Katrín Jakobsdóttir (; born 1 February 1976) is an Icelandic former politician who served as the

prime minister of Iceland The prime minister of Iceland () is head of government of the Republic of Iceland. The prime minister is appointed formally by the president of Iceland, president and exercises executive authority along with the Cabinet of Iceland, cabinet subje ...

from December 2017 to April 2024 and was a member of the

Althing The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Parliament, national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ('Thing (assembly), thing ...

for the Reykjavík North constituency from 2007 to 2024. A graduate of the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...

, she became deputy chairperson of the

Left-Green Movement The Left-Green Movement (, ), also known by its short-form name Vinstri græn (VG), is an eco-socialist political party in Iceland. Since the 2024 Icelandic parliamentary election, the party has had no members in the Althing. The party chairper ...

in 2003, and served as their chairperson from 2013 until her presidential bid in 2024. Katrín was Iceland's minister of education, science, and culture, and of Nordic cooperation from 2 February 2009 to 23 May 2013. She was Iceland's second female prime minister, after

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (; born 4 October 1942) is an Icelandic politician, who served as prime minister of Iceland from 2009 to 2013. Elected as an MP from 1978 to 2013, she was appointed as Iceland's Minister of Social Affairs and Social ...

held the office from 2009 to 2013. On 19 February 2020, she was named Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. In April 2024, she left her position as prime minister to run for

president of Iceland The president of Iceland () is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Halla Tómasdóttir, who won the 2024 Icelandic presidential election, 2024 presidential election. The president is not involved in the running of the country, bu ...

in the 2024 presidential election. She finished in second place with 25.1% of the popular vote. Katrín is known as one of the most popular politicians in Icelandic history, with 59% of people naming her as the most trustworthy politician in a 2015 poll. During her time as

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

, she had the highest approval ratings for a prime minister in Iceland.

Education

Katrín graduated from the

in 1999 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

, with a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in Icelandic and a minor in French. She went on to complete a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in

Icelandic literature Icelandic literature refers to literature written in Iceland or by Icelandic people. It is best known for the sagas written in medieval times, starting in the 13th century. As Icelandic and Old Norse are almost the same, and because Icelandic wo ...

at the University of Iceland in 2004, for a

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

on the work of popular Icelandic

crime writer Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

Arnaldur Indriðason Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced ; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur. Early life Arnaldur was born in Reykjavík on 28 January 1961, the son o ...

Non-political career

Katrín worked part-time as a language adviser at the

news agency A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and All-news radio, radio and News broadcasting, television Broadcasting, broadcasters. A news agency ma ...

public broadcaster Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

RÚV Ríkisútvarpið (, ; abbr. RÚV ) is Iceland's national public broadcasting, public-service broadcasting organization. Founded in 1930, it operates from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional centres around the count ...

from 1999 to 2003. She then freelanced for broadcast media, and wrote for a variety of print media from 2004 to 2006, as well as being an instructor in life-long learning and leisure at the Mímir School from 2004 to 2007. She did editorial work for the publishing company Edda and magazine JPV from 2005 to 2006, and was a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

at the

Reykjavík University Reykjavík University (RU; , , ) is the largest private university in Iceland with approximately 3,300 students. It is Charter school, chartered by the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Icelandic Industries, and the Confederation of Icelandi ...

, and

Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (MR; official name in English: Reykjavik College) is collegein Iceland. It is located in Reykjavík. The school traces its origin to 1056, when a school was established in Skálholt, and it remains one of the oldest ...

from 2006 to 2007.

Political career

Katrín became deputy chairwoman of the

in 2003, before she became the chairperson in 2013 which she served until 2024. She has been a member of the

Alþingi The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (' thing fields' or 'assembly fields'), about east of what la ...

for the Reykjavík North constituency since 2007. Katrín was Iceland's minister of education, science, and culture, and of Nordic cooperation from 2 February 2009 to 23 May 2013.

