A recent poll has shown that support for the right wing Independence Party in Iceland is dropping significantly. The survey, carried out between March 22 and March 25 by market and media research company MMR, has revealed the party presently has the support of just 24% of the electorate in Iceland. This party, which was in government until 2009 usually commands support of 30 to 40 per cent. Just three months ago it was 37.4%, indicating a marked drop.
Meanwhile, the same survey indicated that the Progressive Party has benefitted the most from this, helping them to become the largest political party in Iceland with 29.5% support, according to the latest MMR poll.
The fortunes of one of Iceland’s most established parties, formed from the ironic merger of the Conservative and Liberal Parties in 1929, has seen a dramatic slide following its role in Iceland’s economic crisis. In 2009 it lost power to the Social Democratic Alliance after dominating for half a century.
The poll also revealed that the nation as a whole does not trust Bjarni Benediktsson, the Chairman of the Independence Party. Reasons have been attributed to the fact that he was part of the board of directors for a company that played a part in defaulting in the financial crisis, causing creditors to lose around 4.3 billion ISK. He’s also unpopular for pushing Iceland to back out of its application for EU membership. This move won’t have gained the Independence Party any support when a large portion of the nation want to complete the negotiations with the EU, according to recent polls.
At this particular point in time, with the dramatic instability in the EU, it seems like a smart decision to stay out and move forward independently.