Davíd Pétursson

*This is a Velkanian name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name. The subject should be referred to by the given name* Davíd*.*

**Davíd Pétursson** (born 3 August 1943) is a Velkanian politician and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of the Velkanian Isles from 2004 to 2012. A member of the Conservative Party, Davíd served as acting Prime Minister from May to July 2002 following the resignation of Alma Jónsdætr, and was Leader of the Conservative Party from 2002 until 2012. He served as Minister of Justice in both Alma Cabinets, and was first elected to the Stádlink in 1988.

Davíd was born in Jællkullythárjókur and attended Jællkullythárjókur School of Commerce, where he studied a business program. After finishing his high school education in 1962, Davíd moved to Hersingborg to attend Hersingborg University, graduating with a law degree in 1968. Davíd remained in Hersingborg, where he worked as a solicitor for Hersingborg-based law firms for several years, until returning to the Velkanian Isles in 1985. After volunteering for the Conservative Party for three years, Davíd was elected to the Stádlink in the 1988 election, representing the constituency of North Riksania. After Alma Jónsdaetr's election as Prime Minister in the 1996 election, he was appointed Minister of Justice in her cabinet. Davíd was a faithful ally of Alma throughout her tenure, serving in this capacity throughout all of her first term, and remaining after her reelection in 2000.

Following falling approval ratings and protests, Alma resigned from the position of Prime Minister on 13 May 2002, and Davíd was appointed as acting Prime Minister in her absence. He was elected party leader after running unopposed, thus being selected to lead the party into the upcoming snap election. In the election, the Conservatives lost a number of seats, and entered the opposition after a coalition between the Social Democrats and the Left took over the majority. In the 2004 election, the Conservatives returned to power in a coalition with the Liberal-Democrats and Fors People Party, thus officially electing Davíd as Prime Minister. His tenure in office was marked with both controversy and great success. Within his first term, the Liberal-Democrats dropped out of the coalition following disagreements over Davíd's leadership, making his government vulnerable to a vote of no confidence. However, in the 2008 election, the party gained a number of seats and their coalition with the Fors People Party began taking up the majority on their own. In 2011, following disagreements with the right-wing faction of the Conservatives, a number of members of the Stádlink and Davíd's government resigned to form the Independence and Reform Party. This, once again, put Davíd's government at risk of a vote of no confidence. He later confirmed that he would resign as leader and retire from politics prior to the 2012 election; Davíd was replaced by Pétur Geimar Skaptisson as party leader in September 2012.

After retiring from politics in 2012, Davíd and his family left the Velkanian Isles and moved to Hersingborg, where Davíd previously had resided for many years between the 1960s and 1980s. Unlike most Velkanians, Davíd did not renounce his Forsish citizenship after Velkanian independence was restored in 1966, which was a subject of immense controversy and criticism throughout his political career.

## Early life and education

Davíd was born on 3 August 1943 in Jællkullythárjókur to parents Pétur Elías Hermundursson (1910–1989) and Eiríka Elín Vígmarsdætr (1915–2008). The family was middle-class; Pétur Elías worked in sales, while Eiríka Elín was a schoolteacher at a local public primary school. Davíd is the elder of two sons; his younger brother is Karl, born  (1946-10-27) 27 October 1946 (age 77).

Like Davíd, Karl went on to work as a lawyer in Forsland. The family was opposed to Velkanian independence, and as a child and teenager both Davíd and his brother attended anti-independence rallies in Jællkullythárjókur with their father.

### Education and law career

Davíd began his education in 1949, attending the same primary school where his mother taught. He recalls being bullied throughout primary school because of his relationship with his mother, which he says greatly strained their relationship until he was a young adult. After graduating from primary school in 1959, Davíd enrolled in Jællkullythárjókur School of Commerce, where he studied a business program. While attending the school, Davíd became disillusioned with the idea of pursing a career in business, and instead began to consider law more closely.

