Editing Sveinn Björnsson (section)

== Regent and President ==
[[File:Standard of the Regent of Iceland (1941–1944).svg|thumb|left|210px|Standard as Regent of Iceland]]

Although Iceland had become a sovereign state in 1918, its foreign affairs had been conducted by Denmark until the beginning of the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The German [[occupation of Denmark]] in April 1940, however, resulted the [[Kingdom of Iceland|Icelandic king]], [[Christian X of Denmark|Christian X]], who resided in Denmark, being unable to perform his constitutional functions for Iceland and Sveinn was elected [[Regent]] of Iceland three times between 1941 and 1943, assuming all the prerogatives in Icelandic affairs held by the King. In July 1941, [[United States]] [[United States Armed Forces|troops]] [[Occupation of Iceland|occupied]] Iceland on the invitation of Sveinn's government and remained, in reduced numbers, after the war; their continued presence provoked the main controversy of the nation's postwar foreign policy.

Sveinn was elected president by the Althing on the inauguration of the [[republic of Iceland]] in 1944. His first term was only one year, since the people of Iceland were to elect their president directly for the first time in 1945. Shortly after the creation of the republic, Sveinn called on Icelandic embassies to send him all books on diplomatic protocol that they could find, so that he could follow the right customs as head of state.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=76}}</ref> Foreign diplomats often remarked on how strict Sveinn was in following diplomatic protocol in his interactions with them, perhaps too strict.<ref name=":0" />

Sveinn was re-elected as president in 1945 and 1949 without opposition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.althingi.is/altext/cv/is/?nfaerslunr=566|title=Sveinn Björnsson|website=Alþingi|language=is|access-date=2020-01-04}}</ref> He set new precedent and went outside of the formal powers given to the president after the 1949 parliamentary elections when he said that he would form a government if the parties could not agree on forming in four months' time.<ref name=":1" /> He claimed to have these powers according to the [[Constitution of Iceland|constitution]], but historian (and later president) [[Guðni Th. Jóhannesson]] rejected that these powers are set in the constitution.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=84}}</ref>

Sveinn had poor relations with the Danish King, Christian X, after Iceland became a republic. The King maintained that the Icelanders had given him false assurances in 1940 that the relationship between Iceland and Denmark would return to normal after the Nazi occupation had ended; something that Sveinn denied.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=73}}</ref> For this reason, Sveinn did not go on an official visit to Denmark following the creation of the republic. Christian X died in 1947. But, due to poor health, Sveinn was unable to visit Denmark during the final part of his tenure as president.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=194}}</ref>

The nation formally became a member of [[NATO]] on 30 March 1949, amid [[1949 anti-NATO riot in Iceland|domestic controversy and riots]]. On 5 May 1951, a defence agreement was signed with the United States. American troops returned to Iceland as the [[Iceland Defence Force]], and remained throughout the [[Cold War]]. The US withdrew the last of its forces on 30 September 2006. Sveinn died in [[Reykjavík]] in January 1952, more than one year before his third term of office was due to expire. He is the only president of Iceland, as of 2024, to die in office. Sveinn had been in poor health since 1949.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fyrstu forsetarnir|last=Jóhannesson|first=Guðni Th.|year=2016|pages=83}}</ref>