Steingrímur J. Sigfússon

Steingrímur Jóhann Sigfússon (born 4 August 1955) is an Icelandic politician. He has been a member of the Althing (Icelandic parliament) since 1983 and was the founding chairman of the Left-Green Movement (Vinstri hreyfingin – grænt framboð) from 1999 until 2013. He was the Minister for Agriculture and Communications from 1988 to 1991.[1] He was Minister of Finance from 2009 to 2011.[2] In 2011 he took on the roles of Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture and Minister of Economic Affairs.

Steingrímur J. Sigfússon
Speaker of the Althing
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 October 2017
President	Guðni Th. Jóhannesson
Prime Minister	Bjarni Benediktsson Katrín Jakobsdóttir
Preceded by	Unnur Brá Konráðsdóttir
In office 29 October 2016 – 24 January 2017
President	Guðni Th. Jóhannesson
Prime Minister	Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson Bjarni Benediktsson
Preceded by	Einar Kristinn Guðfinnsson
Succeeded by	Unnur Brá Konráðsdóttir
Minister of Finance
In office 1 February 2009 – 2011
Prime Minister	Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Preceded by	Árni Mathiesen
Succeeded by	Oddný G. Harðardóttir
Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture
In office 1 February 2009 – 10 May 2009
Prime Minister	Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Preceded by	Einar Kristinn Guðfinnsson
Succeeded by	Jón Bjarnason
In office 1 January 2012 – 23 May 2013
Prime Minister	Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Preceded by	Jón Bjarnason
Succeeded by	Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
Minister of Agriculture and Communications
In office 28 September 1988 – 30 April 1991
Prime Minister	Steingrímur Hermannsson
Preceded by	Jón Helgason (as Minister of Agriculture) Mattías Á. Mathiesen (as Minister of Communications)
Succeeded by	Halldór Blöndal
Personal details
Born	4 August 1955 Gunnarsstaðir, Þistilfjörður
Political party	Left-Green Movement
Spouse(s)	Bergný Marvinsdóttir
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Iceland
Profession	Geologist

Steingrímur was born in Gunnarsstaðir, a large sheep farm between Garður and Þórshöfn in the Þistilfjörður region of northeast Iceland (Svalbarðshreppur municipality). In his younger days he was an avid sportsman, both track and field and also a volleyball player. On 16 January 2006, Steingrímur was injured in a car accident not far from Blönduós, Iceland but he later recovered.

He supported the end of the US military presence in Iceland, but believed Iceland itself should have taken the initiative in ending this presence. Since September 2006, when US forces left Naval Air Station Keflavik, he has strongly opposed any possible development of an Icelandic army seeing the country's need for armed forces as practically non-existent. He believes that civilian institutions such as the police and the coast guard should be organized in order to provide the needed protection in the unlikely event of a major disturbance.[3]

In November 2006, he published the book Við öll – Íslenskt velferðarsamfélag á tímamótum ("All of Us – Icelandic Welfare Society at Crossroads"), laying out his political ideology.[4][5]

References

1. Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, Secretariat of Althingi, retrieved 29 January 2009
2. "Government of Iceland | Organisation Chart of the Ministry of Finance". www.government.is.
3. Sveinn Birkir Björnsson, "The Stories That Shaped the Year", Reykjavik Grapevine, retrieved 29 January 2009
4. Við öll – íslenskt velferðarsamfélag á tímamótum (2006) (in Icelandic), retrieved 29 January 2009
5. Steinunn Jakobsdóttir, "Defending the Welfare System", Reykjavik Grapevine, retrieved 29 January 2009

External links

• Nordic Council: Steingrímur J. Sigfússon
• (in Icelandic) Alþingi: Steingrímur J. Sigfússon