http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl2881
Mon Jun 28, 2:48 pm ET
Last December, Icelandic comedian Jon Gnarr got a group of friends from Iceland's punk rock scene together and formed a new party. The Best Party — which adopted the informal slogan "The bestest of all the parties" — got the word out through a funny YouTube video set to the Tina Turner song "The Best." The campaign appeared to be a satirical attempt to draw attention to corruption and debt in the economically depressed city, but the results were surprising: Gnarr was elected mayor of Reykjavik last week with 34 percent of the vote, and the Best Party won six out of 15 seats on the city council.
Gnarr, 43, is a popular comedian and actor in Iceland, best known for playing a grouchy bald TV and film character. He's also a well-known prankster: According to the New York Times, Gnarr's "foreign relations experience includes a radio show in which he regularly crank-called the White House, the CIA, the FBI and police stations in the Bronx to see if they had found his lost wallet." Gnarr's punk roots stretch back to his tour as a teen bassist in a band called Nefrennsli (which translates as "Runny Nose"). He also did a one-man stand-up comedy show called "I Used to Be a Nerd." His wife is best friends with Iceland's best-known indie chanteuse, Bjork.
[Video: Dramatic volcanic eruption in Iceland]
The Best Party campaigned with promises of free towels at local pools, a polar bear exhibit at the zoo and a Disneyland at the airport. And the party has also instituted a novel requirement for forming a governing coalition in Iceland's parliamentary system: Party leaders say they will refuse to form a coalition with any party until they're satisfied that its elected officials have seen all five seasons of HBO's drama "The Wire." The Times reports that Gnarr suspects the party with which he formed a coalition had assistants watch "The Wire" and take notes, implying that the new mayor actually quizzed party members on "Wire" trivia.
[More odd politics: Big win for mystery candidate facing felony charges]
Even though the Best Party was mainly launched to lampoon the Icelandic political scene, Gnarr's party seems to be taking its positions seriously so far — or at least as seriously as its leaders can. In his acceptance speech, the Times reports, Gnarr reassured voters: "No one has to be afraid of the Best Party, because it is the best party. If it wasn't, it would be called the Worst Party or the Bad Party. We would never work with a party like that."
Best Party members performed a version of the song whose lyrics lay out the party's ideals. One sample appeal: "We want a city that's cuddly, clean and cool." The video also suggests that Iceland economize: "We only need one Santa." (The country traditionally has 13 Santas.) You can watch the video here:
— Lindsay Robertson is a Yahoo! entertainment writer.
Mon Jun 28, 2:48 pm ET
Last December, Icelandic comedian Jon Gnarr got a group of friends from Iceland's punk rock scene together and formed a new party. The Best Party — which adopted the informal slogan "The bestest of all the parties" — got the word out through a funny YouTube video set to the Tina Turner song "The Best." The campaign appeared to be a satirical attempt to draw attention to corruption and debt in the economically depressed city, but the results were surprising: Gnarr was elected mayor of Reykjavik last week with 34 percent of the vote, and the Best Party won six out of 15 seats on the city council.
Gnarr, 43, is a popular comedian and actor in Iceland, best known for playing a grouchy bald TV and film character. He's also a well-known prankster: According to the New York Times, Gnarr's "foreign relations experience includes a radio show in which he regularly crank-called the White House, the CIA, the FBI and police stations in the Bronx to see if they had found his lost wallet." Gnarr's punk roots stretch back to his tour as a teen bassist in a band called Nefrennsli (which translates as "Runny Nose"). He also did a one-man stand-up comedy show called "I Used to Be a Nerd." His wife is best friends with Iceland's best-known indie chanteuse, Bjork.
[Video: Dramatic volcanic eruption in Iceland]
The Best Party campaigned with promises of free towels at local pools, a polar bear exhibit at the zoo and a Disneyland at the airport. And the party has also instituted a novel requirement for forming a governing coalition in Iceland's parliamentary system: Party leaders say they will refuse to form a coalition with any party until they're satisfied that its elected officials have seen all five seasons of HBO's drama "The Wire." The Times reports that Gnarr suspects the party with which he formed a coalition had assistants watch "The Wire" and take notes, implying that the new mayor actually quizzed party members on "Wire" trivia.
[More odd politics: Big win for mystery candidate facing felony charges]
Even though the Best Party was mainly launched to lampoon the Icelandic political scene, Gnarr's party seems to be taking its positions seriously so far — or at least as seriously as its leaders can. In his acceptance speech, the Times reports, Gnarr reassured voters: "No one has to be afraid of the Best Party, because it is the best party. If it wasn't, it would be called the Worst Party or the Bad Party. We would never work with a party like that."
Best Party members performed a version of the song whose lyrics lay out the party's ideals. One sample appeal: "We want a city that's cuddly, clean and cool." The video also suggests that Iceland economize: "We only need one Santa." (The country traditionally has 13 Santas.) You can watch the video here:
— Lindsay Robertson is a Yahoo! entertainment writer.
