The Counter-Elite: Protesters and Political Renewal in Iceland

After the economic and political crisis in in 2008-09 a large number of individuals and organized groups have emerged to challenge conventional ways of doing politics in Iceland. This seems to be a continuing trend and is observed both in formal elections (parliamentary- , presidential- and local elections as well as the constitutional council), polls and other political activity (e.g. social media and political protest). This is hand in hand with considerable electoral volatility and weakening of the established political forces. It still remains unclear, however, if or to what extent the new activists are primarily the voice of disaffection and a protest vote, or if they constitute a lasting new trend in Icelandic politics. In order to become a lasting feature of the Icelandic landscape we should expect the new activists to constitute relatively cohesive groups and represent broadly based interests which are not well articulated by the established parties. Furthermore, those interest should reflect the interest and profile of their voters. Thus we take into account characteristics, attitudes about democracy and issue positions of voters, the political elite and activities, and examine congruence there between. The analysis will be based on a study of background characteristics and the Icelandic National Election Study (both voters and candidates).