Leaders of Iceland
(Republic of Iceland)
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Also visit a detailed page on Icelandic Governments since 1990 to know more about the ruling parties. Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website.

Parties: AB: People's Alliance (Alþýðubandalagið, merged into SF in 1998) - AF: Social Democratic Party (Alþýðuflokkurinn, merged into SF in 1998) - BF: Bright Future (Björt framtíð) - FF: People's Party (Flokkur fólksins) - FSF: Progressive Party - (Framsóknarflokkurinn) - MF: Centre Party (Miðflokkurinn) - Píratar: Pirate Party - SF: Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin) - SSF: Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) - VG: Left-Green Movement (Vinstrihreyfingin) - Viðreisn: Reform Party


Heads of State
President of the Republic
Sveinn Björnsson                17 Jun 1944 - 25 Jan 1952 (†1952)      

Interim Triumvirate (*) 
Steingrímur Steinthórsson +                               (†1966)
Jón Pálmason              +                               (†1973) 
Jón Ásbjörnsson                 25 Jan 1952 - 31 Jul 1952 (†1966)  

Presidents of the Republic
Ásgeir Ásgeirsson                1 Aug 1952 -  1 Aug 1968 (†1972)  
Kristján Thórarinsson Eldjárn    1 Aug 1968 -  1 Aug 1980 (†1982)  
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir            1 Aug 1980 -  1 Aug 1996          
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson           1 Aug 1996 -  1 Aug 2016
Gudni Thorlacius Jóhannesson     1 Aug 2016 - 

(*) Lieutenants for the President, acting as collective leadership of the State.


Prime Ministers
Ólafur Thors                   21 Oct 1944 -  4 Feb 1947 (†1964) SSF
Stefán Jóhann Stefánsson        4 Feb 1947 -  6 Dec 1949 (†1980) AF
Ólafur Thors                    6 Dec 1949 - 14 Mar 1950 (†1964) SSF
Steingrímur Steinthórsson      14 Mar 1950 - 11 Sep 1953 (†1966) FSF
Ólafur Thors                   11 Sep 1953 - 24 Jul 1956 (†1964) SSF
Hermann Jónasson               24 Jul 1956 - 23 Dec 1958 (†1976) FSF
Emil Jónsson                   23 Dec 1958 - 20 Nov 1959 (†1986) AF
Ólafur Thors                   20 Nov 1959 - 14 Nov 1963 (†1964) SSF
Bjarni Benediktsson            14 Nov 1963 - 10 Jul 1970 (†1970) SSF
Jóhann Hafstein                10 Jul 1970 - 14 Jul 1971 (†1980) SSF
Ólafur Jóhannesson             14 Jul 1971 - 28 Aug 1974 (†1984) FSF
Geir Hallgrímsson              28 Aug 1974 -  1 Sep 1978 (†1990) SSF
Ólafur Jóhannesson              1 Sep 1978 - 15 Oct 1979 (†1984) FSF
Benedikt Sigurðsson Gröndal    15 Oct 1979 -  8 Feb 1980 (†2010) AF
Gunnar Thoroddsen               8 Feb 1980 - 26 May 1983 (†1983) SSF
Steingrímur Hermannsson        26 May 1983 -  8 Jul 1987 (†2010) FSF
Thorsteinn Pálsson              8 Jul 1987 - 28 Sep 1988         SSF
Steingrímur Hermannsson        28 Sep 1988 - 30 Apr 1991 (†2010) FSF
Davíd Oddsson                  30 Apr 1991 - 15 Sep 2004         SSF
Halldór Ásgrímsson             15 Sep 2004 - 15 Jun 2006 (†2015) FSF 
Geir Hilmar Haarde             15 Jun 2006 -  1 Feb 2009         SSF  
Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir          1 Feb 2009 - 23 May 2013         SF
Sigmundur Davíd Gunnlaugsson   23 May 2013 -  7 Apr 2016         FSF   
Sigurdur Ingi Jóhannsson        7 Apr 2016 - 11 Jan 2017         FSF
Bjarni Benediktsson (Jr)       11 Jan 2017 - 30 Nov 2017         SSF       
Katrín Jakobsdóttir            30 Nov 2017 -                     VG      

