Editing Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (section)

==Presidency (1996–2016)==
[[File:Vladimir Putin 19 April 2002-2.jpg|thumb|left|Ólafur with [[President of Russia]] [[Vladimir Putin]] at [[Moscow Kremlin|the Kremlin]] on 19 April 2002]]

===1996 election===
In the [[1996 Icelandic presidential election|1996 presidential election]], he was elected with 41.4% of the votes cast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.forseti.is/media/files/Forsetakosningar.pdf|title=Úrslit í forsetakosningum|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901071743/http://www.forseti.is/media/files/Forsetakosningar.pdf|archive-date=1 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Re-election 2004===
In the [[2004 Icelandic presidential election|2004 presidential election]], Ólafur was re-elected with 85.6% of the valid votes cast, but that election also saw a record number of empty/invalid ballots (21.2%) and an exceptionally low turnout of 62.9% (usually 80–90%), both of which have been interpreted as dissent with the president's decision not to sign a controversial media law. Since then, the issue of a constitutional amendment to revoke the veto power of the president has been raised by the [[Independence Party (Iceland)|Independence Party]]. Some have also wanted to rest that power with the people themselves, who could then force referendums to be held on laws by – for instance – collecting a certain number of signatures.

===Re-election 2008===
On 1 January 2008, in his new year's address, Ólafur announced his intention to seek a fourth term in office later in 2008. Because there was no challenger, he was [[2008 Icelandic presidential election|automatically re-elected]] and sworn in for another term on 1 August 2008.<ref>[http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6465286.html "President of Iceland sworn in for fourth time"], Xinhua (''People's Daily Online''), 3 August 2008.</ref>

===Crisis of 2008 statements===
In the aftermath of the [[2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis]], Ólafur criticized other countries for lack of help to Iceland.

In early November, the President attended a traditional informal lunch with all ambassadors to Iceland, held by the senior Danish ambassador. According to a confidential memo from the Norwegian embassy, quoted in the Norwegian newspaper [[Klassekampen]], the President said: "The North Atlantic is important to Scandinavia, the US and Britain. This is a fact these countries now seem to ignore. Then, Iceland should rather get some new friends". He praised Norway and the Faroe Islands for their swift decision to grant major loans to Iceland. He also said Iceland should rather invite Russia to use the [[Keflavík Air Base]]. According to the memo, an "amazed and smiling" Russian ambassador said Russia did not have any need for this. Ólafur also criticised the [[International Monetary Fund]] for the system's flaws and for its mistreatment of Iceland. He said it was part of Icelandic political mentality to "fight alone" rather than being threatened into submission, and that he expected Iceland to overcome the crisis sooner than the US and Britain by showing initiative and international activity in new fields. The memo underlined that the President of Iceland has no political power and that no other government official had presented similar points of view "to the same degree".<ref>Alf Skjeseth: [http://klassekampen.no/55221/article/item/null Inviterer Russland] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104171235/http://klassekampen.no/55221/article/item/null |date=4 January 2009 }}, [[Klassekampen]], 12 November 2008 (in Norwegian)</ref><ref>[http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/article596825.ece Iceland: Denmark has turned its back], [[Politiken]], 12 November 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.barentsobserver.com/russia-invited-to-icelands-airbase.4525408.html Russia invited to Iceland's airbase] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207042608/http://www.barentsobserver.com/russia-invited-to-icelands-airbase.4525408.html |date=7 February 2009 }}, barentsobserver.com, 12 November 2008</ref> The Danish ambassador to Iceland, Lasse Reimann, confirmed to the daily ''[[Politiken]]'' that the lunch had taken place, but declined to discuss on the President's comments.<ref>Michael Bech: [http://politiken.dk/udland/article597035.ece Dansk ambassadør følte islandsk vrede], [[Politiken]], 12 November 2008 (in Danish)</ref>

On 5 January 2010, the President of Iceland vetoed a measure of the Icelandic government to repay the governments of Britain and the Netherlands for their bailouts of customers of private Icelandic banks (no such bailout was required under Icelandic law, though on 26 May 2010 the [[EFTA]] found it was required by the terms of Iceland's membership of the [[European Economic Area|EEA]]).<ref>Michael Bech: [http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/05/27/efta-iceland-must-pay-icesave/ EFTA: Iceland must pay Icesave] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315212524/http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/05/27/efta-iceland-must-pay-icesave/ |date=15 March 2011 }}, IceNews, 27 May 2010</ref> The President's veto was upheld by the people of Iceland when they voted upon the measure in March 2010. This dispute is known as [[Icesave dispute]].

