.460–1
Total59,523100.00150
Valid votes59,52394.45
Invalid/blank votes3,4965.55
Total votes63,019100.00
Registered voters/turnout85,80873.44

References

  1. ^ a b "Joke Party Gets Pure Majority in Reykjavík". Iceland Review. 2010-05-22. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  2. ^ a b c "Simply the best set to win local election in Iceland". AFP. 2010-05-26. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  3. ^ a b Casey, Michael (2010-05-28). "Iceland's Ire Helps Comic's Campaign Take Fire". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  4. ^ Casey, Michael (2010-05-30). "Offbeat Party Wins Iceland Vote". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  5. ^ "Support for Best Party in Reykjavík Election Drops". Iceland Review. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  6. ^ a b "Best Party wins polls in Iceland's Reykjavík". BBC News Online. 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  7. ^ "Satiric political party wins council poll in Iceland". sifynews. 2010-05-30. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2010-05-30.