Within a year of election

Yesterday it was a smooth year for Icelanders to re -enter the polls and vote for local governments. People need leadership in 62 municipalities of all sizes. The most crowded is obviously the City of Reykjavik with almost 140,000 inhabitants. The most popular is Tjörneshreppur where more than 50 people have residence and domicile.

It is a notable fact in the small country that Iceland is that there are only 8 municipalities with more than 10 thousand inhabitants. 27 of them have a thousand to ten thousand inhabitants and the same number with fewer than a thousand.

Of all sizes and types

The challenges are similarly different and they are not only tied to crowds. Geographical, demographic composition and revenue streams also have a great deal on how these administrative units are.

As in the last election to local councils, Árvakur’s media will make the election campaign a good return. Shed light on the biggest challenges of the municipalities and the emphases that different candidates want to propose to the coming four years.

In order to predict the cards for the fight ahead, the journalists Andrés Magnússon and Hermann Nökkvi Gunnarsson met on the platform. And the debate went a long way, as the country was all underneath.

All eyes on Reykjavik

It is clear that many eyes will be in Reykjavik in the elections now. It has been stormy. Three politicians from two categories are the mayor’s chair in two different majority. Most suggest that Einar Þorsteinsson will calm the organism on behalf of the Progressive Party and mentions Andrés that on a good day the party will reach two people. Einar secured the party the naughty victory in the last election, 19% of the vote and four citizens.

Andrés believes that Hildur Björnsdóttir has established himself as a leader of Independents with a rapid progress in recent months. Hermann Nökkvi does not want to take that deep in the year but says she certainly strengthened her position.

Does Kristrún support the mayor?

Heida Björg Hilmisdóttir is the mayor now, but it is not clear how much welcome she enjoys with Kristrún Frostadóttir who has a cold predecessor Heidi in the Oddvitas seat, Dag B. Eggertsson. In fact, so much will not be forgotten while land is based.

Hermann Nökkvi, however, points out that it will be difficult for the Social Democratic Party to change the point of view in light of the fact that Heida Björg is now sitting in the high office that the politicians in the city are all competing to run.

Live Pirates off?

Both Pirates and VG were wiped out of parliament in parliamentary elections at the end of November. There are great speculation about the potential of these categories to stay alive. Andrés mentions that VG is likely to do so and that there will be supply in Reykjavik and elsewhere. He is not as sure that Pirate’s organizations are sufficiently supportive to withstand this endurance.

There are many indications that the party is in resolution. Andrés points out that Alexandra Briem their odds are a bigger « brand » in the city field than the party itself. She may simply find another place for the next election.

What happens in Hafnarfjordur?

The fight will be fierce on more fronts. Thus, it will be curious to monitor developments in Hafnarfjordur, where everything is aiming for Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir to leave the stage, but she is known to have come to Parliament. Valdimar Víðisson, the current mayor, needs everything in order to strengthen his position and secure more years and the key powers to the town hall in the town.

In the Westman Islands, the Independence Party will try to restore its powers after breaking them into the interior conflict and split for almost eight years.

Vilhjálmur forward?

Furthermore, the Left-Miral part has hired laws and praises in Reykjanesbær for many years. There are many indications that the big parties will offer mayors there. Among other things, the idea has been put forward that Vilhjálmur Árnason secretary of the Independence Party interferes with that battle.

But the municipalities are more as mentioned before. Morgunbladid’s journalists are anticipated to follow the election campaign and carry subscribers and Icelanders all reliable, interesting and reliable news of the political party that awaits around the corner.

The interview with Andrés and Hermann Nökkva can be seen in their entirety here: