From Iceland — Most Want Icelandic President To Stay On

Most Want Icelandic President To Stay On

Published January 6, 2012

The majority of respondents to an online poll conducted by Vísir want current president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson to stay on, to be the country’s head of state for a solid 20 years.
As reported, the president insinuated in his New Year’s Day address to the nation that he would possibly not run for another term. Ólafur has been the president for the past 16 years now, and stated that leaving the office would give him the freedom to express his opinions more freely, and to concentrate on matters that mean a lot to him.
Since then, there has been much speculation as to whether or not he will stay on, and who the next president might possibly be. To this end, Vísir conducted an online poll asking readers to choose from a number of possible choices, none of whom apart from Jón Gnarr have expressed an interest in running for the office.
The results of that poll are now in. The current president finished in first place, with 22%. Former Minister of Justice Ragna Árnadóttir finished close behind, with 18%. Following her was former Central Bank chairman and current Morgunblaðið editor Davíð Oddsson, with 11%. In fourth – and edging out Jón Gnarr by a percentage point – was singer Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson, with 7%.

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