On 20 February 2011, the President of Iceland again vetoed an effort by the Icelandic government to repay (in installments over a period of years) the governments of Britain and the Netherlands. In a referendum held on 9 April 2011, Icelanders rejected for a second time a proposal to pay $5&nbsp;billion to Britain and the Netherlands.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/04/10/business/business-us-iceland-referendum.html Icelanders Again Reject Icesave Debt Deal], [[www.nytimes.com]], 10 April 2011</ref><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iceland-idUSTRE73914Y20110410 Iceland says Icesave dispute to be solved in court], [[Reuters]], 10 April 2011</ref> Nearly 60% of Icelanders rejected the proposal put forward by the government.<ref>[http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Icesave_Referendum_First_Numbers_0_376402.news.aspx Icesave Referendum: First Numbers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329133758/http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Icesave_Referendum_First_Numbers_0_376402.news.aspx |date=29 March 2012 }}, Iceland Review, 9 April 2011</ref> The President's veto was thus upheld by the people.
[[File:Olafur Ragnar Grimsson World Economic Forum 2013.jpg|thumb|175px|Ólafur during the [[World Economic Forum|WEF]] 2013]]

===2012 election===
Ólafur Ragnar announced on 4 March 2012, that he would be seeking a fifth term as the President of Iceland in the [[2012 Icelandic presidential election|2012 presidential election]].<ref>[http://www.goiceland.is/2012/03/olafur-ragnar-grimsson-runs-for-a-fifth-term-as-president/ Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson runs for a fifth term as President] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202223628/http://www.goiceland.is/2012/03/olafur-ragnar-grimsson-runs-for-a-fifth-term-as-president/|date=2 December 2013}}, [http://www.goiceland.is], 4.Mar 2012</ref> He received 52.78% of votes cast in the election, which took place on 30 June.

===2016 election and Panama Papers controversy===
In a statement to the country on 1 January 2016, Ólafur Ragnar announced that he would not run in the [[2016 Icelandic presidential election|2016 presidential election]], wanting "to transfer the responsibilities of the president onto other shoulders".<ref>{{cite news |date=1 January 2016 |title=Iceland's president not seeking re-election after 20 years |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/icelands-president-not-seeking-re-election-after-20-years/2016/01/01/a3b107c2-b0b7-11e5-b281-43c0b56f61fa_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101195140/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/icelands-president-not-seeking-re-election-after-20-years/2016/01/01/a3b107c2-b0b7-11e5-b281-43c0b56f61fa_story.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 January 2016 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=1 January 2016}}</ref> He later withdrew the statement and decided in April to run again,<ref name="Monitor-18Apr">{{cite news |date=18 April 2016 |title=Ólafur Ragnar to run for re-election |url=http://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/politics_and_society/2016/04/18/olafur_ragnar_to_run_for_re_election_10/ |work=Iceland Monitor |publisher=[[Morgunblaðið]] |access-date=18 April 2016}}</ref> citing political unrest after the fallout of the [[Panama Papers]] leak, which implicated [[Prime Minister of Iceland|Prime Minister]] [[Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson]] and led to his resignation after [[2016 Icelandic anti-government protests|large anti-government protests]].<ref>{{cite news |date=4 April 2016 |title=Panama Papers: Iceland PM Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson steps down |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35966412 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |access-date=18 April 2016}}</ref> After [[Guðni Th. Jóhannesson]] and [[Davíð Oddsson]] announced their candidacies, he again changed his mind and on 9 May declared he would not run.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ólafur Ragnar hættur við framboð|url=https://www.mbl.is/frettir/kosning/2016/05/09/olafur_ragnar_haettur_vid_frambod/|website=www.mbl.is}}</ref>

[[The Reykjavík Grapevine|Reykjavik Grapevine]] and the news site [[Kjarninn]] revealed that Ólafur Ragnar's wife, Dorrit Moussaieff, had connections to an [[offshore company]] in the [[British Virgin Islands]]. Ólafur Ragnar had denied any personal or family ties to companies in [[tax haven]]s. The company was owned by the parents of Dorrit. According to Kjarninn, the company, Lasca Finance, was in operation from 1999 to 2005. The financial statements of Moussaieff Jewelers Limited show it received almost £7 million ({{US$}}10.2 million or €9.1 million) in interest payments from Lasca in 2000–2005.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}