Best Party wins Reykjavík elections

The results of the local elections held yesterday are out and they confirm what previous exit polls suggested. The Best Party (better known around here as Besti flokkurinn), led by popular comedian Jón Gnarr and featuring well-known figures from the local arts and entertainment scene, wins Reykjavík elections with 34.7% of votes, earning six out of fifteen seats in the Reykjavík City Council. Indipendence Party of former Mayor Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, only 660 votes away from the winning party and 33.6% of votes, obtains five seats. Social Democrats and Left-Greens earn respectively three and one seats, while other coalitions didn’t obtain enough votes to have any representatives sitting in the Council.

The Best Party, founded only six months ago, has according to many commentators benefited from the loss of trust of Icelanders towards more established parties, considered partly responsible for the 2008 financial collapse. Basing their campaign on more or less absurd pledges as stopping corruption by being transparent about it, bringing a polar bear to Reykjavík zoo, providing swimming pools of free towels, and freeing the Parliament of drugs by 2020, representatives of this Monty Pythonesque party have been able to persuade enough Icelanders with their jokes. Jokes that many voters have interpreted as a promise of a brighter and cleaner future, free of the hypocrisies of other political parties.

Jón Gnarr, approached by the media after the results were confirmed to comment of his coalition’s victory, described the whole situation as “surreal”. He will sit on the Mayor seat.