Icelandic National Front

Icelandic National Front
Íslenska þjóðfylkingin
ChairpersonGuðmundur Þorleifsson
Vice-chairpersonReynir Heiðarsson
SecretarySverrir J. Sverrisson
Founded18 January 2016[1]
Dissolvedc. 2023
HeadquartersDalshraun 5,
220 Hafnarfjörður
IdeologyIcelandic nationalism[2][3]
Right-wing populism[3]
Anti-immigration[4]
Political positionRight-wing[2] to far-right[5]
Election symbol
E
Website
www.x-e.is

The Icelandic National Front (Icelandic: Íslenska þjóðfylkingin) was a right-wing populist[3] political party in Iceland.

It became inactive since 2023.

History

On 27 February 2016, the Right-Green People's Party was disbanded and merged into the party.[6][7]

On 3 March 2016, the National Front reached out to controversial[8][9] Independence Party member Ásmund Friðriksson, asking him to join the party.[10]

On 15 August 2016, the party organized a protest against revisions to Iceland's immigration laws at Austurvöllur square in front of the Parliament building.[11]

They participated in the 2016 parliamentary election, only running candidates in the South and Northwest constituencies after failing to obtain ballot access for the remaining four; in part due to two of their senior members, Gústaf Níelsson and Gunnlaugur Ingvarsson, defecting shortly before the election and taking the lists of signatures for the two Reykjavík constituencies with them.[12]

The party was due to take part in the 2017 election and had planned on running in the three constituencies in the capital area and the South, but withdrew all its lists after false signatures had been discovered on two of them.[13]

In August 2017, Gústaf Níelsson and Gunnlaugur Ingvarssons launched a new party Frelsisfokkurinn (the Freedom Party), which attracted members from the Icelandic National Front,[14] although Níelsson shortly thereafter quit politics and moved to Spain.

Policies

The Icelandic National Front stated an aim to defend Iceland's sovereignty and independence and national culture, language and customs. The party was wholly opposed to multiculturalism and wants Iceland out of the Schengen Area. They were in favour of debt adjustment. The party also wished to introduce a new currency in Iceland that is linked to the United States dollar and wanted to eliminate indexation. Furthermore, they wanted to focus on the interests of the elderly and disabled. Other proposals from the party program included introducing a Swiss-style referendum system.[6][15]

New mosques, burqas, female genital mutilation and Islamic schools were opposed by the party, although the party claims that they do not oppose religious freedom as stated in the Icelandic constitution. Christianity and Ásatrú are supported by the party.[6] The founder and first chairman of the party, Helgi Helgason, said that his opposition to Islam is inspired by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.[16]

Electoral results

Parliament

Election # of
overall votes 		% of
overall vote 		# of
overall seats won 		+/– Position
2016 Steady 303 Steady 0.16
0 / 63
 Steady 0 Steady 11th

Chairpersons

Chairperson Period
Helgi Helgason 2016–2017
Guðmundur Þorleifsson from 2017

See also

References

  1. ^ "Íslenska Þjóðfylkingin (4202160330)".
  2. ^ a b "Iceland's new nationalist political party". Iceland Monitor. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Populist right-wing party charged with election fraud, withdraws all its party slates". Iceland Magazine. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  4. ^ Lindsay, Frey (17 April 2019). "Polish Workers Are Driving Labor Migration To Iceland". Forbes. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  5. ^ "New Icelandic Far-Right Political Party". Iceland Review. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Hægri grænir heyra sögunni til". 27 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Hægri grænir ganga til liðs við Íslensku þjóðfylkinguna". 27 February 2016.
  8. ^ "Segir Ásmund hafa skipað sér í flokk með popúlistum og Donald Trump". 2 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Ritstjóri Kjarnans segir Ásmundur Friðriksson rasista". 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Íslenska þjóðfylkingin: Komdu til okkar Ásmundur". 3 March 2016. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Ólíkar fylkingar mættust á Austurvelli í dag". 15 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Þjóðfylkingin býður ekki fram í Reykjavík". 14 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Þjóðfylkingin dregur alla lista sína til bak". 14 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Frelsisflokkurinn opnar vefsíðu: "Styður þjóðleg borgaraleg viðhorf og kristna trú og gildi" – Eyjan". eyjan.pressan.is. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11.
  15. ^ "Unnið að stofnun flokks sem leggst gegn fjölmenningu og byggingu mosku á Íslandi". 27 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Þess vegna er Íslenska Þjóðfylkingin á móti íslam". 29 February 2016. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2016.