Sólbrún María Geirvaldardattir

*This name uses Velkanian naming customs; the last name is a patronymic, not a family name. This person should be properly referred to by the given name* Sólbrún.

**Sólbrún María Geirvaldardattir** (born 16 March 1984) is a Velkanian politician who served as Minister of Education and Culture in the first Sif María Vilhjálmardattir cabinet from 2014 until 2018. She additionally had served as a member of the Orthing from 2010 until 2018, and is a member of the Centrist Party.

Sólbrún was born in Dalverfi to a Velkanian father and a Magorian mother. After graduating from upper secondary school in 2004, she enrolled in the University of Velkania, receiving her bachelor's degree in political science in 2007. Sólbrún immediately entered politics after graduating, being elected to the Dalverfi municipal council in 2008, representing the Centrist Party. Despite being elected to a four-year term, Sólbrún served only half of her term after being elected to the Orthing in the 2010 election. Following the 2014 election, he was nominated to serve as the inaugural Minister of Education and Culture in the first Sif María Vilhjálmardattir cabinet. The Centrist Party saw disastrous results in the 2018 election, when they lost all 11 of their seats in parliament. After leaving parliament, Sólbrún declared her candidacy for leader of the Centrist Party, and was subsequently defeated by Ólafur Hreimur Jónsson.

## Early life and education

Sólbrún was born on 16 March 1984 in Dalverfi to parents Geirvaldur Jón Ísaksson (born 1950) and Erzsi Szőke (born 1958). Her father worked in advertising, while her mother is a Magorian immigrant from Raves who worked in the tourism industry. Sólbrún was raised in her mother's Eurean Catholic faith, and additionally is bilingual in both Velkanian and Magorian. She is the elder of two children; her younger brother is Dagur Pál, born  (1986-07-02) 2 July 1986 (age 37).

Sólbrún began her education in 1990, attending a local, public primary school in Dalverfi. She ultimately graduated in 2000, and enrolled in Dalverfi Junior College to study a social sciences program. She graduated from upper secondary school in 2004, and afterwards enrolled in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Velkania, studying political science. During her second year at the university, Sólbrún was elected to the student council for the Lýsa student union, and became the president of Lýsa in her final year. She graduated with her degree in 2007. After graduating, Sólbrún briefly worked as a retail salesperson until entering politics.

In 2018, Sólbrún returned to her education and enrolled in a graduate program at Szücs Rudolf University in Raves, studying public administration. She graduated with her master's degree in public administration in 2020.

## Political career

### Early politics

Sólbrún began her political career in 2008, after she was elected to the municipal council of Dalverfi in the 2008 local elections, representing the Centrist Party. She was one of only two Centrists elected to the 12-seat council. While a municipal councilor, Sólbrún remained in the opposition.

Despite being elected to a four-year term in the Dalverfi municipal council, Sólbrún was included on the Centrist Party electoral list in the 2010 election, and was elected to the Orthing. Afterwards, she resigned her seat in the municipal council and was replaced by her deputy. Now a member of parliament, Sólbrún found herself aligned closely with party leader Auðdís Heiða Guðleikardattir, and was considered to be a possible successor to her as party leader. She was later reelected in the 2014 election.

### Minister of Education and Culture

Following the 2014 election, the Centrists entered into a governing coalition with the Liberal-Conservatives. Sólbrún was nominated by Sif María Vilhjálmardattir to serve as Minister of Education and Culture in her first cabinet. In her ministerial role, Sólbrún was responsible for public education, the university system, entertainment, television and film, music, and sports of the Velkanian Isles.

During her tenure as education and culture minister, Sólbrún became a controversial figure. She supported funding cuts to public education and proposed a policy that would allow for and incentive more private education, although it was shot down by the Liberal-Conservatives. She additionally advocated for reductions in funding to public television, which resulted in calls for her resignation until she reversed her decision to cut the funding.

### Post-parliamentary career

The Centrist Party saw disastrous results in the 2018 election, where they lost all 11 of the seats they held in parliament. The defeat was attributed to the emergence of the Reform Party and dissatisfaction with the Liberal-Conservative government that the Centrists were part of.

After the certification of the results, party leader Auðdís Heiða Guðleikardattir tendered her resignation, and a leadership election was triggered. As the party had no representation in parliament, the election was open to any registered member rather than only parliamentarians. Sólbrún was the second and final major candidate to declare their candidacy, following Ólafur Hreimur Jónsson. Going into the election, Ólafur was seen as the favorite to win, especially after receiving the influential endorsement of senior party member Gaukur Marbjörnsson. On the other hand, Sólbrún was seen as a continuity candidate between herself and Auðdís, both representing classical liberal young women; however, due to her tenure as education and culture minister, Sólbrún had become one of the least popular politicians within the party, which decreased confidence in her from other party members. She ultimately was defeated in a party conference, winning 42.1% of the vote to Ólafur's 55.7%.

In 2020, Sólbrún was hired as chief of education policy for the Centrist Party, working out of the party headquarters in Narísandur.

## Personal life

Sólbrún identifies as a Eurean Catholic, although she does not attend church weekly and has expressed disagreement with elements of the church's teachings, mainly their emphasis on social conservatism. She speaks fluent Velkanian, Magorian, Framish, and Ditrovian, and is a dual citizen of the Velkanian Isles and Magoria.

From 2018 until 2020, Sólbrún resided in Raves as she was completing her master's degree, although she has since returned to the Velkanian Isles and resides in the Álfhöfn neighborhood of Narísandur.