| Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson | |
 | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 August 1996 | |
| Prime Minister | Davíð Oddsson Halldór Ásgrímsson Geir Haarde |
| Preceded by | Vigdís Finnbogadóttir |
| In office 28 September 1988 – 30 April 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson |
| Succeeded by | Friðrik Sophusson |
| 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. The President of Iceland (forseti Íslands is Iceland 's elected Head of state. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Davíð Oddsson (IPA ˈɔtsɔn (born 17 January 1948 in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson (ˈhaltour ˈauːskrimˌsɔn (born September 8, 1947) was Prime Minister of Iceland from 2004 to 2006 and leader of the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir ( (born 15 April 1930) was the fourth president of Iceland, serving from 1980 to 1996 The finance minister is a Cabinet position in a Government. A minister of Finance (also called financial affairs the treasury the economy or economic Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson (Born February 21 1939) Son of Hannibal Valdimarsson. Friðrik Sophusson or Fridrik Sophusson, (born in Reykjavík on October 18, 1943) is an Icelandic politician and the current director Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( In Politics, an independent is a Politician who is not Affiliated with any Political party. Dorrit Moussaieff ( Hebrew & Bukhori: דורית מוסאיוף (born 12 January 1950) is the Israeli -born British - Bessastaðir is the residence of the President of Iceland and is situated on Álftanes, not far from the capital city Reykjavík. Álftanes is a low-lying Peninsula which extrudes from the eastern part of Reykjanes, located in Iceland 's Greater Reykjavík Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval The University of Manchester is a " red brick " civic University located in Manchester, England. The University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands is an Icelandic State university, founded in 1911 The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( The President of Iceland (forseti Íslands is Iceland 's elected Head of state. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. A presidential election was held in Iceland on Saturday 26 June 2004. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
From 1962 to 1970, he studied economics and political science at the University of Manchester. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Political science is a branch of Social sciences that deals with the theory and practice of Politics and the description and analysis of Political systems The University of Manchester is a " red brick " civic University located in Manchester, England. 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). The University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands is an Icelandic State university, founded in 1911 Political science is a branch of Social sciences that deals with the theory and practice of Politics and the description and analysis of Political systems The Alþingi, Anglicized variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national Parliament —literally “(the all- thing ”—of The People's Alliance (Alþýðubandalagið was an electoral alliance in Iceland from 1956 to 1968 and a political party from 1968 to 1998
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 Þorbergsdóttir ˈkvʏðrun ˈkʰatrin ˈθɔrpɛrksˌtouhtɪr ( 14 August, 1934 — 12 October, 1998) was the First Lady Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. 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. Leukemia or leukaemia (Greek leukos λευκός, "white" aima αίμα, "blood" is a Cancer of the Blood Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar)
Ólafur's second marriage was to Israeli-born Dorrit Moussaieff to whom he had been engaged since May 2000. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Dorrit Moussaieff ( Hebrew & Bukhori: דורית מוסאיוף (born 12 January 1950) is the Israeli -born British - 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. This took place on his 60th birthday 14 May 2003 in a private ceremony held at the presidential residence. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.
In the 1996 presidential elections, he was elected with 41. Summary of the 1996 Icelandic presidential election results |-!style="background-color#E9E9E9" align=left width=450|Candidates!style="background-color#E9E9E9" 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. The Constitution of Iceland is the supreme law of Iceland. The current constitution was first instituted on June 17 1944; since then it has been amended The Alþingi, Anglicized variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national Parliament —literally “(the all- thing ”—of He did that on June 2, 2004 to a law about the mass media. Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 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. Parliamentary sovereignty, Sovereignty of Parliament, parliamentary supremacy, or legislative supremacy is a concept in Constitutional law 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. A presidential election was held in Iceland on Saturday 26 June 2004. 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. The Independence Party ( Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) is a Right-wing Political party in Iceland. 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.
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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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