The radical Pirate Party, run by a former WikiLeaks employee, may win Iceland’s election on Saturday, polls suggest.
The Pirate Party was formed four years ago to reform Internet copyrights, but broadened its platform to include total government transparency, decriminalizing drugs, and advocating for direct democracy, according to USA Today.
Pirate Party leader Birgitta Jonsdottir says she wants to be a political Robin Hood, taking away power from those abusing it and giving it back to the people of Iceland.
“We stand for enacting changes that have to do with reforming the systems, rather than changing minor things that might easily be changed back,” Jonsdottir told USA Today. “We do not define ourselves as left or right but rather as a party that focuses on the systems.”
Recent polls have fluctuated back and forth, the latest one giving a slight lead to the ruling Independence Party, but one taken Oct. 19 gave the edge to the Pirate Party, whose logo is a black Viking sail.
Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson stepped down after leaked documents, known as the "Panama Papers," revealed corruption in the way he structured his investments; the scandal hurt the center-right Progressive Party as well. Gunnlaugsson was revealed to be hiding investments in the Caribbean, secretly evading taxes, according to Bloomberg.
During the 2008-2009 worldwide economic crisis, the previous prime minister, Icelandic Independence Party's Geir Haarde, was forced to resign amid protests when Iceland's banks collapsed, reported The Guardian.
The Pirate Party stepped in to offer an alternative.
It remains to be seen whether the Pirate Party will be able to form a needed coalition to form a government without working with the Independence Party, which it has said it will not do.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.