Iceland’s president has asked the anti-establishment Pirate Party to try to form a government, after two rounds of coalition talks failed.
The Pirates are one of Europe’s most radical political parties and came third in Iceland’s election on October 29.
None of Iceland’s major parties won an outright majority, and President Gudni Johannesson asked the first-placed Independence Party and the second-placed Left-Greens to assemble a coalition.
The party was founded in November 2012 by Birgitta Jónsdóttir and several prominent internet activists and hackers. It has 10 seats in Iceland’s 63-seat Parliament. Members seek direct democracy, digital freedom, greater government transparency, a new national constitution and asylum for US whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January 2015, the Pirate Party began a campaign to repeal the country’s blasphemy laws. They were successfully repealed in early July 2015. Members have stated Iceland must never become a member of the European Union unless the membership agreement is put to a referendum.
Should Iceland join the EU, the party believe the country shall be a single constituency in elections to the European Parliament.”
East Devon Watch 