The minister of finance and leader of the Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn), Bjarni Benediktsson claims he has “serious doubts” about forming a coalition government with the Pirate Party, reports Bloomberg.
The current government was forced to hold an early election after the leaked Panama Papers revealed that PM Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, Bjarni Benediktsson and Ólöf Nordal were connected to offshore companies. General elections are scheduled to be held 29 October.
Read more:69% of Icelanders want Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to resign
Since its formation in 2012, the Icelandic Pirate Party has grown from nothing into a considerable political force. Polls continue to contain good news for the Pirates; the most recent poll revealed that 25 percent of those surveyed would vote for the party, making it the second largest political party in Iceland. The Independence Party has a following of 26.2 percent.
We will work with those that get a democratic support in the elections, as long as we can create a functioning government, Bjarni told Bloomberg.
Read more:Only a third of voters trust any of the cabinet members of ruling centre-right coalition
Iceland’s Pirate Party was founded by self-described “poetician” Birgitta Jónsdóttir, who had previously been a member of political party Hreyfingin (The Movement), and several internet activists, including Smári McCarthy.
In the 2013 parliamentary election, the party won 5.1 percent of the vote and three seats of 63. The three Pirates taking seats in Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, were Birgitta, Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson, and Jón Þór Ólafsson. However, Jón Þór left his post as MP in 2015, after two years in parliament, to return to his previous day job in road maintenance with Ásta Helgadóttir stepping in.
The minister of finance and leader of the Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn), Bjarni Benediktsson claims he has “serious doubts” about forming a coalition government with the Pirate Party, reports Bloomberg.
The current government was forced to hold an early election after the leaked Panama Papers revealed that PM Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, Bjarni Benediktsson and Ólöf Nordal were connected to offshore companies. General elections are scheduled to be held 29 October.
Read more:69% of Icelanders want Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to resign
Since its formation in 2012, the Icelandic Pirate Party has grown from nothing into a considerable political force. Polls continue to contain good news for the Pirates; the most recent poll revealed that 25 percent of those surveyed would vote for the party, making it the second largest political party in Iceland. The Independence Party has a following of 26.2 percent.
We will work with those that get a democratic support in the elections, as long as we can create a functioning government, Bjarni told Bloomberg.
Read more:Only a third of voters trust any of the cabinet members of ruling centre-right coalition
Iceland’s Pirate Party was founded by self-described “poetician” Birgitta Jónsdóttir, who had previously been a member of political party Hreyfingin (The Movement), and several internet activists, including Smári McCarthy.
In the 2013 parliamentary election, the party won 5.1 percent of the vote and three seats of 63. The three Pirates taking seats in Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, were Birgitta, Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson, and Jón Þór Ólafsson. However, Jón Þór left his post as MP in 2015, after two years in parliament, to return to his previous day job in road maintenance with Ásta Helgadóttir stepping in.
