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President of Iceland; Forseti Íslands
	; Presidential Standard;
	Incumbent; Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson; Since August 1, 1996
Term length	4 years
Inaugural holder	Sveinn Björnsson
Formation	June 17, 1944
Website	www.english.forseti.is

The President of Iceland (Icelandic: Forseti Íslands) is Iceland's elected head of state. The president is elected to a four-year term by universal adult suffrage and has limited powers. The president is not the head of government; the Prime Minister of Iceland is the head of government. There have been five presidents since Iceland became independent from Denmark in 1944. The incumbent is Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, who is now in his fourth term as president, first elected in 1996, and returned unopposed in 2008.

The presidential residence is situated in Bessastaðir in Álftanes, near the capital city Reykjavik. The nation's constitution specifies that when the president cannot perform the duties of the office, such as when he or she is abroad or under anesthesia, the prime minister, the president of the Althingi (Parliament), and the president of the Supreme Court collectively assume the power of the office. The three vote on any presidential decisions that must be made during that time. The president is also the designated Grand Master of the Order of the Falcon.

[edit] Presidents of Iceland

Since 1944, when the office was created, only five people have had the position of President of Iceland. These are the following:[1]

#	Name	Took office	Left office	Notes
1	Sveinn Björnsson	17 June 1944	25 January 1952	First President and Regent of Iceland 17 June 1941 – 16 June 1944. The only president to die in office. During 1950 considered forming a government that did not rely on parliamentary support after leaders of the parliamentary parties had reached an impasse. In the period from his death until the next president took office, the office was vacant but the powers of the office were vested jointly in the prime minister, the president of parliament and the president of the supreme court as the constitution commands.
2	Ásgeir Ásgeirsson	1 August 1952	1 August 1968	First elected by popular vote.
3	Kristján Eldjárn	1 August 1968	1 August 1980	At one point considered forming a government that did not rely on parliamentary support after leaders of the parliamentary parties had reached an impasse.
4	Vigdís Finnbogadóttir	1 August 1980	1 August 1996	Was the world's first elected female president and overwhelmingly won a contested election in 1988.
5	Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson	1 August 1996	Present	First president to use the authorization to force a national referendum on a law from Alþingi.

[edit] Latest election

Main article: Icelandic presidential election, 2004

e • d **Summary of the 26 June 2004 Icelandic presidential election results**
Candidates	Votes	%
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson	90,662	85.6
Baldur Ágústsson	13,250	12.3
Ástþór Magnússon	2,001	1.9
Total valid votes (turnout 63.0%)	105,913	100.0
Empty ballots	27,627	23.3%
Void votes	834
Source: ruv.is

Main article: Icelandic presidential election, 2008

In his 2008 New Year's speech, President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson announced his desire to stand for a fourth term. No challenger to the incumbent president filed their nomination papers by the deadline on 25 May 2008, and consequently Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson won his fourth term uncontested.

[edit] See also

List of Icelandic rulers

[edit] External links

official website

Contents

[edit] Presidents of Iceland

[edit] Latest election

[edit] See also

[edit] External links