In light of a new poll showing public support of the idea, former Reykjavík mayor Jón Gnarr may consider running for President of Iceland.
According to a poll conducted by newspaper Fréttablaðið which asked respondents who they want to see as Iceland’s next president in 2016, the largest portion – 47% – chose Jón Gnarr. At the same time, only 9% chose the current president, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, and the same percentage chose former Minister of Justice Ragna Árnadóttir, who has said that she will not run.
Bearing in mind that only 34% responded to the poll, with 66% taking no position on who the next president will be, Gnarr at least has strong support from those Icelanders who have an opinion on who will be next to assume the office.
Gnarr told reporters that he was “touched” by the response. While he says he has not seriously considered running, the poll has given him pause.
“In light of this poll, maybe I’ll sit down and take a look at this in more detail and think about what I want to do,” he said. “I suppose the next step will be to have a family meeting.”
Gnarr added that he is still not exactly sure what it is the president does, “apart from showing up at exhibition openings and listening to school choirs across the country.”
The response may indicate a shift in attitude about running for president. Last January, Gnarr told participants in a Reddit AMA that he would not run for the office. However, last June, when asked in an interview with NBC if he would consider running for “higher office”, Gnarr replied, “President? No, I would not rule it out,” before bursting into laughter.
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