Prime Minister of Iceland

Prime Minister of Iceland Forsætisráðherra Íslands
Coat of arms of Iceland
Incumbent Bjarni Benediktsson since 11 January 2017
Prime Minister's Office
Member of	State Council of Iceland Cabinet of Iceland
Seat	Reykjavík, Capital Region
Nominator	Incumbent's political party
Appointer	President of Iceland
Term length	Four years Renewable indefinitely as long as the incumbent has majority support in the Parliament.
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Iceland Law on the Cabinet of Iceland
Precursor	Minister for Iceland
Formation	1 February 1904
First holder	Jón Magnússon
Salary	1,231,092 ISK monthly (2013)
Website	eng.forsaetisraduneyti.is (English) forsaetisraduneyti.is (Icelandic)

Iceland
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Iceland
Constitution
Institutions Executive President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson Cabinet Legislative Alþing (Althing, Parliament) Umboðsmaður Alþingis (ombudsman) Landsdómur (impeachment court) Judicial Supreme Court
Elections Political parties Politicians Constituencies (kjördæmi) Recent elections Presidential: 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Parliamentary: 2007 2009 2013 2016 2010 referendum (debt repayment)
Administrative divisions Regions (landshlutar) Municipalities (sveitarfélög) Cities and towns (kaupstaðir)
Foreign relations Diplomatic missions of Iceland in Iceland Iceland and the European Union Cod Wars (1950s / 1970s)
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v t e

The Prime Minister of Iceland (Icelandic: Forsætisráðherra Íslands) is Iceland's head of government. The prime minister is appointed formally by the President and exercises executive authority along with the cabinet subject to parliamentary support.

Constitutional basis[edit]

The Prime Minister is appointed by the President under the Constitution of Iceland, Section II Article 17, and chairs the Cabinet of Iceland:

Fundunum stjórnar sá ráðherra, er forseti lýðveldisins hefur kvatt til forsætis, og nefnist hann forsætisráðherra.^[1]

The [cabinet] meetings shall be presided over by the Minister called upon by the President of the Republic to do so, who is designated Prime Minister.^[2]

Locations[edit]

The Prime Minister's office is located in Stjórnarráðið, Reykjavik where their secretariat is based and where cabinet meetings are held.^[3] The Prime Minister has a summer residence, Þingvallabær in Þingvellir. The Prime Minister also has a Reception House at Tjarnargata, Reykjavik which was the Prime Ministerial residence until 1943.^[4]

• 

  Stjórnarráðið in Reykjavík, the Prime Minister's Office

• 

  Þingvallabær, the Prime Minister's summer residence

List[edit]

Home Rule (1904–1918)[edit]

Political Party:   Home Rule   Independence   Union   Independent

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death) Constituency	Took office	Left office	Party
		Hannes Hafstein (1861–1922) MP for Eyjafjarðarsýsla	1 February 1904	31 March 1909	Home Rule Party
		Björn Jónsson (1846–1912) MP for Barðastrandarsýsla	31 March 1909	14 March 1911	Independence Party
		Kristján Jónsson (1852–1926) MP for Borgarfjarðarsýsla	14 March 1911	24 July 1912	Independent
		Hannes Hafstein (1861–1922) MP for Eyjafjarðarsýsla	24 July 1912	21 July 1914	Union Party
		Sigurður Eggerz (1875–1945) MP for West Skaftafellssýsla	21 July 1914	4 May 1915	Independence Party
		Einar Arnórsson (1880–1955) MP for Árnessýsla	4 May 1915	4 January 1917	Independence Party (Langsum)

Kingdom (1918–1944)[edit]

Political Party:   Home Rule   Independence   Conservative   Progressive   Independent

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death) Constituency	Term of Office				Political Party	Cabinet	Election
			#	Took Office	Left Office	Days
		Jón Magnússon (1859–1926) MP for Reykjavík until 1920 not in Parliament from 1920	1	4 January 1917	25 February 1920	1888	Home Rule Party	HP–IP–PP	Oct. 1916
			2	25 February 1920	7 March 1922			HP–others	1919
		Sigurður Eggerz (1875–1945) MP without constituency	•	7 March 1922	22 March 1924	746	Independence Party	IP–others
									1923
		Jón Magnússon (1859–1926) MP without constituency	3	22 March 1924	23 June 1926 (died)	823	Conservative Party	CP
		Magnús Guðmundsson Acting (1879–1937) MP for Skagafjarðarsýsla		23 June 1926	8 July 1926	15	Conservative Party
		Jón Þorláksson (1877–1935) MP without constituency	•	8 July 1926	28 August 1927	416	Conservative Party	CP
		Tryggvi Þórhallsson (1889–1935) MP for Strandasýsla	•	28 August 1927	3 June 1932	1741	Progressive Party	PP	1927
									1931
		Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (1894–1972) MP for West Ísafjarðarsýsla	•	3 June 1932	28 July 1934	785	Progressive Party	PP–IP–Peasants
									1933
		Hermann Jónasson (1896–1976) MP for Strandasýsla	1	28 July 1934	2 April 1938	2849	Progressive Party	PP–SDP	1934
			2	2 April 1938	17 April 1939			PP	1937
			3	17 April 1939	18 November 1941			PP–IP–SDP
			4	18 November 1941	16 May 1942			PP–IP–SDP
		Ólafur Thors (1892–1964) MP for Gullbringu and Kjósarsýsla	1	16 May 1942	16 December 1942	214	Independence Party	IP	Jul.1942
									Oct.1942
		Björn Þórðarson (1879–1963) not in Parliament	•	16 December 1942	21 October 1944	675	Independent	—

