Pirates With Most Support Five Months Running

A new Gallup poll shows some record highs – and record lows – for Iceland’s parliamentary parties.

Kjarninn reports that the poll has the Pirates currently at 36%, up by four points since the last poll and the highest the party has ever polled. This is also higher than the support for the ruling coalition – the Progressives and the Independence Party – who have a combined total of 33%.

The Independence Party is currently at 22%, which is the lowest the party has polled since November 2008, immediately after the collapse of the banking system. Not that the Independence Party was alone in hitting a record low: the Social Democrats are currently at 9%, and have not polled lower than this since May 1998, a year before the party first ran for parliament.

The Progressive Party has dipped slightly from 12% to 11%, while the Left-Greens took a bump upwards, from 9% to 12%. At the same time, Bright Future has continued its decline, going from 5% to 4%.

In terms of parliamentary seats, RÚV reports that these results would translate into 26 Pirate Party MPs in Iceland’s 63-seat parliament, up from the three seats they currently hold. The Independence Party would go from 19 seats to 15, while the Progressives would lose more than half their seats, going from 19 to 8. The Social Democrats would take a hit to a third of their seats, going from nine to six; the Left-Greens would go from seven seats to eight; and Bright Future – who have six seats – would win none.

According to these results, neither a two-party nor a three-party ruling coalition would be possible without the Pirate Party if elections were held today.