Poll: Pirates May Double City Council Seats, Conservatives Halved

According to a poll conducted by Prósent for Fréttablaðið from May 5th through 9th, this Saturday’s municipal elections could show big changes happening in Reykjavík City Hall.

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The Social Democrats came out strongest in this poll, with 26.7% of respondents saying they intend to vote for the party this weekend. As such, they would retain all seven seats they currently have on the 23-seat Reykjavík City Council.

The most striking results were seen regarding the Pirate Party and the Independence Party. The Pirate Party has seen their support go from 7.7% in the 2018 elections to 17.9% today, which would double their seats on city council, taking them from two to four. At the same time, the Independence Party has gone from 30.8% in 2018 to 16.2%, halving their numbers from eight to four.

That said, the Progressive Party were no slouches, either, going from 3.2%–and zero seats–in 2018 to 12.4% today, which would give them three seats. The Socialist Party has seen a slightly stronger showing since four years ago, going from 6.4% to 7.7%, but that is enough to take them from one seat to two.

Both the Left-Greens (5.4%) and the People’s Party (4.2%) are currently polling strong enough to retain their single seats, while the Reform Party, going from 8.2% to 7.0%, would lose one, and have a single seat.

At the same time, the Centre Party has gone from 6.1% to a dismal 1.7%, and would not win a seat on Reykjavík City Council if elections were held today.

As the current city council majority is led by the Social Democrats with the support of the Pirate Party, the Left-Greens and the Reform Party, the coalition could continue to hold, if this poll is reflected by actual voter participation.

You can read more on who these political parties are here, and remember: you do not need to be an Icelandic citizen to vote. All the information you need to cast a ballot this Saturday can be found here.