Vigdís Finnbogadóttir

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Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
Vigdis Finnbogadottir in September 1985
4th President of Iceland
In office
1 August 1980 – 1 August 1996
Prime MinisterGunnar Thoroddsen
Steingrímur Hermannsson
Þorsteinn Pálsson
Steingrímur Hermannsson
Davíð Oddsson
Preceded byKristján Eldjárn
Succeeded byÓlafur Ragnar Grímsson
Personal details
Born (1930-04-15) 15 April 1930 (age 93)
Reykjavík, Iceland
Alma materUniversity of Paris
University of Grenoble
University of Copenhagen
University of Iceland

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir [ˈvɪɣtis ˈfɪn.pɔɣaˌtoʊhtɪr] (audio speaker iconlisten) (born April 15, 1930) was the 4th president of Iceland. She was president from 1980 to 1996. She was the world's first elected female head of state.[1][2] With a presidency of exactly sixteen years, she also remains the longest-serving, elected female head of state of any country to date. Currently, she is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and a Member of the Club of Madrid.[3] At her election in 1980 she was the first woman to be elected the head of state in a democratic election. She was re-elected unopposed in 1984 and 1992, and beat her opponent in the election of 1988. She studied literature and drama at the University of Grenoble and the Sorbonne in Paris, and also at the University of Iceland. She graduated in English and French literature, and has a degree in education.

References[change | change source]

  1. "Vigdís Finnbogadóttir – president of Iceland". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  2. "Club of Madrid: Vigdís Finnbogadóttir". Club of Madrid. 2003. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  3. "Club of Madrid: Full Members". Club of Madrid. 2003. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 30 March 2008.

Other websites[change | change source]

Political offices
Preceded by
Kristján Eldjárn
President of Iceland
1980–1996
Succeeded by
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson