Socialist List in the Southwest Constituency

“The list is naturally like the people in the Socialist Party, a group of eager fighters who want to change society, make it better,” says María Pétursdóttir, who holds the first position on the Socialist Party's list in the Southwest Constituency, the Capital Region.

A randomly selected group of members of the Socialist Party compiles the party's list for elections. Experience has shown that the results of randomly selected groups in most cases provide a clearer picture of the grassroots' will than an election or primary. The same method was used for the party's selection of lists for the 2018 municipal elections and will be used for the selection of the party's list for the parliamentary elections this autumn and for the municipal elections next spring.

“The Socialists' message to the people in the Capital Region is the same as to all Icelanders,” says María. “We want to return power to the people where it belongs, and that will lead to increased equality and justice. We want to ensure everyone the right to a decent life, secure housing, and free people from gnawing existential anxiety. We want everyone to be seen and heard. That is the only way to build a good society, that we own it together. That is the essence of socialism.”

Þór Saari, who was elected to parliament for the Citizens' Movement in 2009, is in second place on the list. Why? “The Socialist Party is the party most likely to lead the necessary systemic changes that need to be made in Icelandic society. The party is sufficiently radical and is composed of courageous people who will not engage in traditional Four-Party politics. Socialists will always prioritize the public interest and the welfare of the most vulnerable.”

The top seven on the list are:

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In first place is María Pétursdóttir, artist, disabled person and activist, who has worked within the Socialist Party for the past four years as chair of the Policy Board (Málefnastjórn). In addition to art-related work, María oversaw the program the Disability Council (Öryrkjaráðið) on Samstöðin last year, and she also works on policy issues at ÖBÍ where she is the main representative of the MS Society within the alliance.

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In second place is Þór Saarieconomist and former Member of Parliament for the Citizens' Movement. After his parliamentary term in 2013, Þór has worked for the OECD, served on the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Iceland (bankaráði Seðlabanka Íslands), run a tourism business, been unemployed, and completed a diploma in translation from the University of Iceland.Þór was for many years on the Confidentiality Council of the Seamen's Union of Reykjavík (trúnaðarmannaráði Sjómannafélags Reykjavíkur), a shop steward for SÍNE, a spokesperson for Amnesty International for the abolition of the death penalty in South Carolina during his student years there, and treasurer of the Breiðavík Association, and has participated in numerous other community activities.

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In third place is Agnieszka Sokolowskalibrarian and interpreter of Polish origin who moved to Iceland fourteen years ago. In recent years, she has actively participated in projects related to multiculturalism, and was recently part of an advisory group on immigrant affairs under the auspices of the Icelandic Federation of Labour (Alþýðusamband Íslands). Within the Socialist Party, she has placed special emphasis on the aforementioned issues, in addition to making Icelanders of foreign origin visible in the political arena.

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In fourth place is Luciano Dutracertified document translator, literary translator, and graphic designer. Luciano was born and raised in Brazil but moved to Iceland at the age of 29 to study Icelandic as a second language at HÍ. He is now facing the biggest project of his life: having started a family with his partner Francesca Cricelli, as they are expecting a child in a few weeks.

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In fifth place is Ester Bíbí Ásgeirsdóttirmusician, sound engineer in filmmaking, and project manager, but also a socialist to the core. Ester Bíbí wholeheartedly supports the voices of socialists being heard in parliament because they are sorely missing there. She also supports the enactment of the new constitution, especially the natural resources clause. We are a wealthy nation and should be able to support all necessary basic systems much better than we currently do, says Bíbí: We should live in a democracy, not a plutocracy!

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In sixth place is Hörður Svavarsson, a preschool teacher and family man who lives in Hafnarfjörður. Hörður manages a preschool in Kópavogur. Hörður has been concerned with children's rights; he was chairman of the association Icelandic Adoption and is now working on research into children's space in preschools. He has been a member of the Socialist Party since its founding.

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In seventh place is Nanna Hlín Halldórsdóttir, a postdoctoral fellow in philosophy, who researches, among other things, feminist and Marxist theories. She has participated in grassroots work and activism around feminism, the status of asylum seekers, environmental protection, and the wages of young scientists and new researchers. Most recently, she has participated in raising awareness about the status of the chronically ill and the disease ME/chronic fatigue syndrome, as she herself lives with the disease.

List of the Socialist Party of Iceland in the Southwest Constituency:

María Pétursdóttir, artist/disabled person
Þór Saari, economist
Agnieszka Sokolowska, librarian
Luciano Dutra, translator
Ester Bíbí Ásgeirsdóttir, musician and filmmaker
Hörður Svavarsson, preschool teacher
Nanna Hlín Halldórsdóttir, postdoctoral fellow
Sæþór Benjamín Randalsson, chef
Ingibjörg Ýr Jóhannsdóttir, detective and public administration scholar
Tómas Ponzi, market gardener
Sara Stef. Hildardóttir, information scientist
Agni Freyr Arnarson Kuzminov, student
Zuzanna Elvira Korpak, student
Sigurður H. Einarsson, mechanic
Silja Rún Högnadóttir, art student
Alexey Matveev, school assistant
Elísabet Freyja Úlfarsdóttir, student
Arnlaugur Samúel Arnþórsson, gardener
Kolbrún Valvesdóttir, home care worker
Baldvin Björgvinsson, secondary school teacher
Elsa Björk Harðardóttir, primary school teacher and disabled person
Jón Hallur Haraldsson, programmer
Brynhildur Yrsa Valkyrja Guðmundsdóttir, preschool teacher
Gísli Pálsson, professor of anthropology
Erling Smith, engineer and disabled person
Sylviane Lecoultre, occupational therapist