The majority gives the Independence Party an extra seat on the City Executive Council (borgarráð).

Sanna Magdalena Mörtudóttir, City Councillor for the socialists, will propose at the first meeting of the new City Council (borgarstjórn) that the City Council's rules be changed back so that those parties that do not get elected representatives on the city's councils and committees (ráð og nefndir) get to appoint observer representatives to all councils with freedom of speech and the right to propose motions.

“I haven't been able to understand what thinking was behind the changes in April when observer representatives were removed,” says Sanna, “to some extent, a cost-saving perspective played a role, and possibly a fear that meetings would become too crowded. But I find these arguments weak when the access of democratically elected city councillors to the city's administrative system is curtailed in such a decisive manner.”

Sanna says that all the minority parties support this proposal, consequently 11 out of 23 city councillors. “Therefore, it is enough for one of the Pirate Party's city councillors to support the proposal. The Pirate Party has emphasized transparency and democratic working methods in its policy, so I am quite hopeful of getting support from them,” says Sanna.

In addition to this proposal, the socialists in the city are working to overturn the City Council office's interpretation of municipal laws to the effect that if the socialists, Miðflokkur and Flokkur fólksins put forward a list to get a representative from one of these parties into the City Executive Council, then the others do not forfeit the right to appoint observer representatives there. After the changes in April, only observer representatives remain on the City Executive Council and the Transport and Planning Council (samgöngu- og skipulagsráð), the only councils authorized to make final decisions on individual matters. But the City Council office interprets the laws such that parties forfeit their right to appoint observer representatives if they support the election of a representative from another party to sit on the councils.

“This is a particularly undemocratic interpretation,” says Sanna. “Since the president and vice-presidents of the City Council have not been elected, there is currently no Presiding Committee (forsætisnefnd) at work that could adjust this interpretation. But it is clear that the elected representatives must step into this matter to ensure fair access for all parties to these councils.”

The socialists have prepared an appeal to the Ministry of Local Government (sveitarstjórnarráðuneytið) to have the City Council office's interpretation changed. According to Sanna, it is unlikely that any parties in other municipalities face the same choice as the socialists, Miðflokkur and Flokkur fólksins in Reykjavík, having to choose between seeking one seat on the City Executive Council and the Transport and Planning Council and thereby sacrificing observer representatives, or choosing observation for all parties but giving up their vote to the Independence Party in the councils.

“The situation in Reykjavík is so unique due to the number of parties that these flaws in the laws, in conjunction with changed regulations, have not emerged until now. When that happens, an interpretation must be applied that prioritizes more significant aspects over less significant ones. And in this case, it is clear that what is most important is transparency, active democracy, equality between parties, and the rights of those voters who cast their ballots in the recent municipal elections,” says Sanna.

As things stand, 16.8% of voters who voted for the socialists, Miðflokkur and Flokkur fólksins will not get any representative on the City Executive Council and the Transport and Planning Council. This is more than half of the votes that the Independence Party received, but as things stand, it will get three representatives on the City Executive Council and the Transport and Planning Council.

“The amusing thing is that by supporting the City Council office's interpretation and not reacting to its consequences, the Pirate Party, Vg, Samfylking and Viðreisn are giving the Independence Party an extra person on the City Executive Council and another on the Transport and Planning Council,” says Sanna. “I think the voters of these parties will find it a strange outcome that they are supporting an increased influence of the Independence Party in the city's governance.”