Halldór Ásgrímsson
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| Halldór Ásgrímsson | |
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| In office September 15, 2004 – June 15, 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Davíð Oddsson |
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| Succeeded by | Geir Haarde |
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| Born | September 8, 1947 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Political party | Progressive Party |
Halldór Ásgrímsson (IPA: [ˈhaltour ˈauːskrimˌsɔn]) (born September 8, 1947) is the former Prime Minister of Iceland. The leader of the Progressive Party 1994-2006, he took over as Prime Minister on September 15, 2004, from the Independence Party leader, Davíð Oddsson, who had held the office for a record thirteen years.
On June 5, 2006, following poor results in municipal elections, Halldór announced his resignation as Prime Minister and stated that he intended to step down as leader of the Progressive Party in August 2006. Geir Haarde, the Foreign Minister of Iceland, succeeded him on June 15, 2006. Haarde is the present leader of the Independence Party, which is in a coalition government with the Progressive Party. [1]
On October 31, 2006, Halldór was chosen as the new secretary general for the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Halldór earned a bachelor's degree from the Co-operative College of Iceland, and became a certified public accountant in 1970. He later completed graduate commerce studies at the Universities of Bergen and Copenhagen, and worked as a lecturer at the University of Iceland from 1973 to 1975.
He represented the East constituency as a member of the Alþingi (Icelandic Parliament) from 1974 to 1978 and from 1979 to 2003, when he was elected to represent the Reykjavík North constituency. Over the years, he has served in a large number of ministerial portfolios, namely as Minister for Fisheries from 1983 to 1991, Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs from 1988 to 1989, Minister for Nordic Co-operation from 1985 to 1987 and 1995 to 1999 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2004.
Halldór Ásgrímsson´s successor as Progressive party leader was elected Jón Sigurðsson, minister of Industry and Commerce, at the party´s convention in August, 2006. At the convention Halldór ended his political career with an emotional and dynamic farewell speech to the party. Halldór resigned as MP after the convention, a seat he had held for over three decades, since 1974, making him the longest serving MP at the time.
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| Preceded by: Steingrímur Hermannsson |
Chairman of the Progressive Party 1994–2006 |
Succeeded by: Jón Sigurðsson |
| Preceded by: Davíð Oddsson |
Prime Minister of Iceland 2004–2006 |
Succeeded by: Geir Haarde |
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