Iceland elected a new president last night

After a long election night, Iceland´s new president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson remains victorious by 39.1 percent of the vote, with 71.356 individuals voting for him yesterday.

His supporters are gathering at his home at Tjarnarstígur 11 in Seltjarnarnes right now (at 4pm) to greet the new president. Tradition for such greetings by newly elected presidents home has been formed in recent years starting with Vigdís Finnbogadóttir who was hailed at her home at Aragata in 1980 and then President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson as well when he was elected in 1996.

Guðni Th. Jóhannesson is a historian and former associate professor at the faculty of history and philosophy at the University of Iceland. He was born in Reykjavik in 1968, and completed most of his university studies in the UK (Warwick University, Oxford and University of London). In 2003, he moved back to Iceland, and took a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Iceland and then, from 2007 to 2010, became an assistant professor at Reykjavík University. His research and publications have focused on Iceland’s foreign relations and contemporary history. Jóhannesson is married to Eliza Reid and they have four small children and he has one daughter from a former marriage as well.

The newly elected president’s first task is to travel to France tomorrow where they will attend Iceland´s match against England in the European cup.