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Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 August 1996 |
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| Prime Minister | Davíð Oddsson Halldór Ásgrímsson Geir Haarde |
| Preceded by | Vigdís Finnbogadóttir |
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| In office 28 September 1988 – 30 April 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson |
| Succeeded by | Friðrik Sophusson |
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| Born | 14 May 1943 Ísafjörður, Iceland |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Dorrit Moussaieff |
| Residence | Bessastaðir, Álftanes |
| Alma mater | University of Manchester University of Iceland |
| Profession | Professor Politician |
| Religion | Lutheran |
- This is an Icelandic name; the last name is a patronymic or matronymic, not a family name; the person is properly referred to by the given name Ólafur .
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (ˈou:lavʏr ˈraknar ˈkrimsɔn) (born 14 May 1943) is the fifth and current President of Iceland.[1] He has served as President since 1996; he was re-elected unopposed in 2000, he was re-elected for a third term in 2004, and was automatically re-elected for a fourth term in 2008.
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Early life
Ólafur was born in Ísafjörður, Iceland. From 1962 to 1970, he studied economics and political science at the University of Manchester; in 1970 he was the first person from Iceland to earn a PhD in political science. He became a lecturer in political science at the University of Iceland in 1970, then a Professor of Political Science at the same university in 1973. He was the University's first Professor of Political Science.[1]
Political career
As part of the left People's Alliance, Ólafur was a Member of Althing for Reykjavík from 1978 to 1983; during this time he was Chairman of the People's Alliance parliamentary group from 1980 to 1983. Subsequently, he was Chairman of the People's Alliance executive committee from 1983 to 1987; additionally, from 1983 to 1985 he was editor of a newspaper, Þjóðviljinn. From 1987 to 1995, he was Leader of the People's Alliance; during this time, he served as Minister of Finance from 1988 to 1991 and as a Member of Althing for Reykjanes from 1991 to 1996.
As member of the Althing, Ólafur was among the most controversial politicians in Iceland.citation needed Originally elected as President from a field of four candidates with 42% of the total votes, Ólafur has from the outset been a controversial figure in the office of President,citation needed an office that has mainly ceremonial functions meant to symbolise national unity and bears no responsibility for government affairs.
Family
He married Guðrún Katrín Þorbergsdóttir in 1974, who gave birth to twin daughters the following year.[1] Guðrún Katrín was very popular in Iceland, and her charisma is often mentioned as one of the reasons her husband was elected. Her death from leukaemia in 1998 was a shock to the nation and her family.
Ólafur's second marriage was to Israeli-born Dorrit Moussaieff, to whom he became engaged in May 2000. The wedding took place on his 60th birthday, 14 May 2003, in a private ceremony held at the presidential residence.
President of Iceland
In the 1996 presidential election, he was elected with 41.4% of the votes.
He is the first president to use the authorization given in the 26th article of the Icelandic constitution to veto a law from Alþingi, in which case the law in question would be put to a national referendum. He did that on June 2, 2004 to a law about the mass media. His decision remains controversial with politicians and legal scholars alike. Some consider the veto as "an attack" on Alþingi and parliamentary sovereignty and lawyers debate whether article 26 is actually valid. No national referendum was ever held about the controversial media law as the government withdrew the law before a referendum could be held.
In the 2004 presidential election, Ólafur was re-elected with 67.5% of the votes cast (down from over 95% in the only other time an incumbent has been contested), but that election also saw a record number of empty ballots (21.2%) and an exceptionally low turnout of 63% (usually 80-90%), both of which have been interpreted as dissent with the president's decision to not sign the media law. Since then, the issue of a constitutional amendment to revoke the veto power of the president has been raised by the Independence Party. Some have also wanted to rest that power with the people themselves, who could then force referendums to be held on laws by – for instance – collecting a certain number of signatures.
On 1 January 2008, in his new year's address, Ólafur announced his intention to seek a fourth term in office later in 2008. Because there was no challenger, he was automatically re-elected and sworn in for another term on 1 August 2008.[2]
References
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Vigdís Finnbogadóttir |
President of Iceland 1996 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson |
Minister of Finance 1988 – 1991 |
Succeeded by Friðrik Sophusson |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Svavar Gestsson |
Leader of the People's Alliance 1987 – 1995 |
Succeeded by Margrét Frímannsdóttir |
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