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Iceland election: Pirate Party triples seats | |
(about 9 hours later) | |
Iceland's Pirate Party has tripled its seats in the 63-seat parliament, election results show. | |
It is in joint second place with the Left-Greens - with 10 seats each. But their centre-left coalition fell short of a majority to form a government. | |
The governing Progressive Party lost more than half of its seats in the poll triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson. | |
Its junior partner, the Independence Party, has come top with 21 seats. | |
Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson stepped down in April in the wake of the leaked Panama Papers which revealed the offshore assets of high-profile figures. | |
Current Prime Minister Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson said he would resign on Sunday. | |
The anti-establishment Pirate Party, which was founded in 2012, had said it could be looking to form a coalition with three left-wing and centrist parties. | |
The Independence Party and the Pirates have ruled out working together, although correspondents say this could change as negotiations take place in the coming days. | The Independence Party and the Pirates have ruled out working together, although correspondents say this could change as negotiations take place in the coming days. |
Pirate Party founder and MP Birgitta Jonsdottir said she was "very satisfied" with the result. | |
"Our internal predictions showed 10 to 15%, so this is at the top of the range. We knew that we would never get 30%," Ms Jonsdottir told Reuters news agency. | |
The party won support from many in the wake of Iceland's 2008 financial crisis and the Panama Papers' revelations earlier this year. | The party won support from many in the wake of Iceland's 2008 financial crisis and the Panama Papers' revelations earlier this year. |
It calls for more political transparency and accountability, free health care, closing tax loopholes and more protection of citizens' data. | |
Opponents, however, say the Pirate Party's lack of political experience could scare off investors and destabilise Iceland's recovering economy. | Opponents, however, say the Pirate Party's lack of political experience could scare off investors and destabilise Iceland's recovering economy. |