 Iceland's radical Pirate party, which has vowed to stamp out corruption and use online polls to form its policies, has been asked to form the country's next government, the Telegraph has learned. The Nordic country's political system has been gridlocked since October's election as no single party managed to win a clear majority - though the Pirates saw their number of seats increase threefold. "The president gave us the mandate today to lead the government formation," Halldora Mogensen, a newly elected Pirate Party MP, told the Telegraph. "We have the mandate to start official talks about forming the government. We don't want to necessarily lead anything but rather work towards a collaboration on equal grounds."  The ruling Independence party had been tasked with forming a coalition by President Gudni Johannesson, but when those talks failed the responsibility was passed onto the liberal Left Greens. Their talks collapsed shortly after, leaving the Pirates - or Piratar in Icelandic - as potential kingmakers as the only remaining group that is capable of forming a new coalition. "It will be done in the spirit of the flat structure of the Pirate Party," Ms Mogensen added, "we will not necessarily seek out the prime minister position." The Pirate's de facto leader, Birgitta Jonsdottir, is a self-described "poetician" who worked with Julian Assange to expose the infamous “Collateral Murder” video, in which American soldiers were caught on camera gunning down unarmed Baghdad civilians in 2007. She famously offered Icelandic citizenship to the former NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, who is currently in hiding in Russia. Ms Jonsdottir has vowed to tear up Iceland's 72-year-old constitution in a bid to make the government more open, and its politicians more accountable.  It is understood that she will not stand for leadership under a Pirate-led government as she would rather take a background role where she can ensure the party lives up to its values.
"The president [initially] gave the mandate to the Independence Party and when they did not manage to form gov, the mandate went to Left Greens," Ms Mogensen explained. "Those talks did not bear fruit and so now now we have the mandate and want to continue what the Left Greens started. "We feel like that possibility wasn't fully explored and we still have chance to form this 5 party government." The Pirates had hoped to ride on a wave of public anger against the mainstream parties in October's election, when polls suggested it would win up to 22 per cent of the vote - enough to lead a coalition. They managed to win 14 per cent of the vote, while the Independence party defied expectations by taking 29 per cent of the vote. Icelanders were devastated by a financial crash that was roundly blamed on the ruling Independence Party in 2008. Then, earlier this year, came another bombshell in the form of the Panama Papers scandal, which linked Iceland's prime minister to tax evasion. He was forced to resign, though he is not suspected of doing anything illegal. “The reasons people are voting for strange people like me are much the same across Europe,” Ms Jonsdottir told the Telegraph during the election campaign, following a meeting with potential coalition partners. “Normal people feel no one listens to them, that they are marginalised and forgotten." In brief | Pirate PartyWhat: A pro-free speech, anti-authoritarian political party in Iceland Formed: 2012 Founders: A group of anarchists, hackers and internet-freedom activists Leader: The party eschews formal leaders but Birgitta Jonsdottir is the most senior of three Pirate lawmakers in Iceland’s parliament Pirate policies
“I would like everybody in Iceland to find the pirate within, because the pirate within really represents change and a collective vision for the future.” - Birgitta Jonsdottir, Pirate Party lawmaker
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