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The Pirate Party Is Now More Popular in Iceland than the Government

Polls show the internet freedom party has surged ahead.

The Pirate Party, a movement founded in Sweden nine years ago, is continuing to surge across Europe, now surpassing Iceland's local coalition government in recent polls.

The Pirates have been ahead in the polls for several months now, according to the Iceland Monitor. In March, the party was at 23.9 percent, making it the most popular party in the country. Now, at 34.2 percent, the Pirates have surged past the country's current coalition Government, which includes the Independence Party at 21.7 percent and the Progressive Party at 10.4 percent.

The Pirate Party was founded in Sweden in 2006 by IT entrepreneur Rickard Falkvinge in part to reform copyright laws. It focuses on platforms surrounding internet freedom, privacy, and citizen participation in political issues. In 2014, the party was polling at 3.1 percent in Sweden, dropping from 7.1 percent in the 2009 elections.

Ásta Helgadóttir, Member of Parliament for the Icelandic Pirate Party, told Torrent Freak that although the Pirate Party is rising in popularity, the group's main goal is not necessarily to govern but to spark a discussion around these issues.

"We don't really want to govern, but rather have the system working as a whole where everyone in it has responsibility for their actions," she said. "I don't know how realistic it is that we'll form a government, only time will tell."

Iceland's next parliamentary election is in 2017.