Socialist Party of Iceland
 | This article has an unclear citation style. (January 2021) |
Icelandic Socialist Party Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | SFÍ |
| Chairperson of Executive Committee | Gunnar Smári[1] |
| Founder | Gunnar Smári |
| Founded | 1 May 2017 |
| Headquarters | Bolholt 6, 104 Reykjavík |
| Youth wing | Ungir Sósíalistar |
| Pensioners' wing | Sósíalistar 55+[2] |
| Membership (2017) | 1,400 |
| Ideology | Socialism[3][4] Democratic socialism[4] Anti-neoliberalism[5] |
| Political position | Left-wing[4] |
| Colours | Red |
| Althing | 0 / 63 |
| Reykjavík City Council | 2 / 23 |
| Election symbol | |
 | |
| Website | |
| sosialistaflokkurinn | |
The Icelandic Socialist Party (Template:Lang-is; SFÍ) is a socialist political party in Iceland, which was founded on International Workers' Day (1 May) in 2017.
History
According to Gunnar Smári the party already had 1,400 members at its foundation. At the beginning of May, a temporary board was selected at a meeting to prepare a "Socialist Congress" in the autumn of 2017.[6] Prior to the Congress the party selected four committees among its members by sortition, responsible for healthcare, housing, social welfare, and democratization of society.[7]
The party did not contest the 2017 Althing elections, as it declared itself to be in a "build-up phase", but ran lists in Reykjavík and Kópavogur municipalities in the municipal elections on 26 May 2018.[8] In Reykjavík, they received one of 23 seats with 6.4% of the vote.[9]
Ideology and policies
The architect behind the party is the editor and author Gunnar Smári, who at the launching of the party declared that it should be "an advocate for wage earners and all those who are poor, invisible and powerless. The opponents of the Icelandic Socialist Party are the rich and those who serve their interests".[10]
Main points
According to the party’s website, the party’s main points in the party platform are:[11]
- "Humane living conditions" with regard to wages, unemployment benefits, pensions and student loans.
- Access to secure and free housing.
- A free healthcare system with no additional payments, as well as free access to education for all levels of education.
- Shorter working hours.
- A reform of the tax system with higher taxes for the wealthy and lower taxes for wage earners.
Housing
The party considers access to affordable housing to be a fundamental right, and calls for immediate actions to tackle the problems facing the Icelandic housing market.[12] Those actions include:
- The construction of 4000 apartments every year for the next three years.
- The construction of 30 thousand public apartments in the next ten years.
- The deprivatization of the Icelandic housing market.
- The establishment of a new housing fund intended to fund construction of apartments for public housing associations.
- To guarantee that public housing associations make up at least 25% of the housing market in 20 years.
- To implement a ceiling on the maximum price for rent.
- To guarantee that people don’t have to put more than a fourth of their income towards rent.
- To put severe restrictions on short-term rental companies such as Airbnb.
- To make lodging houses for homeless people available during the daytime as well.
- To guarantee all students access to free student accommodation.
- To guarantee access to free housing for the elderly and the disabled.
Parliamentary elections
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8,181 | 4.1 | 0 / 63
|
 0
|
9th
|
Extra-parliamentary |
Reykjavík City Council elections
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Sanna Magdalena Mörtudóttir | 3,758 | 6.4 | 1 / 23
|
New | 5th | Opposition |
| 2022 | 4,618 | 7.7 | 2 / 23
|
 1
|
5th | Opposition |
References
- ^ "Fundargerð 12.7.21" (PDF). sosialistaflokkurinn.is. 12 July 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Stefnuyfirlýsing Meistaradeildar Sósíalista". sosialistaflokkurinn.is. 29 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2021). "Iceland". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ a b c "Wahlcheck: Das wollen Islands Parteien". Deutsch-Isländische Gesellschaft Bremerhaven/Bremen. 11 September 2019. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Vindum ofan af nýfrjálshyggjunni". sosialistaflokkurinn.is. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands stofnaður". RÚV. 1 May 2017. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Socialists make policy by sortition". sosialistaflokkurinn.is. 3 July 2017. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Sósíalistaflokkurinn birtir framboðslista fyrir Reykjavík og Kópavog". Vísir.is. 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Reykjavik Elections: Conservatives Come Out Ahead, Socialist Wins Seat". The Reykjavík Grapevine. 27 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Gunnar Smári stofnar Sósíalistaflokk Íslands". RÚV. 11 April 2017. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Fyrstu baráttumál". Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Húsnæðismál". Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
External references
- Official website (in English)
- Official Facebook account (in Icelandic)
