Thursday, January 29, 2009

Iceland's PM: Gay Woman

The biggest story this week is that Iceland's new PM is a gay woman!

From the Star Tribune:
"Iceland's next leader will be an openly gay former flight attendant who parlayed her experience as a union organizer into a decades-long political career. Both parties forming Iceland's new coalition government support the appointment of Johanna Sigurdardottir, the island nation's 66-year-old social affairs minister, as Iceland's interim prime minister."


From Fox News:
"Sigurdardottir was a labor organizer when she worked as a flight attendant for Loftleidir Airlines — now Icelandair — in the 1960s and 1970s. She was first elected to Iceland's parliament in 1978 and served twice as social affairs minister, from 1987-1994, and again since 2007. Despite her veteran status, many Icelanders regard her as more independent than her fellow legislators."


From CNews:
"Sigurdardottir will lead until new elections are held, likely in May. She will remain in office longer only if her centre-left Social Democratic Alliance becomes the largest group in the election - an unlikely prospect, since it trails the Left-Green movement in opinion polls. "

From News Day:

"While a woman has served in the largely symbolic role of president, Sigurdardottir will be Iceland's first female prime minister.She lives with journalist Jonina Leosdottir, who became her civil partner in 2002, and has two sons from a previous marriage.Sigurdardottir is best known for her reaction to a failed bid to lead her party in 1994. "My time will come," she predicted in her concession speech."


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