Prime Minister (2017–2024)

Before becoming Prime Minister, Katrín was chairperson of the

. In the wake of the 2017 Icelandic parliamentary election,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Guðni Th. Jóhannesson tasked her with forming a governing coalition to consist of the

, the Progressive Party, the

Social Democratic Alliance The Social Democratic Alliance (, ) is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Iceland, political party in Iceland. The party is positioned on the Centre-left politics, centre-left of the political spectrum and their ...

, and the

Pirate Party Pirate Party is a label adopted by various Political party, political parties worldwide that share a set of values and policies focused on Civil and political rights, civil rights in the digital age. The fundamental principles of Pirate Partie ...

. Coalition talks between the four parties formally began on 3 November 2017, but were unsuccessful because of Progressive Party concerns that her coalition would have too thin a majority. As a result, Katrín sought to lead a three-party coalition with the Independence Party and Progressive Party. After coalition talks were completed, President Guðni formally granted her a mandate to lead the government, which was installed on 30 November. Political analysts note that Katrín Jakobsdóttir's government has been able to maintain stability through a coalition comprising the Left-Green Movement, the Progressive Party, and the Independence Party. This stability has been attributed to a balanced approach that incorporates different political perspectives, including a focus on regional support and primary industries as well as a cautious stance on European integration. As Prime Minister, Katrín has implemented a range of policies aimed at social betterment. These include making the tax system more progressive, investing in social housing, extending parental leave, and taking steps to reduce gender pay inequality. To maintain coalition stability, she has also made some compromises, such as forgoing the establishment of a national park in the country's centre. By September 2021, nearly four years after taking office, Katrín's leadership during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

received positive reviews. While Iceland's small size and geographical isolation may have contributed to its relatively low death toll, the country's proactive measures under her guidance were also a factor. Tourism was reintroduced cautiously, although there was a subsequent increase in COVID-19 cases. In the 2021 parliamentary elections, the

lost three of its 11 seats in the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, but the coalition government still retained its majority. Negotiations among the coalition parties subsequently began to renew their agreement. Polls taken in the aftermath of the election showed a significant majority of Icelanders supported Katrín's continued role in government. In October 2023, she gained international attention for going on strike with women and non-binary people in calling for pay equality and action against gender-based violence. The strike is also the first of its kind since 1975.

Resignation and presidential campaign (2024)

On 9 April 2024, Katrín resigned as prime minister and chairperson of the Left-Green Movement and ran for the presidency of Iceland. She came in second place behind Halla Tómasdóttir and received 25.1% percent of votes cast. Katrín said she does not plan to run for the presidency again and will not go back into politics.

Political positions

Katrín opposes Icelandic membership of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, but as part of the compromise between the Left-Greens and their coalition partners, the government does not intend to withdraw from NATO or hold a referendum on NATO membership. Katrín also opposes Iceland joining the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(EU). The coalition government did not hold a referendum on restarting Iceland's accession negotiations with the EU.

Personal life

Katrín is married to Gunnar Sigvaldason, has three sons (born 2005, 2007, and 2011). Her father, Jakob Ármannsson, was an educator and banker and her mother, Signý Thoroddsen, was a psychologist. She hails from a family which has produced many prominent people in Icelandic

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

. She is the younger sister of twin brothers Ármann Jakobsson and Sverrir Jakobsson, who are both

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

s in the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

at the

. Katrín is the great-granddaughter of the politician and judge Skúli Thoroddsen and the

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

Theodóra Thoroddsen. Her maternal grandfather was an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

and MP Sigurður S. Thoroddsen. The poet Dagur Sigurðarson is her maternal uncle. Her debut crime novel "Reykjavík: A Crime Story," co-written with best-selling Icelandic author Ragnar Jónasson, was published in October 2022,Prime Minister by Day, Noir Writer by Night
/ref> with an English translation published in September 2023.Reykjavík
/ref>

International cooperation

Katrín has been a member of the following international organizations or committees: * Icelandic Delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (since 2017) * Icelandic Delegation to the

EFTA The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The organization operates in parallel with the European Union ...

and EEA Parliamentary Committees (2014–2016) * EU-Iceland joint Parliamentary Committee (Deputy Chair 2014–2016) * Icelandic delegation to the West Nordic Council (2013–2014)

References

External links