Pirate Party Set To Rattle Iceland In Snap Vote

REYKJAVIK, , (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Oct, 2016 ) - Iceland's anti-establishment Pirate Party is set to shake up the political landscape in Saturday's parliament election, with voters on course to punish a government tainted by the Panama papers.

Iceland called the snap vote in August after the global tax evasion scandal ensnared several senior politicians and claimed the scalp of the prime minister. The revelations rocked the North Atlantic island nation, reigniting the popular anger last seen during the 2008 financial crisis that wrecked Iceland's banking system and led to a severe economic depression.

Despite Iceland since returning to robust economic growth of over four percent and low unemployment, analysts say there is a rising tide of anti-establishment sentiment, witnessed in the mass street protests that erupted in April over the Panama Papers.

"Iceland has recovered from the tremor but the aftershock has shaken up the political system," said Eirikur Bergman, professor of political science at Bifrost University. "Voters are keen on punishing (the mainstream parties)," he added.

Rather than lurching to the right -- a trend seen in several European countries -- Iceland's voters appear likely to entrust the running of their nation to a handful of left-leaning groups. But the future makeup of the government is far from clear in a country of just over 330,000 people better known for its breathtaking volcanic landscapes than its politics.