Independence Party

Political party in Iceland

Key facts

Chairperson: Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir
Vice chairperson: Jens Garðar Helgason
Secretary: Vilhjálmur Árnason
Parliamentary group chairperson: Ólafur Adolfsson
Chief executive: Þórður Þórarinsson
Founder: Jón Þorláksson , Sigurður Eggerz
Founded: 25 May 1929 ( 1929-05-25 )
Merger of: Conservative Party , Liberal Party
Headquarters: Háaleitisbraut 1, 105 Reykjavík
Youth wing: Young Independents
Ideology: Conservatism ( Icelandic ) Economic liberalism
Political position: Centre-right

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Article

The Independence Party (Icelandic: Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn [ˈsjaul(f)ˌstaiːðɪsˌflɔhkʏrɪn]) is a conservative political party in Iceland. It is currently the second largest party in the Alþingi, with 14 seats. The chairman of the party is Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir and the vice chairman of the party is Jens Garðar Helgason.

It was formed in 1929 through a merger of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. This united the two parties advocating the dissolution of the Union of Denmark and Iceland; dissolution was achieved in 1944, during the German occupation of Denmark. Since its formation in 1929, the party has won the largest share of the vote in every election except 2009 and 2024, when it fell behind the Social Democratic Alliance. Every Independence Party leader has also at some point held the office of Prime Minister. Since 1983 there have been only two governments that have excluded the Independence Party — the second cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, from 2009 to 2013, and the current (since 2024) cabinet of Kristrún Frostadóttir.