Pirate Party Lead Reflects “Dissatisfaction With Traditional Politics”

The Pirate Party has the most support of any party for six months running. An MP for the party says “the old parties” have not delivered on their promises.

According to the newest Gallup poll on the subject, the Pirate Party is currently polling at 34.6%. This puts them slightly ahead of the combined support of the two parties of the ruling coalition: the Independence Party (24.4%) and the Progressives (10.1%). At the same time, support for the Left-Greens was at 10.6%; for the Social Democrats, 10.1%; and Bright Future polled last, at 5.6%

Ásta Helgadóttir, an MP for the Pirate Party, was candid about her view of why the Pirates have been having this level of support.

“I believe it is a great dissatisfaction with how traditional politics have been conducted in Iceland,” she told the Grapevine. “After the crisis in 2008, and the following the elections in 2009, we were promised a new Iceland with a new constitution and a new way of governance and democracy. This did not become a reality, and the old parties have not taken any steps in order to protect those values. We have been focusing on transparency, accountability and democracy in our work and it seems to be something people want to see.”

While Ásta believes early elections are “tricky”, as “it isn’t really part of the Icelandic culture,” she is looking forward to the next parliamentary elections.

“I think it will be exciting to run for elections in 2017, and it will be difficult as well to scale the Pirate Party and the Pirate Party ideology according to the new following,” she told us. “We are first and foremost thankful for the support and trust people show us and we will continue to work according to the Pirate values.”