Mayor of Reykjavík explained

Post:Mayor
Body:Reykjavík
Native Name:Borgarstjóri Reykjavíkur
Insignia:Reykjavik Coat of Arms.svg
Insigniasize:100px
Insigniacaption:Municipal coat of arms
Incumbent:Einar Þorsteinsson
Incumbentsince:16 January 2024
Department:Reykjavík City Council
Seat:Reykjavík
Termlength:Four years
Renewable indefinitely with the support of the Reykjavík City Council.
Constituting Instrument:Local Government Act
Formation:1907
First:Jón Þorláksson
Deputy:Þorsteinn Gunnarsson
Salary:1,976,025 ISK monthly (2021)[1]
Website:

The post of Mayor of Reykjavík (Icelandic: Borgarstjóri Reykjavíkur) was created in 1907 and advertised in 1908. Páll Einarsson and Knud Zimsen applied for the job and Páll got the position for a period of six years, at the end of which he did not wish to renew his tenure. Rather than a direct election, Reykjavík City Council members elect the mayor from within their ranks.

Between 1932 and 1994 the centre-right Independence Party dominated Reykjavík municipal politics, but since then other parties have been more competitive. During the 2006-2010 term four people held the mayor position, due to an unprecedented amount of instability in Reykjavík's municipal coalition government caused in part by the 2008–11 Icelandic financial crisis.

The incumbent mayor is Einar Þorsteinsson, who took office in 2024. Einar's Progressive Party currently governs the city as the senior coalition partner with the Social Democratic Alliance, Pirate Party, and Reform. As of 2024, Reykjavik has had 22 mayor including eighteen men and four women.

List of mayors

No.PortraitMayorTook officeLeft officeDurationParty
1Páll Einarsson
(1868–1954)
7 May 19087 May 19146 years
(2,191 days)
Independent
2Knud Zimsen
(1875–1953)
7 May 191430 December 193218 years, 7 months, 23 days
(6,812 days)
Independent
3Jón Þorláksson
(1877–1935)
30 December 193220 March 19352 years, 2 months, 20 days
(810 days)
Independence Party
4Pétur Halldórsson
(1887–1940)
20 March 193526 November 19405 years, 8 months, 6 days
(2,078 days)
Independence Party
5Bjarni Benediktsson
(1908–1970)
26 November 194010 February 19476 years, 2 months, 15 days
(2,267 days)
Independence Party
6Gunnar Thoroddsen
(1910–1983)
10 February 194719 November 195912 years, 9 months, 9 days
(4,665 days)
Independence Party
7Auður Auðuns
(1911–1999)
19 November 19596 October 196010 months, 17 days
(322 days)
Independence Party
8Geir Hallgrímsson
(1925–1990)
1 December 197213 years, 12 days
(4,761 days)
Independence Party
9Birgir Ísleifur Gunnarsson
(1936–2019)
1 December 197215 August 19785 years, 8 months, 14 days
(2,083 days)
Independence Party
10Egill Skúli Ingibergsson
(1926–2021)
15 August 197827 May 19823 years, 9 months, 12 days
(1,381 days)
Independent
11Davíð Oddsson
(b. 1948)
27 May 198216 July 19919 years, 1 month, 19 days
(3,337 days)
Independence Party
12Markús Örn Antonsson
(b. 1943)
16 July 199117 March 19942 years, 8 months, 1 day
(975 days)
Independence Party
13Árni Sigfússon
(b. 1956)
17 March 199413 June 19942 months, 27 days
(88 days)
Independence Party
14Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir
(b. 1954)
13 June 19941 February 20038 years, 7 months, 19 days
(3,155 days)
Reykjavík List
15Þórólfur Árnason
(b. 1957)
1 February 200330 November 20041 year, 9 months, 29 days
(668 days)
Reykjavík List
16Steinunn Valdís Óskarsdóttir
(b. 1965)
30 November 200413 June 20061 year, 6 months, 14 days
(560 days)
Reykjavík List
17Vilhjálmur Þórmundur Vilhjálmsson
(b. 1946)
13 June 200616 October 20071 year, 4 months, 3 days
(490 days)
Independence Party
18Dagur Bergþóruson Eggertsson
(b. 1972)
16 October 200724 January 20083 months, 8 days
(100 days)
Social Democratic Alliance
19Ólafur Friðrik Magnússon
(b. 1952)
24 January 200821 August 20086 months, 28 days
(210 days)
Liberal Party
20Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir
(b. 1966)
21 August 200815 June 20101 year, 9 months, 25 days
(663 days)
Independence Party
21Jón Gnarr
(b. 1967)
15 June 201016 June 20144 years, 2 days
(1,463 days)
Best Party
(18)Dagur Bergþóruson Eggertsson
(b. 1972)
16 June 201416 January 20249 years, 7 months, 1 day
(3,502 days)
Social Democratic Alliance
22Einar Þorsteinsson
(b. 1978)
16 January 2024Incumbent
(days)
Progressive Party

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Laun og kostnaðargreiðslur borgarfulltrúa. 30 January 2019.