President of Iceland

Infobox Political post
post = President
body =
Iceland
insignia = Icelandic Presidential.svg
insigniasize = 100px
insigniacaption = Presidential Standard


incumbent = Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
took office: August 1, 1996
formation = June 17, 1944
inaugural = Sveinn Björnsson
website = [http://english.forseti.is www.english.forseti.is]

The President of Iceland ( _is. 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 gained independence from Denmark in 1944. The incumbent is Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, who is now in his fourth term as president, being returned unopposed in 2008, having been first elected in 1996.

The presidential residence is situated in Bessastaðir in Álftanes. 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 take over the power vested in 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.

Presidents of Iceland

Since 1944, when the office was created, only five people have held the position of President of Iceland. These are the following: [http://english.forseti.is/Index/FormerPresidents/]

Latest election

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.

ee also

*List of Icelandic rulers

External links

* [http://english.forseti.is/ official website]