The newly built Reykjavik neighbourhood of Ulfarsardalur has suffered from the economic downturn. Despite great and ongoing investment in building and infrastructure, the area remains mostly deserted. The new estate is suffering because empty houses nearer to the city centre are more freely available and their prices much lower than a year ago.

An anonymous individual or group recently raised eyebrows however, by purchasing all the empty brand new houses in one go.

It has now come to light that the purchasers intend to give all the houses away in a lottery. In order to enter the lottery, people will have to register at a new website (to be launched next week) pledging their intention to vote for the Independence Party at the general election on 25th April, osannur.is reports.

Independence Party spokesperson Jon Gunnarsson said in a statement last night that the party itself is not behind the stunt, as that would clearly be against the law. Despite the anonymity of the investors involved, he says he can guarantee the investors are not prominent members of the party, if they are in fact members at all.

There is speculation in the DV newspaper today that the house lottery could actually have been invented by foreign business interests wary of the perceived left wing reluctance to give over more of the countryside to heavy industry.

Current Social Democratic Minister of Justice, Ragna Arnadottir told mbl.is this morning that the Social Democrats (who form the temporary government with the Left Green Party) will force through a law designating the neighbourhood a toxic waste dump for pollution from the former US military base at Keflavik, if those behind the scheme do not publicly reveal their identity within 48 hours.