Halldór Ásgrímsson

Halldór Ásgrímsson (Vopnafjörður, September 8, 1947-Reykjavík, May 18, 2015) was an Icelandic politician who was Prime Minister of his country.

Biography

Leader of the Progressive Party since 1994, he won the victory in the last elections held in the country on September 15, 2004 against the candidate of the Independence Party, Davíð Oddsson (who had held the position for thirteen years).

Halldór had been elected for the eastern electoral district for Alþingi from 1974 to 1978, and for the northern district of Reykjavík between 1979 and 2003. During those years, he has held various ministerial portfolios in successive governments of the country. He was Minister of Fisheries between 1983 and 1991, of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs between 1988 and 1989, for Nordic Cooperation between 1985 and 1987 and then again between 1995 and 1999, and of Foreign Affairs between 1995 and 2004.

He was also secretary general of the Nordic Council of Ministers between 2007 and 2015 and is an Honorary Member of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.