Socialist List in the North Reykjavík constituency

“The upcoming elections are perhaps the most important elections of the republican era,” says Gunnar Smári Egilsson, who holds the top spot on the list of the Socialist Party (Sósíalistaflokkurinn) in the North Reykjavík constituency. “There is a real danger that over the next four years, a strong right-wing government will impose privatization and the dismantling of basic systems and infrastructure of society on the nation, a plan that the capitalist class calls a 'recovery'. The Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise (Samtök atvinnulífsins), the Icelandic Chamber of Commerce (Viðskiptaráð), the Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn), and other tools of the rich have laid out the lines and announced massive tax cuts for capital and business owners, even further pouring of public funds to the rich, a reduction in the power and resources of trade unions, and that the livelihood of the general public will be sacrificed for the increased profit of the rich. The Socialist Party of Iceland (Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands) was founded to resist the capitalist class, and it intends to defeat these plans in the upcoming elections. The Socialist Party is the only clear alternative against the announced attack by the capitalist class on the general public.”

“As can be seen from the party's list in Reykjavík, the Socialist Party is a broad party that well reflects the general public,” says Gunnar Smári. “It is a sweet honor to lead this group of activists. There are people who have already made their mark on the debate, have in fact led the public discourse in recent years, but also people who will become prominent in the coming weeks, months, and years, even decades. The list suggests that a movement is emerging.”

“I want to emphasize that everyone should be guaranteed income and housing security, and that people are free from all forms of violence and oppression,” says Laufey Líndal Ólafsdóttir, who is in second place on the list. “I have worked on issues concerning single parents and children growing up in unconventional family structures. And I want to work on improving the state of mental health issues, addiction treatment, and healthcare in general. The public sector should accept its responsibility and provide essential services free of charge, funded by fair taxation.”

“The young people in the country have had enough of unfair student loans, an impossible housing market, and rapidly growing concerns about climate issues,” says Atli Gíslason, who is in third place on the list. “For these reasons, socialism has strongly appealed to young people. The Socialist Party fights for a better economic situation for students, better housing conditions for students, and action on climate issues.”

But what is the chairman of Efling doing running for the Socialist Party? “I believe that economic justice is the most important thing we fight for,” says Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, who is in fourth place on the list. “If we, the workers, stand together—those who create the economic value of society with their labor and those who care for children and the elderly—if we do not let ourselves be beaten into submission, if we understand our absolute fundamental importance in the economy, if we understand that we are literally indispensable, that without our work everything stops; then we can achieve real results. We can win victories. We can do what we have every right to do: shape society so that we and our children are offered the existence we truly deserve. Let's not wait for others to take it on; let's do it ourselves.”

In first place is Gunnar Smári Egilsson, an unemployed journalist and chairman of the Executive Board (Framkvæmdastjórn) of the Socialist Party. Gunnar Smári has worked in most aspects of journalism and media, delivering newspapers, laying them out, writing for them, publishing and editing, being a columnist on radio and television, and running a broadcasting company. Gunnar Smári has also been chairman of SÁÁ and CEO of large companies. Smári was involved in the founding of the Socialist Party, was chairman of the interim board from the founding meeting, and later chairman of the Executive Board. He has actively participated in public discourse for decades and with great socialist vigor in recent years.

In second place is Laufey Líndal Ólafsdóttir, a political scientist, grassroots activist, and mother of three children. She grew up in a socialist and highly political queer music household and has held various jobs, including being a DJ, dancer, art model, working a cash register in a store, working in a bar, serving in a restaurant, and working in a clothing store. Laufey lived in London for most of the 1990s and came to Iceland at the end of 1999 after suffering the terrible trauma of losing a newborn child. Laufey served on the board of the Association of Single Parents (Félag einstæðra foreldra) from 2004 and was its chairman from 2006-2010. She is on the board of EAPN Iceland and was one of the founders of Pepp Ísland, a grassroots movement for people in poverty. Laufey is a representative of the Socialists on the board of Félagsbústaðir and is the first tenant of the company to serve on its board. She was also involved in the founding of Blokkin, an association of tenants at Félagsbústaðir, and has been active in the work of Socialist Feminists. Laufey pursued education as a single mother, first through a matriculation exam with two children and later through a BA in political science with three children. She is now more than halfway through an MA in journalism but had to take a break due to family circumstances, but plans to finish it as soon as possible.

