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Geir Hilmar Haarde
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| Assumed office 15 June 2006 |
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| President | Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson |
| Preceded by | Halldór Ásgrímsson |
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| Born | 8 April 1951 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Political party | Independence Party |
| Spouse | Patricia Angelina (div.) Inga Jóna Þórðardóttir |
| Alma mater | Brandeis University Johns Hopkins University University of Minnesota |
| Profession | Economist, Journalist |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Geir Hilmar Haarde (IPA: [ˈceɪ:r̯ ˈhɪlmar̯ ˈhɔrtɛ]) (born 8 April 1951[1]) is Prime Minister of Iceland and Chairman of the Independence Party. Geir became Prime Minister on 15 June 2006,[2] initially leading a coalition between his party and the Progressive Party. After the 2007 parliamentary elections, in which the Independence Party increased its share of the vote, Geir renewed his term as Prime Minister, leading a coalition between his party and the Alliance.
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Biography
Geir was born in the Icelandic capital Reykjavík. He received his bachelor's degree in the United States at Brandeis University as a Wien Scholar, graduating with a degree in Economics, then went on to earn two Master's degrees – in International Relations from the School of Advanced International Studies of The Johns Hopkins University and in economics from the University of Minnesota.
Prior to entering the Althing (the Icelandic Parliament), Geir was an economist at the Central Bank of Iceland from 1977 to 1983 and was a political adviser to the Icelandic Minister of Finance from 1983 to 1987.[2] He has been a member of the Althing since 1987. Geir was Chairman of the Independence Party Parliamentary Group from 1991 to 1998[1][2] and a member of the Althing's Foreign Affairs Committee from 1991 to 1998;[1] he was Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 1995 to 1998.[1][2] He served as Minister of Finance from April 1998 to September 2005 and then as Minister for Foreign Affairs from September 2005 to June 2006. He was elected Chairman of the Independence Party in an uncontested election in October 2005, following the departure of Davíð Oddsson.
Following the announcement of Halldór Ásgrímsson's resignation as Prime Minister on 5 June 2006,[3] Geir succeeded him as Prime Minister on 15 June.[2]
Note on the name
In Iceland, Geir is usually referred to as "Geir H. Haarde", or simply as "Geir" according to the Icelandic custom of using given names primarily (both when addressing someone and when referring to that person). Geir is among the rather few Icelanders whose last name is a surname rather than a patronymic (i.e., the father's name with a -son or -dóttir suffix). "Haarde" is a Norwegian name meaning the rough one, of the same origin as the English word "hard" and Icelandic "Harði".
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| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Halldór Ásgrímsson |
Prime Minister of Iceland 2006 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Friðrik Sophusson |
Minister of Finance of Iceland 1998 – 2005 |
Succeeded by Árni Mathiesen |
| Preceded by Davíð Oddsson |
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland 2005 – 2006 |
Succeeded by Valgerður Sverrisdóttir |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Davíð Oddsson |
Chairman of the Independence Party 2005 – present |
Incumbent |
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