The president of Iceland () is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Halla Tómasdóttir, who won the 2024 presidential election.
The president is not involved in the running of the country, but serves as the head of the state and formally appoints new governments and their ministers.
The president is elected by popular vote to a four-year term, and can be reelected any number of times. Historically, while first-term elections have often been hard-fought, an incumbent president who decides to seek another term has usually run unopposed, or they have won re-election with an overwhelming majority of the vote when opposed. The 2012 election was a notable exception to this, where incumbent ÃÂlafur Ragnar GrÃÂmsson won with only 52.78% of the vote.
Iceland was the first country to have an elected female head of state when VigdÃÂs Finnbogadóttir assumed Iceland's presidency on 1 August 1980.
The presidential residence is situated in Bessastaðir in Garðabær, near the capital city ReykjavÃÂk.
When Iceland became a republic in 1944 by the passing of a new constitution the position of King of Iceland was simply replaced by the president of Iceland. A transitional provision of the new constitution stipulated that the first president be elected by the Parliament.
The term for president in Icelandic is forseti. The word forseti means one who sits foremost (sá sem fremst situr) in Old Norse/Icelandic or literally fore-sitter. It is the name of one of the ÃÂsir, the god of justice and reconciliation in Norse mythology. He is generally identified with Fosite, a god of the Frisians.
The president appoints ministers to the Cabinet of Iceland, determines their number and division of assignments. Ministers are not able to resign and must be discharged by the president.
While the president is vested with executive power, they are not responsible for exercising it. Their acts are not valid without the countersignature of a minister, who then assumes political responsibility for the act.
In the aftermath of general elections, the president has the role to designate a party leader (the one that the president considers most likely to be able to form a majority coalition government) to formally start negotiations to form a government. Sveinn Björnsson and ÃÂsgeir ÃÂsgeirsson played highly active roles in the formation of governments, attempting to set up governments that suited their political preferences, whereas Kristján Eldjárn and VigdÃÂs Finnbogadóttir were passive and neutral as to individuals and parties comprising the government.
The president and the Cabinet meet in the State Council. The Cabinet must inform the president of important matters of the state and drafted bills. During meetings the Cabinet may also suggest convening, adjourning or dissolving the Parliament.
The president can decide that the prosecution for an offense be discontinued and can also grant pardon and amnesty.
Article 2 of the constitution states that the president and the Parliament jointly exercise the legislative power. The president signs bills passed by the Parliament into law and can choose not to sign them, thus in effect vetoing them. Bills vetoed by the president still take effect, should the Parliament not withdraw them, but they must be confirmed in a referendum. ÃÂlafur Ragnar GrÃÂmsson (who served 1996âÂÂ2016) is the only president to have vetoed legislation from Parliament, having done so on three occasions (2004, 2010, 2011). This power was originally intended to be used only in extremely extenuating circumstances.
The president has the power to submit bills and resolutions to the Parliament which it must take under consideration. Should the Parliament not be in session, the president can issue provisional laws which must conform with the constitution. Provisional laws become void if the Parliament does not confirm them when it convenes. No president has ever submitted bills nor resolutions, nor issued provisional laws.
Article 30 of the constitution states that the president can grant exceptions from laws. No president has yet exercised this authority.
The president convenes the Parliament after general elections and formally dissolves it. They can temporarily adjourn its sessions and move them if they deem it necessary. Furthermore, the president opens all regular sessions of the Parliament each year.
The president is the designated grand master of the Order of the Falcon.
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The president receives a monthly salary of 2,480,341 ISK. Article 9 of the constitution states the salary cannot be lowered for an incumbent president.
Article 12 of the constitution states that the president shall reside in or near ReykjavÃÂk. Since inception the official residence of the president has been Bessastaðir which is in ÃÂlftanes.
Articles 4 and 5 of the constitution set the following qualifications for holding the presidency:
Articles 7 and 8 of the constitution state that when the president dies, resigns or is otherwise unable to perform their duties, such as when they are abroad or sick, the prime minister, the president of the Parliament and the president of the Supreme Court shall collectively assume the power of the office until the president can resume their duties or a new president has been elected. Their meetings are led by the president of the Parliament where they vote on any presidential decision.
The above also occurs as an interregnum between the expiration of the previous president's term at midnight on 1 August and the inauguration of their successor.
If the office of the president becomes vacant because of death or resignation, a new president shall be elected by the general public to a four-year term ending on 1 August in the fourth year after the elections. Sveinn Björnsson remains the only president to die in office in 1952, triggering a presidential election one year ahead of schedule.
Article 11 of the constitution lays out the process by which the president can be removed from office. It states that the president does not bear responsibility for the actions of their government and that they can not be prosecuted without consent of the Parliament. A referendum instigated by the Parliament with 3/4 support must approve of their removal. Once the Parliament has approved of the referendum, the president must temporarily step aside until the results of the referendum are known. The referendum must be held within two months of the vote, and, should the removal be rejected by the people, then the Parliament must immediately be dissolved and a new general election held.
A removal from office has not occurred since the founding of the republic.
There have been seven presidents since the establishment of the republic.
Term: <sup>1</sup> appointed ÷ <sup>2</sup> died in office ÷ <sup>3</sup> uncontested