Progressives Most Unpopular Choice For Ruling Party

Nearly 40% of Icelanders consider the Progressive Party the party they would least like to see in the ruling coalition – which they currently lead.

A new poll from Market and Media Research asked respondents, “Which is the party that you would least like to have in the ruling coalition?” The choices were limited to only those parties which have a seat in parliament, of which Iceland has six.

The most popular choice by far for a party Icelanders do not want in the ruling coalition was the Progressive Party, with 38.9%. This continues a trend of increasing unpopularity that began in March 2013. Following in a distant second was the Independence Party, with 16.6%. Both of these parties are, in fact, in the ruling coalition, with the Progressives leading the government.

Close behind the Independence Party were the Social Democrats, with 15.1%; followed by the Left-Greens, with 13.6%. These two parties comprised the previous ruling coalition, from 2009 to 2013, with the Social Democrats leading the government.

The remaining two parties – the Pirate Party and Bright Future – polled at 12.3% and 3.6% respectively. Both parties are relatively new, having only taken a seat in parliament this election term.

In related news, a poll from Fréttablaðið shows that, if elections were held today, the Pirate Party would go from having three seats to 14. At the same time, the Progressives would go from 19 seats to just six. Other parties experienced little or no change in support.