- Chairman of the Independence Party 2005-2009.
- Date of Birth: April 8th, 1951
- Party: Independence Party
Parliamentary career
- Member of Althingi for the Reykjavík Constituency 1987–2003 and for the Reykjavík South Constituency 2003–2009.
Party group
- Chairman of the parliamentary group of the Independence Party 1991–1998.
Previous committees
- Member of the Althingi Foreign Affairs Committee 1991–1998 (Chairman 1995–1998).
- Member of the Althingi Special Committee on Constitutional Affairs 1992–1997.
- Member of the Icelandic Delegation to the IPU 1988–1998 (Chairman1988–1998).
- Member of the Icelandic Delegation to the Nordic Council 1991–1998 (Chairman 1991–1992).
Ministerial career
- Prime Minister 2006–2009.
- Minister of Statistics Iceland 2006–2008.
- Minister for Foreign Affairs 2005–2006.
- Minister of Finance 1998–2005.
Political party career
Chairman of the Organizing Committee, World Handball Championship Iceland, 1995. Chairman of The National Youth Organization of the Independence Party 1981–1985. Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee of Inter-Parliamentary Union since 1995–1997. Deputy-Chairman of the Executive Committee of Inter-Parliamentary Union since 1995–1997. Member of the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union since 1994–1998. Chairman of the Twelve Plus Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union 1993 and 1994. Chairman of the Icelandic Delegation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union since 1987–1998. President of the Nordic Council 1995. Member of the Presidium of the Nordic Council 1991–1995. Chairman of the Conservative Group within the Nordic Council since 1995.