Following the Icelandic parliamentary election on Saturday, Pirate Party members have suggested that a minority government of the Left-Green Movement, the Reform Party and Bright Future be formed, which would be supported by the Pirate Party and the Social Democratic Alliance, mbl.is reports.
The suggestion was agreed to at the Pirate Party’s first party group meeting yesterday. Three Pirate Party MPs, Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Einar Aðalsteinn Brynjólfsson and Smári McCarthy, presented the idea to President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson today.
The Pirate Party is Iceland’s third largest political party, following the election, with 14.4 percent support, or ten MPs in parliament, compared with three MPs in the 2013 election.
Birgitta told reporters, “We have suggested, if it would help, that we’d be ready to support a minority government, which could be made up of the Reform Party, Bright Future and the Left-Greens, and we and the Social Democratic Alliance [would] support it without having any ministers [from our parties].” She added, “It’s complicated if the leaders of five parties sit at the government table.”
Smári denied there is unwillingness on the party’s behalf to shoulder responsibility. “It appears hard to form a majority government,” he said. Pirates would be ready to participate in government if that turned out to be a better option than a minority government, but the main thing is for a good and strong government to be formed, which is trustworthy and able to build up trust in society. Whether Pirates are part of it isn’t the main point, he argued. The goal is to reduce the level of complexity in the formation of government.
