Guðni Th. Jóhannesson
| Guðni Jóhannesson | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 June 1968 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Elín Haraldsdóttir Eliza Reid |
| Children | Rut Duncan Tindur Donald Gunnar Sæþór Peter Edda Margrét |
| Alma mater | University of Warwick University of Iceland University of Bonn St Antony's College, Oxford University of London |
| Profession | Historian |
Guðni Thorlacius Johannesson (born 26 June 1968[1]) is an Icelandic historian and lecturer at the University of Iceland, who is a candidate in the upcoming 2016 Icelandic presidential election.[2]
Contents
Early life and education
Guðni graduated from Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík in 1987 and earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Warwick University in England in 1991 and a Master of Arts in history from the University of Iceland in 1997. Two years later he completed an MSt degree in history from the University of Oxford.[1] In 2003 he received a PhD in history from Queen Mary, University of London.[3]
Career
Guðni has worked as a lecturer at the University of Iceland, Bifröst University and University of London.[1] Today he works as a senior lecturer in history at the University of Iceland. His field of research is modern Icelandic history in which he has published a number of works, including on the Cod Wars, 2008–11 Icelandic financial crisis and the Icelandic presidency. He has written a biography of Gunnar Thoroddsen and a book about the presidency of Kristján Eldjárn.[1]
Presidential candidature
Guðni decided to stand for president on 5 May 2016. His platform includes support for a citizen initiative referendum provision in the Constitution.[4] Early polls showed significant support,[2] and following incumbent president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson's decision to drop out of the race Guðni saw an increase in popularity reflected in various polls, which ranked him first with 67% to 69%, far ahead of other contenders.[5] On May 13, presidential candidate Ástþór Magnússon sent a letter to the OSCE accusing the public broadcasting system RÚV of having “hijacked” the elections, favoring Guðni and granting him "several hours of free promotion for his presidential campaign on prime time television and radio while other candidates were completely and deliberately bypassed”.[6]
Personal life
Religious beliefs
Guðni stands outside organized religion, but was raised in the Catholic faith. Guðni left the Catholic Church following reports of sexual abuse from various Catholic priests. Guðni today says he believes in human rights rather than a God, "human beings are born free, equal in dignity and rights. Humans are endowed with reason and conscience and should act in the spirit of brotherhood towards each other."[1]
Family
Guðni is the son of the teacher and journalist Margrét Thorlacius and the PE teacher and coach Jóhannes Sæmundsson. His father died of cancer at the age of 42. He has two brothers, Patrekur, a former Icelandic national handball team player, who is coach of the Austria national handball team, and Jóhannes, who is a system analyst.[1] He is married to Canadian Eliza Reid and they have four children together, while Guðni also has a daughter from a previous marriage.
Bibliography
- Kári í jötunmóð. Saga Íslenskrar erfðagreiningar og Kára Stefánssonar (Reykjavík: Nýja bókafélagið, 1999).
- Völundarhús valdsins. Stjórnarmyndanir, stjórnarslit og staða forseta Íslands í embættistíð Kristjáns Eldjárns, 1968-1980 (Reykjavík: Mál og menning, 2005).
- Óvinir ríkisins. Ógnir og innra öryggi í kalda stríðinu á Íslandi (Reykjavík: Mál og menning, 2006).
- Þorskastríðin þrjú. Saga landhelgismálsins 1948-1976 (Reykjavík: Hafréttarstofnun Íslands, 2006).
- Hrunið. Ísland á barmi gjaldþrots og upplausnar (Reykjavík: JPV, 2009)
- Gunnar Thoroddsen. Ævisaga. (Reykjavík: JPV, 2010)
References
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