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Pirates & dead man running for Iceland parliament in snap vote | Pirates & dead man running for Iceland parliament in snap vote |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Early parliamentary elections initially scheduled for next year have begun in Iceland, with the opposition Pirate Party likely to beat the current ruling party, polls show. | Early parliamentary elections initially scheduled for next year have begun in Iceland, with the opposition Pirate Party likely to beat the current ruling party, polls show. |
Icelanders are heading to the polling stations on Saturday, with polls showing that the current ruling center-right party is tittering on the edge of falling behind the opposition, headed by the Pirate Party, AFP reported. | Icelanders are heading to the polling stations on Saturday, with polls showing that the current ruling center-right party is tittering on the edge of falling behind the opposition, headed by the Pirate Party, AFP reported. |
The shift might have been triggered by the 2008 financial meltdown and, to a greater extent, by this year’s international Panama Papers tax-dodging scandal that led to the largest anti-government protests in Iceland's history. This resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson in April, after it was revealed that he owned an off-shore firm along with his wife. Several other top politicians were also reportedly implicated in the tax evasion scandal. | The shift might have been triggered by the 2008 financial meltdown and, to a greater extent, by this year’s international Panama Papers tax-dodging scandal that led to the largest anti-government protests in Iceland's history. This resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson in April, after it was revealed that he owned an off-shore firm along with his wife. Several other top politicians were also reportedly implicated in the tax evasion scandal. |
“It seems that they will stop at nothing. They are so openly corrupt. They are not even trying to hide it. These individuals feel like this [corruption] is actually OK, this is just the way the world works… That’s what infuriated people,” said Halldora Mogensen, a deputy MP of the Pirate Party, speaking to RT about the causes for such widespread support for what was previously a relatively unknown party. | |
Three separate polls, released on Friday, gave up to 21 percent of the votes to the Pirate Party, and up to 16.8 percent to the Left-Green movement, while the current government is most likely to face failure, garnering 10 percent or less, according to the local Visir magazine. | Three separate polls, released on Friday, gave up to 21 percent of the votes to the Pirate Party, and up to 16.8 percent to the Left-Green movement, while the current government is most likely to face failure, garnering 10 percent or less, according to the local Visir magazine. |
Iceland’s Pirate Party may form a coalition government with other opposition parties, including the Social Democratic Alliance and Bright Future, apart from the Left-Green Movement. | Iceland’s Pirate Party may form a coalition government with other opposition parties, including the Social Democratic Alliance and Bright Future, apart from the Left-Green Movement. |
The party, founded in 2012, calls for public transparency, institutional reform, individual freedom, and fighting corruption. | The party, founded in 2012, calls for public transparency, institutional reform, individual freedom, and fighting corruption. |
Icelanders who are, however, not satisfied with the usual set of candidates, have an alternative – they can cast their vote for a dead man. The oldest running candidate from the Left-Green Movement, 92-year-old Jónsteinn Haraldsson, suddenly passed away on October 18. The deceased man has remained on the ballot list, following the wish of his family, a spokesperson for the Left-Green Movement said. | Icelanders who are, however, not satisfied with the usual set of candidates, have an alternative – they can cast their vote for a dead man. The oldest running candidate from the Left-Green Movement, 92-year-old Jónsteinn Haraldsson, suddenly passed away on October 18. The deceased man has remained on the ballot list, following the wish of his family, a spokesperson for the Left-Green Movement said. |
Should Haraldsson be elected to parliament, the next person on the ballot will take his seat. | Should Haraldsson be elected to parliament, the next person on the ballot will take his seat. |
The returns are to be announced shortly after polling stations close at 22:00 GMT. However, since no party is likely to secure the majority of votes, the final results will be known only after coalition negotiations are over. The Pirate Party could form a center-left government for only the second time since Iceland seceded from Denmark in 1944. Previously, a coalition of Social Democrats and Greens ruled between 2009-2014. | The returns are to be announced shortly after polling stations close at 22:00 GMT. However, since no party is likely to secure the majority of votes, the final results will be known only after coalition negotiations are over. The Pirate Party could form a center-left government for only the second time since Iceland seceded from Denmark in 1944. Previously, a coalition of Social Democrats and Greens ruled between 2009-2014. |
The elections were initially supposed to take place in April 2017. | The elections were initially supposed to take place in April 2017. |
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