Reykjavik City Council election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Reykjavik City Council election took place on 29 May 2010 to elect members of the city council
of Reykjavik
in Iceland
. A new political party called The Best Party (Besti flokkurinn) won the most seats on the council, defeating the established parties.
in the run up to the election with one survey showing they could win a majority on their own. Among the policies in the party's "best manifesto" were plans for a polar bear
for the city's zoo, a Disneyland at Reykjavík Airport
, palm trees on the waterfront and free towels at swimming pools. However the leader of the Best Party, comedian Jón Gnarr
, said that his party, which had only been founded in November 2009, was serious and his campaign manager said they wanted "to take a stand against a system that is completely ruined".
Political analysts saw the strong support for the Best Party being due to the economic crisis that had taken place since 2008, which had led voters to lose confidence in the traditional political parties. Meanwhile other politicians called on voters to get serious and avoid putting the city in the "hands of clowns" during a time of economic difficulty. As the election neared a poll showed the Best Party dropped slightly while remaining ahead, with the Independence Party
rising, making it unlikely that the Best Party would win a majority.
mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir
into second place with 33.6% of the vote, compared to 34.7% for the Best Party. The results were described as "a shock" by the Icelandic Prime Minister
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
, with the leader of the Best Party, Jón Gnarr saying he should now become mayor of Reykjavik.
Gnarr has since formed a coalition with the Social Democrats and is currently mayor.
Summary of the 29 May 2010 Reykjavik
City Council
election results
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center colspan="2" valign=top|Parties
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center|Votes
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center|%
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|+/−%
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center|Seats
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center|+/−
|-
|bgcolor=pink |
|align=left|The Best Party (Besti flokkurinn)
|align="right" |20,666
|align="right" |34.7
|align="right" |+34.7
|align="right" |6
|align="right" |+6
|-
|bgcolor="#0000FF" |
|align=left|Independence Party
(Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn)
|align="right" |20,006
|align="right" |33.6
|align="right" |–9.3
|align="right" |5
|align="right" |–2
|-
|bgcolor="#FF0000" |
|align=left|Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin)
|align="right" |11,344
|align="right" |19.1
|align="right" |–8.3
|align="right" |3
|align="right" |–1
|-
|bgcolor="#00bb00" |
|align=left|Left-Green Movement
(Vinstrihreyfingin – grænt framboð)
|align="right" |4,255
|align="right" |7.1
|align="right" |–6.4
|align="right" |1
|align="right" |–1
|-
|bgcolor="#006633" |
|align=left|Progressive Party
(Framsóknarflokkurinn)
|align="right" |1,629
|align="right" |2.7
|align="right" |–3.6
|align="right" |0
|align="right" |–1
|-
|align="right" colspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Totals
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|56,897
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100.0
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|—
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|15
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|—
|-
|align=left colspan=8| Source: IceNews
|}
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
of Reykjavik
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. A new political party called The Best Party (Besti flokkurinn) won the most seats on the council, defeating the established parties.
Campaign
The Best Party led in the pollsOpinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
in the run up to the election with one survey showing they could win a majority on their own. Among the policies in the party's "best manifesto" were plans for a polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
for the city's zoo, a Disneyland at Reykjavík Airport
Reykjavík Airport
Reykjavík Airport Reykjavík Airport Reykjavík Airport (Icelandic: Reykjavíkurflugvöllur, is the chiefly domestic airport serving Reykjavík, Iceland. The airport lies two kilometres from Reykjavík's city centre. Possessing rather short runways, it normally only serves flights within Iceland and to...
, palm trees on the waterfront and free towels at swimming pools. However the leader of the Best Party, comedian Jón Gnarr
Jón Gnarr
Jón Gnarr Kristinsson is an Icelandic actor, comedian, politician and the mayor of Reykjavík, since 15 June 2010. He goes by Jón Gnarr, being an Icelander does not have a family name. He was originally named Jón Gunnar Kristinsson but legally changed his middle name in 2005, to the way his mother...
