According to a new opinion poll by Fréttabladid daily newspaper, the Social Democrats are quickly gaining support and are now closing in on the Independence Party. The parties are supported by 34.8 and 36.7 percent of participants, respectively.
The Social Democrats have not enjoyed as much support since the newspaper’s poll in 2005 when 35.2 percent of participants said they would vote for the party, Fréttabladid reports.
The party’s support has increased by five percent since the Fréttabladid’s last poll in September 2007 and by eight percent since the parliamentary elections in May 2007.
“I believe the struggle in Reykjavík had an impact,” said vice-chairman for the Social Democrats Ágúst Ólafur Ágústsson. “The work within the party has also been very efficient for the past few months and it is clearly delivering results.”
The Independence Party has lost support by 3.5 percent since the poll in September 2007 and is now similar to what it received in the elections in May 2007.
“I’m rather satisfied with these results,” said Arnbjörg Sveinsdóttir, party group chairman for the Independence Party. “It shows that the negative coverage about the events in Reykjavík City Council for the past few days has not had much influence on us.”
If the parliamentary elections were today, the Independence Party would get 24 MPs (down by one from the 2007 elections), the Social Democrats 23 (up by five), the Left Greens ten (up by one), the Progressive Party six (down by one) and the Liberal Party none (down by four).
Fréttabladid called 800 voters at random yesterday and asked which party they would support if the parliamentary elections were today and 65.8 percent answered the question.
Poll participants were also asked if they supported the current government, the Independence Party-Social Democrat coalition, and 70 percent said they did (86.5 percent answered the question).
“It is great support for the government and it shows just how popular it is. We are clearly doing something right,” Ágústsson said. “Not many governments in Europe enjoy a support of 70 percent.”
