Pirates still sailing high

Iceland’s Pirate Party (‘Píratar’) has further increased its lead in the opinion polls, according to a recent survey conducted by Icelandic market-research firm, MMR.

The ‘Pirates’ are currently the most popular party in Iceland, enjoying the support of 32.7% of voters, up 0.7 points on the last poll conducted. The two ruling government parties have also seen a slight increase in their support, securing the vote of 31.4% of Icelanders combined.

In second position in the polls is the centre-right Independence Party (‘Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn’) with 23.1%, followed by the centre-left Social Democratic Alliance (‘Samfylkingin’) with 13.1%.

The Progressive Party (‘Framsóknarflokkurinn’), led by Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, is now supported by just 8.6% of voters and lies in fifth place among Iceland’s six major political parties.

The Pirate Party has mostly drawn support from people who voted for Bright Future (‘Björt framtíð’), the Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement (‘Vinstrihreyfingin – Grænt framboð’) in the 2013 general elections.