, said that his party, which had only been founded in November 2009, was serious and his campaign manager said they wanted "to take a stand against a system that is completely ruined".
Political analysts saw the strong support for the Best Party being due to the economic crisis that had taken place since 2008, which had led voters to lose confidence in the traditional political parties. Meanwhile other politicians called on voters to get serious and avoid putting the city in the "hands of clowns" during a time of economic difficulty. As the election neared a poll showed the Best Party dropped slightly while remaining ahead, with the Independence Party
Independence Party (Iceland)
The Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. Liberal conservative and Eurosceptic, it is the second-largest party in the Althing, with sixteen seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and vice chairman is Ólöf Nordal....
rising, making it unlikely that the Best Party would win a majority.
Election results
The results saw the Best Party become the largest party on the council with 6 of the 15 seats, but short of a majority. They defeated the Independence Party of incumbentIncumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir
Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir
Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir is an Icelandic politician. She is member of the City Council of Reykjavik and was Mayor of Reykjavík from 21 August 2008 to 15 June 2010. She represents the Independence Party ....
into second place with 33.6% of the vote, compared to 34.7% for the Best Party. The results were described as "a shock" by the Icelandic Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Iceland
The Prime Minister of Iceland is Iceland's head of government. The prime minister is appointed formally by the President and exercises executive authority along with the cabinet subject to parliamentary support....
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir , , is the Prime Minister of Iceland. Many years a politician, she was previously Iceland's Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security from 1987–1994 and 2007–2009. She has been a member of the Althing for Reykjavík constituencies since 1978, winning re-election on eight...
, with the leader of the Best Party, Jón Gnarr saying he should now become mayor of Reykjavik.
Gnarr has since formed a coalition with the Social Democrats and is currently mayor.
Summary of the 29 May 2010 Reykjavik
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
election results
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center colspan="2" valign=top|Parties
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center|Votes
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center|%
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|+/−%
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center|Seats
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=center|+/−
|-
|bgcolor=pink |
|align=left|The Best Party (Besti flokkurinn)
|align="right" |20,666
|align="right" |34.7
|align="right" |+34.7
|align="right" |6
|align="right" |+6
|-
|bgcolor="#0000FF" |
|align=left|Independence Party
Independence Party (Iceland)
The Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. Liberal conservative and Eurosceptic, it is the second-largest party in the Althing, with sixteen seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and vice chairman is Ólöf Nordal....
(Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn)
|align="right" |20,006
|align="right" |33.6
|align="right" |–9.3
|align="right" |5
|align="right" |–2
|-
|bgcolor="#FF0000" |
|align=left|Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin)
|align="right" |11,344
|align="right" |19.1
|align="right" |–8.3
|align="right" |3
|align="right" |–1
|-
|bgcolor="#00bb00" |
|align=left|Left-Green Movement
Left-Green Movement
The Left-Green Movement is a left-wing political party in Iceland.It was founded in 1999 by a few members of Alþingi who did not approve of the planned merger of the left parties in Iceland that resulted in the founding of the Social Democratic Alliance...
(Vinstrihreyfingin – grænt framboð)
|align="right" |4,255
|align="right" |7.1
|align="right" |–6.4
|align="right" |1
|align="right" |–1
|-
|bgcolor="#006633" |
|align=left|Progressive Party
Progressive Party (Iceland)
The Progressive Party is an agrarian, liberal and centrist party in Iceland. The party is a member of the Liberal International. Current chairman of the party is Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson. He was elected on January 18, 2009. His predecessor was Valgerður Sverrisdóttir, who only served as...
(Framsóknarflokkurinn)
|align="right" |1,629
|align="right" |2.7
|align="right" |–3.6
|align="right" |0
|align="right" |–1
|-
|align="right" colspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Totals
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|56,897
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100.0
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|—
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|15
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|—
|-
|align=left colspan=8| Source: IceNews
|}