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Artists, actors, comedians and housewives formed the Best Party and ran in Iceland’s local elections as a protest against the status quo – and won six of the capital’s council seats, writes STEINUNN JAKOBSDOTTIR

IN LAST WEEK’S municipal elections in Iceland, voters sent the old party system a clear message. Majorities fell in almost all major municipalities, and Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, saw the new Best Party take six out of 15 council seats and more than a third of the vote. What had been called a satirical joke party without a clear platform effectively won the elections by protesting against a system it says has failed.