Alþýðulist

Alþýðulist, meaning "People's Art" in Icelandic, was a short-lived political party in Iceland. It was formed in 1998 as a splinter group from the People's Alliance, a political party that had merged with others to form the Social Democratic Alliance. Alþýðulist was founded by individuals who felt the new Social Democratic Alliance was too centrist and had abandoned the socialist principles of the former People's Alliance.

The party's platform was explicitly socialist, advocating for a more equitable distribution of wealth, increased social welfare programs, and a stronger role for labor unions. They also expressed strong opposition to Iceland's involvement in NATO and the presence of foreign military bases. Alþýðulist aimed to represent the interests of the working class and those who felt marginalized by mainstream politics.

Despite its clear ideological stance, Alþýðulist struggled to gain significant traction in Icelandic politics. In the 1999 parliamentary elections, the party received only 1.4% of the vote and failed to secure any seats in the Althing, the Icelandic parliament. Following this electoral disappointment, the party's influence waned. Many of its members eventually rejoined the Social Democratic Alliance or other left-leaning political movements. Alþýðulist effectively ceased to be an active political force shortly after its formation, serving as a brief testament to internal ideological debates within the Icelandic left.