The document provides information on the geography, religion, politics, and government of Iceland. It notes that Iceland is an island country located in the North Atlantic with a population that is predominantly Lutheran. The political system is a parliamentary representative democratic republic, with the Prime Minister as head of government. Key figures mentioned are President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, and Speaker of the Althing Ásta Ragnheiður Jóhannesdóttir. It also gives brief overviews of several political parties active in Iceland.

1. B E N E D I C T ( V I K T O R ) G O M B O C Z
Politics of Iceland

2. Geography of Iceland
 Location: Northern Europe, island
between the Greenland Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the United
Kingdom
 Area
 Total: 103,000 sq km
 Country comparison to the world: 108
 Land: 100,250 sq km
 Water: 2,750 sq km
 Area – comparative: Slightly smaller than
Kentucky
 Land boundaries: 0 km
 Coastline: 4,970 km

3. Physical Map of Iceland

4. Religion in Iceland
 Norse paganism, a mutual faith among the
mediaeval Scandinavians until they
converted to Christianity, was initially
religion in Iceland, which subsequently
became partly Christian and then mostly
Christian.
 This growing Christianization concluded in
the Pietism era, during which non-Christian
practices were forbidden.
 Iceland, at present, is predominantly, if
nominally, Lutheran, but Christian
minorities, such as Baptist, Catholic, and
Jehovah’s Witnesses also exist.
 Germanic Heathenism is, after Christianity,
the second biggest religion.
 In 2011, a Gallup poll concluded that 60% of
Icelanders believed religion was insignificant
in their everyday lives; this is one of the
largest irreligion rates in the world.

5. Religion statistics
 Lutheran Church of Iceland (official): 80.7%
 Roman Catholic: 2.5%
 Reykjavík Free Church: 2.4%
 Hafnarfjorour Free Church: 1.6%
 Other religions: 3.6%
 Unaffiliated: 3%
 Other or unspecified: 6.2% (2006 est.)

6. Roman Catholic church, Reykjavík

7. Background of Iceland’s political system
 The political system of Iceland functions in the structure of a parliamentary
representative democratic republic; the PM of Iceland serves as the head of
government, and of a multi-party structure.
 Iceland is debatably the oldest existing parliamentary democracy in the world.
 The government exercises executive power.
 Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, the
Althing.
 The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

8. Government of Iceland
 Capital (and largest city): Reykjavík
 National language: Icelandic
 Demonym: Icelander, Icelandic
 Government: Unitary parliamentary
constitutional republic
 President: Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
 Prime Minister: Jóhanna
Sigurðardóttir
 Speaker of the Althing: Ásta
Ragnheiður Jóhannesdóttir
 Legislature: Althing (Alþingi)

9. Parties registered for the 27 April 2013 parliamentary elections
 Bright Future (Björt framtíð)
 Progressive Party (Framsóknarflokkur)
 Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkur)
 Right-Green Movement (Hægri Grænir)
 Humanist Party - related to International Humanist
Party (Húmanistaflokkurinn)
 Households Party – New party founded on 19 March
2013, as a merger of eight groups: Republican Party,
Sovereign Union, Sjálfstæðir Sjálfstæðismenn,
Þjóðarflokkurinn, 3 interest groups, and a split from
Solidarity (Flokkur Heimilanna)
 Rainbow – New party founded in March 2013
(Regnboginn)
 Sturla Jónsson (Sturla Jónsson)
 Democracy Watch – a new party split from Dawn
(Lýðræðisvaktin)
 Rural Party – New party founded on 23 February 2013
(Landsbyggðarflokkurinn)
 People’s Front of Iceland (Alþýðufylkingin)
 Social Democratic Alliance (Samfylkingin —
jafnaðarmannaflokkur Íslands)
 Dawn (Dögun)
 Left-Green Movement (Vinstrihreyfingin — grænt
framboð)
 Pirate Party (Pírataflokkurinn)

10. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
 Born 14 May 1943 in Ísafjörður.
 5th and current President of Iceland, having
assumed office on 1 August 1996; ran unopposed
in 2000, was re-elected for a third term in 2004,
was re-elected unopposed for a fourth term in
2008, and was re-elected for a record fifth term
in 2012.
 Studied economics and political science at the
University of Manchester between 1962-1970;
became the first Icelander, in 1970, to obtain a
PhD in political science.
 Subsequently became a lecturer in political
science at the University of Iceland, also in 1970,
and then a Professor of Political Science at the
same university, in 1973; was that university’s
first Professor of Political Science.
 Participated in a debate, in 1984, alongside three
other left-wing scholars, with economist Milton
Friedman, who was on a visit to Iceland to
deliver a lecture on the “tyranny of the status
quo” at the University of Iceland.

11. Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
 Born 4 October 1942 in Reykjavík.
 Current PM of Iceland; assumed office on 1 February
2009.
 MP since 1978; served as Iceland’s Minister of Social
Affairs and Social Security twice: between 1987-1994 and
2007-2009.
 Has served as a member of the Althing for Reykjavík
constituencies since 1978; was re-elected on eight
consecutive occasions.
 Became the first female PM of Iceland and the world’s
first openly lesbian head of government upon taking
office on 1 February 2009.
 Is a social democrat and the lengthiest serving MP in
Iceland.
 Raised her fist and said “Minn tími mun koma!” (“My
time will come!”), a phrase that went on to become an
admired Icelandic expression, when, in the 1990s, she
lost a proposal to lead the Social Democratic Party.
 Was listed among the 100 Most Powerful Women in the
world by Forbes magazine, in 2009.
 Announced in September 2012 that she will not run for
re-election and will step down from political life instead.

12. Ásta Ragnheiður Jóhannesdóttir
 Born 16 October 1949 in Reykjavík.
 Current speaker of the Althing.
 Briefly served as Iceland’s Minister of
Social Affairs and Social Security
from 1 February 2009-10 May 2009.
 Has served in the Althing since 1995.

13. Bright Future
 Founded on 4 February 2012.
 Included two MPs, Guðmundur
Steingrímsson (defected from the
Progressive Party) and Róbert Marshall
(defected from the Social Democratic
Alliance) prior to the 2013 general
election.
 Subsequently gained six seats in the
election.
 Endorses Icelandic membership in the
European Union and adopting the Euro as
Iceland’s currency.
 Has ties to the Group of the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats for Europe
(ALDE) in the EP.

14. The End (Endir)