Icelandic municipal elections, 2010

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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.

Reykjavík

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

Summary of the 29 May 2010 Reykjavík City Council election results

Parties Votes % +/−% Seats +/−
Best Party (Besti flokkurinn) 20,666 34.7 New 6 New
Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) 20,006 33.6 –9.3 5 –2
Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin) 11,344 19.1 –8.3 3 –1
Left-Green Movement (Vinstrihreyfingin – grænt framboð) 4,255 7.1 –6.4 1 –1
Progressive Party (Framsóknarflokkurinn) 1,629 2.7 –3.6 0 –1
Totals 56,897 100.0 — 15 —
Source: IceNews[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Joke Party Gets Pure Majority in Reykjavík". Iceland Review. 2010-05-22. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  2. 1 2 3 "Simply the best set to win local election in Iceland". AFP. 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  3. 1 2 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. 1 2 "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. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  8. ↑ "Iceland's biggest municipalities vote for change". IceNews. 2010-05-03. Retrieved 2010-05-30.


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