Stefán Einar Stefánsson, the former director of VR, Iceland’s commercial and office worker’s trade union, received an unusual gift for his thirtieth birthday this weekend, Vísir reports. According to a post on his Facebook page, two “totally unpredictable” friends from Borganes bestowed a piglet on Stefán Einar at an intimate party at his home on Saturday. “I’ve never lived with a pig before,” his post read, “but I’m getting strangely used to it.”
The six-week old piglet is said to have “a beautiful name,” and was named in honor of a woman who had greatly influenced Stefán Einar’s life, although he preferred to keep the pet’s namesake a secret. She was perhaps meant to provide the former VR leader with a welcome diversion from the last year. In VR’s March elections, Stefán Einar was replaced as chairman by Ólafia Rafnsdóttir, receiving just 24% of the vote to Ólafia’s 76%. Moreover, his last few months as chairman were embroiled in scandal when the news outlet DV reported that his then-partner (now-fiancee) Sara Lind Guðbergsdóttir, was hired for a high level management position within VR, despite the accusation that she was not, in fact, the most qualified applicant for the job.
At the time, Sara Lind was a twenty-seven year old law student at the University of Iceland, and had very little work experience. Nevertheless, she was chosen from among 400 other applicants for not just one, but two possible positions at VR. Stefán Einar claimed that his relationship with Sara Lind was not a secret, but that they had not really become involved until after she had started working at VR. In April, Stefán Einar and Sara Lind sued DV for libel, demanding one million ISK in damages, as well as an additional 600,000ISK each to be used for press releases and other media clearing them of wrongdoing.
While the couple took “much joy” from their new pet this weekend, however, they won’t be raising their piggy at home. Instead, they’ve taken it to a petting zoo in Mosfellsbær which is frequented by school children in town.
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