Not content with serving as a catalyst for the global financial crisis, Iceland has elected three members of the Pirate Party to its national Parliament. Iceland’s Alþingi (“Althing” in English) is a single-chambered parliament that has met since the tenth century and says it is the world’s oldest such legislature. The nation is divided into six constituencies, each of which elects nine representatives. Constituencies with larger populations also have one or two “levelling seats” to ensure the value of a vote remains constant across the nation. Proportional representation is used to elect candidates.
Iceland’s three most urban constituencies – Reykjavik North, Reykjavik South and the Soutwest Distric – have elected Pirate Party candidates and the party secured a little over five per cent of the national vote.
The newly-elected parliamentarians are programmer Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson (who appears to have GitHub and Stack Overflow accounts), Wikileaks volunteer Birgitta Jónsdóttir and business student Jón Þór Ólafsson.
Pirate Party founder Rick Falvinge has hailed the wins as a big moment for the party, as it marks the first time Pirate Party candidates have made it into a national parliament.
Full Article: Pirate Party wins seats in Icelandic election • The Register.