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In third place is Atli Gíslason, a computer scientist and chairman of the Young Socialists. Atli grew up in Belgium and the United States, and moved back home to Iceland to study at Reykjavík University. He graduated from there in 2020 with a B.Sc degree in computer science. He wants to strengthen our healthcare system, establish a new constitution, and promote equality. As chairman of the Young Socialists, Atli actively participates in the struggle for socialism in Iceland by educating young people about socialism, capitalism, and politics.

In fourth place is Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, chairman of Efling. She is educated in the school of life. Sólveig Anna has since 2008 participated in the struggle for economic justice. She is a socialist feminist and anti-imperialist. She knows that true equality is the key to a dignified future.

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In fifth place is Oddný Eir Ævarsdóttir, a writer and single mother in Reykjavík. Oddný Eir studied political philosophy and feminist deconstruction and heritage studies in Paris, and in her autobiographical fiction, she has made systematic attempts to renew the language in the fields of thought, emotion, perception, society, and nature conservation. Oddný Eir has also been active in teaching, visual arts and heritage culture, goat farming, radio, publishing, and nature conservation. She serves on the board of the Icelandic Environment Association (Náttúruverndarsamtök Íslands), edited a website on nature conservation and innovation after the banking collapse, and fought against the capitalist takeover of public natural resources. Oddný Eir learned Hungarian in Budapest, where she experienced the terrible consequences of totalitarianism and dogmatic systems of both communism and neoliberalism. She then realized the importance of a new socialist societal vision where nature conservation is intertwined with economic and social justice, animal and human rights in a loving revolution.

In sixth place is Bogi Reynisson, a technician, musician, and activist. Bogi is a socialist who believes that the only realistic way to turn society towards greater equality and fairer distribution is through organized public associations with the clear purpose of taking power from the capitalist class and placing it in the hands of the public. To achieve this, public ownership of the country's resources must be strengthened, and those funds used for the development of societal infrastructure. And Bogi says that the Socialist Party is the public's tool to achieve these goals.

In seventh place is Kristbjörg Eva Andersen Ramos, who is studying social work at the University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands). Kristbjörg Eva is a radical socialist with a strong sense of justice. Her mother is an immigrant, and therefore immigration issues are foremost in her mind; she knows them from her own experience. Kristbjörg Eva has worked in the welfare sector and encountered the obstacles that many people face daily. She aims to learn the system from top to bottom so that she is better equipped to change it with the help of socialism.

List of the Socialist Party of Iceland in the North Reykjavík constituency:

Gunnar Smári Egilsson, unemployed journalist
Laufey Líndal Ólafsdóttir, student on leave
Atli Gíslason, computer scientist
Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, chairman of Efling
Oddný Eir Ævarsdóttir, writer
Bogi Reynisson, technician
Kristbjörg Eva Andersen Ramos, student
Ævar Þór Magnússon, foreman
Geirdís Hanna Kristjánsdóttir, disabled person
Guttormur Þorsteinsson, librarian and chairman of the Association of War Resisters (Samtök hernaðarandstæðinga)
Sanna Magdalena Mörtudóttir, city councilor
Atli Antonsson, PhD student
Ævar Uggason, bookseller
Jóna Guðbjörg Torfadóttir, teacher
Bjarki Steinn Bragason, school assistant
Loubna Anbari, student
Jökull Sólberg Auðunsson, consultant
Birgitta Jónsdóttir, parliamentary poet
Sigurður Gunnarsson, photographer
Þorvarður Bergmann Kjartansson, computer scientist
Ísabella Lena Borgarsdóttir, student
María Kristjánsdóttir, director