Republic (1944–present)[edit]

Political Party:   Independence   Progressive   Social Democratic

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death) Constituency	Term of Office				Political Party	Cabinet	Election
			#	Took Office	Left Office	Days
		Ólafur Thors (1892–1964) MP for Gullbringu and Kjósarsýsla	2	21 October 1944	4 February 1947	836	Independence Party	IP–SDP–SP	1946
		Stefán Jóhann Stefánsson (1894–1980) MP for Eyjafjarðarsýsla	•	4 February 1947	6 December 1949	1036	Social Democratic Party	SDP–IP–SP
		Ólafur Thors (1892–1964) MP for Gullbringu and Kjósarsýsla	3	6 December 1949	14 March 1950	98	Independence Party	IP	1949
		Steingrímur Steinþórsson (1893–1966) MP for Skagafjarðarsýsla	•	14 March 1950	11 September 1953	1277	Progressive Party	PP–IP
		Ólafur Thors (1892–1964) MP for Gullbringu and Kjósarsýsla	4	11 September 1953	24 July 1956	1035	Independence Party	IP–PP	1953
		Hermann Jónasson (1896–1976) MP for Strandasýsla	5	24 July 1956	23 December 1958	894	Progressive Party	Alliance PP–SDP–PA	1956
		Emil Jónsson (1902-1986) MP for Hafnarfjörður	•	23 December 1958	20 November 1959	597	Social Democratic Party	SDP	Jun.1959
		Ólafur Thors (1892–1964) MP for Gullbringu and Kjósarsýsla	5	20 November 1959	8 September 1961	393	Independence Party	IP–SDP	Oct.1959
		Bjarni Benediktsson Acting (1908–1970) MP for Reykjavík		8 September 1961	31 December 1961	114	Independence Party	IP–SDP
		Ólafur Thors (1892–1964) MP for Gullbringu and Kjósarsýsla		1 January 1962	14 November 1963	682	Independence Party	IP–SDP
		Bjarni Benediktsson (1908–1970) MP for Reykjavík	•	14 November 1963	10 July 1970 (died)	2430	Independence Party	IP–SDP	1963
									1967
		Jóhann Hafstein (1915–1980) MP for Reykjavík	•	(Acting: 10 July 1970) 10 October 1970	14 July 1971	369	Independence Party	IP–SDP
		Ólafur Jóhannesson (1913–1984) MP for Northwestern Region	1	14 July 1971	28 August 1974	1141	Progressive Party	PP–PA–LL	1971
		Geir Hallgrímsson (1925–1990) MP for Reykjavík	•	28 August 1974	1 September 1978	1465	Independence Party	IP–PP	1974
		Ólafur Jóhannesson (1913–1984) MP for Northwestern Region	2	1 September 1978	15 October 1979	409	Progressive Party	PP–PA	1978
		Benedikt Gröndal (1924-2010) MP for Reykjavík	•	15 October 1979	8 February 1980	116	Social Democratic Party	SDP	1979
		Gunnar Thoroddsen (1910–1983) MP for Reykjavík	•	8 February 1980	26 May 1983	1203	Independence Party (*Gunnar's faction)	IP*–PP–PA
		Steingrímur Hermannsson (1928–2010) MP for Westfjords	1	26 May 1983	8 July 1987	1504	Progressive Party	PP–IP	1983
		Þorsteinn Pálsson (1947–) MP for Southern Region	•	8 July 1987	28 September 1988	448	Independence Party	IP–PP–SDP	1987
		Steingrímur Hermannsson (1928–2010) MP for Reykjanes	2	28 September 1988	10 September 1989	944	Progressive Party	PP–SDP–PA
			3	10 September 1989	30 April 1991			PP–SDP–PA–CiP
		Davíð Oddsson Acting (1948–) MP for Reykjavík until 2003 MP for Reykjavík North from 2003	1	30 April 1991	23 April 1995	4887	Independence Party	IP–SDP	1991
			2	23 April 1995	28 May 1999			IP–PP	1995
			3	28 May 1999	23 May 2003			IP–PP	1999
			4	23 May 2003	15 September 2004			IP–PP	2003
		Halldór Ásgrímsson (1947–2015) MP for Reykjavík North	•	15 September 2004	15 June 2006	638	Progressive Party	PP–IP
		Geir Haarde (1951–) MP for Reykjavík South	1	15 June 2006	24 May 2007	962	Independence Party	IP–PP
			2	24 May 2007	1 February 2009			IP–SDA	2007
		Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (1942–) MP for Reykjavík North	1	1 February 2009	10 May 2009	1572	Social Democratic Alliance	SDA–LGM
			2	10 May 2009	23 May 2013			SDA–LGM	2009
		Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson (1975–) MP for Northeast Constituency	•	23 May 2013	7 April 2016	1049	Progressive Party	PP–IP	2013
		Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson (1962–) MP for South Constituency	•	7 April 2016	11 January 2017	280	Progressive Party	PP–IP
		Bjarni Benediktsson (1970–) MP for Southwest Constituency	•	11 January 2017	Incumbent	18	Independence Party	IP–RP–BF	2016

Timeline since 1980[edit]

See also[edit]

• List of rulers of Iceland

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Iceland's Prime Ministers Office