Ministers of Foreign Affairs
Ólafur Thors                   1944-1947 (†1964) SSF  
Bjarni Benediktsson            1947-1953 (†1970) SSF
Kristinn Gudmundsson           1953-1956 (†1982)
Gudmundur Ívarsson Gudmundsson 1956      (†1987) AF
Emil Jónsson                   1956      (†1986) AF (acting)
Gudmundur Ívarsson Gudmundsson 1956-1965 (†1987) AF
Emil Jónsson                   1965-1971 (†1986) AF
Einar Ágústsson                1971-1978 (†1986) FSF
Benedikt Sigurðsson Gröndal    1978-1980 (†2010) AF
Ólafur Jóhannesson             1980-1983 (†1984) FSF
Geir Hallgrímsson              1983-1986 (†1990) SSF
Matthías Á. Mathiesen          1986-1987 (†2011) SSF
Steingrímur Hermannsson        1987-1988 (†2010) FSF
Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson       1988-1995         AF
Halldór Ásgrímsson             1995-2004 (†2015) FSF
Davíd Oddsson                  2004-2005         SSF  
Geir Hilmar Haarde             2005-2006         SSF
Valgerdur Sverrisdóttir        2006-2007         FSF
Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir   2007-2009         SF
Össur Skarphédinsson           2009-2013         SF
Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson         2013-2016         FSF
Lilja Dögg Alfredsdóttir       2016-2017         FSF
Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson      2017-2021         SSF
Thórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir 2021-2023         SSF
Bjarni Benediktsson (Jr)       2023-         	 SSF

Leaders of SSF
Ólafur Thors                   1934-1961 (†1964)
Bjarni Benediktsson            1961-1970 (†1970)
Jóhann Hafstein                1970-1973 (†1980) 
Geir Hallgrímsson              1973-1983 (†1990)
Thorsteinn Pálsson             1983-1991 
Davíd Oddsson                  1991-2005
Geir Hilmar Haarde             2005-2009
Bjarni Benediktsson (Jr)       2009-

Leaders of FSF
Hermann Jónasson               1944-1962 (†1976)
Eysteinn Jónsson               1962-1968 (†1993)
Ólafur Jóhannesson             1968-1979 (†1984)
Steingrímur Hermannsson        1979-1994 (†2010)
Halldór Ásgrímsson             1994-2006 (†2015)
Jón Sigurdsson                 2006-2007
Gudni Ágústsson                2007-2008
Valgerdur Sverrisdóttir        2008-2009
Sigmundur Davíd Gunnlaugsson   2009-2016
Sigurdur Ingi Jóhannsson       2016-

Leaders of SF
Margrét Frímannsdóttir         1999-2000 
Össur Skarphéðinsson           2000-2005 
Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir   2005-2009
Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir         2009-2013
Árni Páll Árnason              2013-2016
Oddny Gudbjörg Hardardóttir    2016
Logi Már Einarsson             2016-

The Social Democratic Alliance (SF) was launched in 1998 as a four-party coalition made by the Social Democratic Party (AF), the People's Alliance (AB), the Womens's Alliance and the National Movement. The parties formally merged into a single one in May 2000.


Leaders of VG
Steingrímur Jóhann Sigfússon   1999-2013
Katrín Jakobsdóttir            2013-
VG was founded on 6 Feb 1999.
Leader of MF
Sigmundur Davíd Gunnlaugsson   2017-
MF was founded by splinters of FSF on 24 Sep 2017.
(De facto) Leaders of Píratar
Birgitta Jónsdóttir            2012-2017
Halldóra Mogensen              2017-
Píratar was founded on 24 Nov 2012.
Leader of FF
Inga Sæland                    2016-
FF was founded in 2016.
Leaders of Viðreisn
Benedikt Jóhannesson           2016-2017
Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir2017-
Viðreisn was founded on 24 May 2016.
Leaders of BF
Gudmundur Steingrímsson        2012-2015
Óttarr Proppé                  2015-2017 
Björt Ólafsdóttir              2017-
BF was founded on 4 Feb 2012.
Leaders of AF (1916-2000)
Stefán Jóhann Stefánsson       1938-1952 (†1980)
Hannibal Valdimarsson          1952-1954 (†1991)
Haraldur Gudmundsson           1954-1958 (†1971)
Emil Jónsson                   1958-1968 (†1986)
Gylfi Thorsteinsson Gíslason   1968-1974 (†2004)
Benedikt Sigurðsson Gröndal    1974-1980 (†2010)
Kjartan Jóhannsson             1980-1984 
Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson       1984-1996 
Sighvatur Björgvinsson         1996-1998
Gudmundur Árni Stefánsson      1998-2000 

In 2000 the Social Democratic Party (AF) merged with the People's Alliance (AB), the Womens's Alliance and the National Movement to form the current Social Democratic Alliance (SF, see above).


Leaders of AB (1956-1998)
Hannibal Valdimarsson          1956-1968 (†1991)
Ragnar Arnalds                 1968-1977 
Lúðvík Jósepsson               1977-1980 (†1994)
Svavar Gestsson                1980-1987
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson         1987-1995 
Margrét Frímannsdóttir         1995-1998 

In 1998 the People's Alliance (AB) allied with the Social Democratic Party (AF), the Womens's Alliance and the National Movement to form the current Social Democratic Alliance (SF, see above).

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