Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
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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 |
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (ˈou:lavʏr ˈraknar ˈkrimsɔn ) (born 14 May 1943, in Ísafjörður, Iceland) is the fifth and current President of Iceland, from 1996 to present, re-elected unopposed in 2000, and was re-elected for a third term in 2004.
From 1962 to 1970, he studied economics and political science at the University of Manchester. He was a professor at the University of Iceland for political science, served as Member of Althing, was Minister of Finance (1988–1991) and served as chairman of the left People's Alliance (1987–1995).
As member of the Althing, Ólafur was among the most controversial politicians in Iceland. Originally elected 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, an office that has mainly ceremonial functions meant to symbolise national unity and bears no responsibility for government affairs.
He married Guðrún Katrín Þorbergsdóttir in 1974, who gave birth to twin daughters the following year. 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 had been engaged since May 2000. This took place on his 60th birthday 14 May 2003 in a private ceremony held at the presidential residence.
In the 1996 presidential elections, 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 elections, 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 intentions to seek a fourth term in office later in 2008. As of May 2008, no candidate has emerged to challenge him and he will therefore be automatically reelected.
[edit] External links
| 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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