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Iceland's Pirate Party Tops Polls Ahead of National Elections

Accepted submission by Phoenix666 at 2016-10-25 11:38:39
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The Pirate Party looks set for a successful outing in the coming weekend's Icelandic elections [theregister.co.uk].

A poll by local newspaper Morgunblaðið and the Icelandic Social Science Research Institute of the University of Iceland reports support for the Pirate Party is running at about 22.6 per cent, a point-and-a-half ahead of the ruling Independence Party and four points clear of the Left-Greens. That's impressive spport, although the party's support has fallen a couple of points since March 2015 [theregister.co.uk].

Iceland uses s proportional representation system so the party's current level of support will likely translate into about 15 seats in the 63-member Althingi.

That won't be not enough for Píratar, the party's Icelandic name, to take government. It's also ruled out a coalition with the Independence Party.

But earlier this year Independence split and the recently-formed splinter group Viðreisn (tr. “Regeneration”) is polling at 8.8 per cent and has ruled out joining a government with any of the current coalition parties. If the Pirates can align with Viðreisn and other like-minded parties it may therefore become part of a governing coalition and win some ministries.

Four years for a party founded by geeks to take over the government is not bad.


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