Iceland review - 2012, Síða 52

50 ICELAND REVIEW
a petition of over 30,000 voters in favor of
his candidacy, the wheels had already started
spinning, and it was clear that he would get
at least one worthy opponent in the race for
the presidency.
MANY CANDIDAteS but
A two-HoRSe RACe

The day before, on March 3, pacifist busi-
nessman Ástþór Magnússon, also a candi-
date in the 2004 presidential elections, had
announced his candidacy. Based on his fol-
lowing then, he never stood a chance, and in
the end he was eliminated for not having a
sufficient number of legal signatures endors-
ing his candidacy. In the following weeks,
one candidate after another announced that
they were throwing their hats into the ring.
On March 30, Dr. Herdís Þorgeirsdóttir,
an attorney and professor of law at Bifröst
University, announced her candidacy. She
called a press conference that day declaring
that her campaign would be an experi-
ment in democracy—she wanted to see if
the people of Iceland were willing to sup-
port someone running against an incumbent
president and against “financial influence,” as
she put it. She is a member of the European
Women Lawyers Association and Iceland’s
representative at the Venice Commission of
the Council of Europe.
On April 4, television news reporter and
game show host Þóra Arnórsdóttir declared
her candidacy, receiving the necessary 2,500
signatures in one weekend, a clear indication
that she would be a strong contender.
Other candidates who got the neces-
sary signatures in time included Ari Trausti
Guðmundsson, a writer and geophysicist,
formerly the chairman of the Communist
Party of Iceland but now an indepen-
dent, and Hannes Bjarnason, a farmer and
social worker who has lived in Norway for
14 years. And on May 1, Andrea Jóhanna
tHe bANkeRS’ fRIeND beCoMeS
A folk HeRo
For these decisions Ólafur Ragnar gained
new popularity with a large part of the
nation, but also became very unpopular with
those who disagreed with them. In fact, sup-
porters of the government had a hard time
disguising their disgust with the president
in the media. But the average Joe of Iceland
was happy with the decision. No matter the
opinion, it was clear that the presidency of
Iceland was no longer a ceremonial position,
and probably will never be again. Ólafur
Ragnar seems to have changed it perma-
nently. During the latter part of 2011, it
seemed as if he would retire in the summer
of 2012, after 16 years in office. In interviews
he hinted at that, although he refused to give
a direct answer. In his annual New Years’ day
televised address, he hinted that he would
not seek re-election. Therefore it came as no
surprise that rumors started circulating about
one candidate after another for the Icelandic
presidency. A president choosing to run again
had until now almost always been unop-
posed—an opponent would stand almost no
chance at all. But by the time the incumbent
Ólafur Ragnar stated on March 4 that he
would run for a fifth term, after receiving
Ólafsdóttir also announced her candidacy
for the presidency of Iceland. She had been
chairwoman of Hagsmunasamtök heimila-
nna, an association protecting the interests
of homeowners founded in the wake of the
2008–12 Icelandic financial crisis, and was
also vocal in criticizing both government and
financial institutions.
Media personality Þóra Arnórsdottir start-
ed the race with great promise. By mid-
April, unofficial polls as well as Internet polls
showed her leading by a substantial margin.
She owned the media spotlight; the momen-
tum was totally with her while President
Ólafur Ragnar, who seemed to be in for a
tough campaign, sat in the shadows and gave
no interviews. Þóra’s lead was confirmed in
a survey conducted by the Institute of Social
Sciences of the University of Iceland on
April 24-26, with 49 percent of respondents
declaring support for her. The current presi-
dent followed suit with the support of 34.8
percent of the voters. The most recent can-
didate, Ari Trausti, came in third with 11.5
percent, while the rest of the pack had almost
no measurable support. It looked as if the first
country in the world to elect a woman as
president would be doing it again.
Another poll by Capacent Gallup on May
4 showed a similar trend. Þóra had 46.4
percent support, Ólafur Ragnar ranked sec-
ond with 37.2 percent, while all the others
seemed to be ruled out of a serious chance
of winning. At this time, Ólafur had still
not uttered a word in the media, and his
campaign had not even started. On May
13, that all changed in a dramatic way. He
started with a bang. In his first interview in a
long while, he launched his direct campaign
against Þóra, claiming that as president, she
would be downright “dangerous for the
country” and would do “nothing but follow
the government’s will, particularly in terms
of foreign policy.” By this, he was particularly
referring to the government’s intention to
President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson in full regalia.
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