Independence Party (Iceland)

Independence Party

Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn
Independence Party Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn
Chairperson	Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir
Vice-chairperson	Jens Garðar Helgason
Secretary	Vilhjálmur Árnason
Parliamentary group chairperson	Hildur Sverrisdóttir
Chief Executive	Þórður Þórarinsson
Founder	Jón Þorláksson; Sigurður Eggerz
Founded	25 May 1929
Merger of	Conservative Party; Liberal Party
Headquarters	Háaleitisbraut 1,; 105 Reykjavík
Youth wing	Young Independents
Ideology	Conservatism (Icelandic); Economic liberalism;
Political position	Centre-right
European affiliation	European People's Party (associate)
International affiliation	International Democracy Union
Nordic affiliation	Conservative Group
Colours	Blue
Seats in Parliament	14 / 63
Election symbol
Website
	xd.is
	Politics of Iceland; Political parties; Elections;

The Independence Party (Icelandic: Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn [ˈsjaul(f)ˌstaiːðɪsˌflɔhkʏrɪn]) is a conservative political party in Iceland. It is currently the second largest party in the Alþingi, with 14 seats. The chairman of the party is Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir and the vice chairman of the party is Jens Garðar Helgason.

It was formed in 1929 through a merger of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party.^[7] 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 2009 and 2024, when it fell behind the Social Democratic Alliance. Every Independence Party leader has also at some point held the office of Prime Minister. Since 1983 there have been only two governments that have excluded the Independence Party — the second cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir from 2009–2013, and the sitting government of Kristrún Frostadóttir.

On fiscal issues, the Independence Party is economically liberal,^[2] favouring privatisation,^[8] and opposed to interventionism. Positioned ideologically on the centre-right^[3]^[4]^[5] of the political spectrum,^[9]^[10] the party is most strongly supported by fishermen and high-income earners.^[11] A longstanding member of the International Democracy Union, in September 2023 the party obtained associate member status in the European People's Party.

^ Cite error: The named reference bale was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Siaroff, Alan, The Effects of Differing Electoral Systems on Party Politics, Government Formation and Voter Turnout, p. 69
^ ^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.
^ ^a ^b "Iceland election: Independence Party still has most seats". BBC News. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Politics in Iceland: A beginner's guide". Iceland Monitor.
^ ^[3]^[4]^[5]
^ Arter, David (15 February 1999). Scandinavian Politics Today. Manchester University Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-7190-5133-3.
^ Fontaine, Andie Sophia (February 23, 2021). Iceland’s Political Parties: Who Are These People? The Reykjavik Grapevine. Retrieved: 1 3 September 2021.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Cite error: The named reference Siaroff 265 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).