Independence Party (Iceland)

This article is about the modern Independence Party. For the historical Independence Party, see Independence Party (Iceland, historical).

Independence Party
Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn
ChairpersonBjarni Benediktsson
Vice-chairpersonÞórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir
SecretaryVilhjálmur Árnason
Parliamentary group chairpersonHildur Sverrisdóttir
Chief ExecutiveÞórður Þórarinsson
FounderJón Þorláksson
Sigurður Eggerz
Founded25 May 1929 (1929-05-25)
Merger ofConservative Party
Liberal Party
HeadquartersHáaleitisbraut 1,
105 Reykjavík
Youth wingYoung Independents
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right[5][6][7]
European affiliationEuropean People's Party (associate member)
International affiliationInternational Democracy Union
Nordic affiliationConservative Group
Colours  Blue
Seats in Parliament
17 / 63
Election symbol
Website
xd.is

The Independence Party (Icelandic: Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) is a conservative political party in Iceland. It is currently the largest party in the Alþingi, with 17 seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and the vice chairman of the party is Þórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir.

It was formed in 1929 through a merger of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party.[8] This united the two parties advocating the dissolution of the Union of Denmark and Iceland; dissolution was achieved in 1944, during the German occupation of Denmark. Since its formation in 1929, the party has won the largest share of the vote in every election except the 2009 election, when it fell behind the Social Democratic Alliance. Every Independence Party leader has also at some point held the office of Prime Minister. Since 2013, there have been three different coalition governments in Iceland, all of which have included the Independence Party.

On fiscal issues, the Independence Party is economically liberal,[2] favouring privatisation,[9] and opposed to interventionism. Positioned ideologically on the centre-right[5][6][7] of the political spectrum,[10][11] the party is most strongly supported by fishermen and high-income earners.[12] A longstanding member of the International Democracy Union, in September 2023 the party obtained associate member status in the European People's Party.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference bale was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Siaroff, Alan, The Effects of Differing Electoral Systems on Party Politics, Government Formation and Voter Turnout, p. 69
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Arnason2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nordsieck was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Nordic States and European Integration: Awkward Partners in the North? p.106. Edited by Malin Stegmann McCallion and Alex Brianson. Published by Palgrave Macmillan. First published in 2017. Published in Cham, Switzerland. Accessed via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b "Iceland election: Independence Party still has most seats". BBC News. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Politics in Iceland: A beginner's guide". Iceland Monitor.
  8. ^ Arter, David (15 February 1999). Scandinavian Politics Today. Manchester University Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-7190-5133-3.
  9. ^ Fontaine, Andie Sophia (February 23, 2021). Iceland’s Political Parties: Who Are These People? The Reykjavik Grapevine. Retrieved: 1 3 September 2021.
  10. ^ Önnudóttir, Eva H.; Hardarson, Ólafur Th. (11 December 2017). "Iceland 2017: A new government from left to right". Party Systems and Governments Observatory. University of Nottingham.
  11. ^ Deloy, Corinne (2 May 2013). "The rightwing opposition wins in the general elections in Iceland". Robert Schuman Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Siaroff 265 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).