Þorsteinn Pálsson

Þorsteinn ( Thorsteinn ) Pálsson ( born October 29, 1947 in Selfoss ) is an Icelandic politician of the Independence Party ( Sjálfstæðisflokkur ) and was Prime Minister of Iceland.

Biography

Pálsson began his political career in 1983 with the election of the Members of the Althing, where he represented the interests of South Iceland until 1999. In the same year he was appointed Chairman of the Independence Party elected ( Sjálfstæðisflokkur ). In 1985, he was by the then Prime Minister Steingrímur Hemm of Finance ( FJÁRMÁLARÁÐUNEYTIÐ ) appointed.

On 8 July 1987, he was the successor of Hemm as Prime Minister of Iceland. However, he held that post for just over one year, until September 28, 1988 from, when he resigned because of an economic crisis, and was in turn succeeded by Hemm.

In 1991 he was defeated in a Congress of the Independence Party the previous Deputy Chairman and Mayor of Reykjavík, Davíð Oddsson, at the re-election as party chairman. As this Hermannssons successor as Prime Minister was on April 30, 1991, he appealed to the Minister of Fisheries Pálsson ( Sjávarútvegsráðuneytið ), Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs (DOMS -og Kirkjumálaráðuneytið ). During his tenure as Minister of Justice, he brought on 27 June 1996, a partnership law for gays and lesbians in the Althing, the Icelandic parliament, a. 44 deputies voted for a single against the law. When he is stepping down after eight years in office on 11 May 1999, will take over Prime Minister Oddson for a short time even these offices.

Later he was appointed ambassador to London and then in Copenhagen. Since 2006, Pálsson editor of the largest daily newspaper Islands, Fréttablaðið.