He graduated from high school in 1962, and subsequently moved to Hersingborg to attend the Faculty of Law at Hersingborg University, graduating with his law degree in 1968. While living in Hersingborg, Davíd opposed Velkanian independence and voted "no" in the 1965 independence referendum. After the restoration of Velkanian independence in 1966, Davíd applied for Velkanian citizenship on the grounds of birthright as he was not residing in the Velkanian Isles at the time, but did not renounce his Forsish citizenship like most Velkanians did. After graduating with his law degree, Davíd began working as a prosecutor for the Forsish Office of Public Prosecutors. As a prosecutor, Davíd worked for the Forsish government on a number of high-profile violent crime cases involving assault, robbery, and manslaughter. In 1976, he left his position as a prosecutor and founded his own law firm, where he practiced criminal defense law. In 1985, Davíd left Hersingborg and settled in Naríthjábæk in the Velkanian Isles. In Naríthjábæk, he founded a Velkanian branch of his law firm; he primarily worked at the Velkanian branch for the remaining three years of his law career. Davíd left law in 1988, in order to enter politics.

## Political career

### Political beginnings

For much of his young life, Davíd found himself uninterested in Velkanian politics, instead choosing to focus on Forsish politics. He was vehemently opposed to the governments of Laíla María Bjarnarsdætr and Reynard Valbjörnsson, which negated his desire to return to the Velkanian Isles or pay attention to their politics. After the election of Knörr Geirmundursson in the 1980 election, Davíd found himself more invested and hopeful for the future of the Velkanian Isles.

In 1985, Davíd and his family returned to the Velkanian Isles in order for him to begin a Velkanian office of his law firm. While in the Velkanian Isles, Davíd began volunteering with the Conservative Party and attending rallies in support of Knörr. In 1988, he applied to stand as a candidate in the 1988 election for the Conservatives and was selected. He stood for election in the North Riksania constituency and was elected to the Stádlink, subsequently leaving his law career to enter politics. The year he was elected to parliament was the year that the Conservatives entered the opposition. During his first term, Davíd was opposed to the government of Jónsi Pál Steinkellsson, and supported the vote of no confidence against the government in 1990. He was reelected to his seat in the 1990 and 1993 snap elections and the 1992 general election, becoming a more well-known figure within the Conservative Party.

### Minister of Justice

In the 1996 election, Davíd was reelected to his seat. Additionally, the Conservatives took control of parliament after winning the election and securing a majority coalition with the Fors People Party, led by Alma Jónsdætr. Being close political allies throughout their political careers, Alma appointed Davíd as Minister of Justice, taking office along with the rest of the government on 1 December 1996.

As the Minister of Justice, Davíd headed the Velkanian Ministry of Justice and worked directly with the parliamentary Committee on Justice and Law. His tenure strengthened his political alliance with Alma, becoming the only member of her government to remain in their cabinet position after her reelection in the 2000 election and formation of her second government. After her approval ratings began to sink due to unpopular pieces of legislation being passed by the Conservatives in 2002, Davíd began to distance himself from her. Following her resignation on 13 May 2002, Davíd was appointed acting Prime Minister and was elected the new Leader of the Conservative Party after running unopposed. The Conservatives officially entered the opposition after the 2002 snap election, where the Social Democrats gained control of parliament.

### Prime Minister

After his loss in the 2002 snap election, there were calls for Davíd to resign as party leader due to his perceived weakness as a leader. Additionally, controversy arose when it became known that Davíd did not renounce his Forsish citizenship after the restoration of Velkanian independence in 1966; Davíd defended himself by stating that it was beneficial for him to hold Forsish citizenship as he was residing in Forsland at the time, but his critics expressed that it was an insult to the Velkanian Isles and showed that Davíd continued to maintain colonial mentalities for holding Forsish citizenship even when he was no longer residing there. After being called to renounce his Forsish citizenship after the information became public, he still continued to decline to renounce his citizenship.

In the lead up to the 2004 election, the Conservatives did not poll highly and were expected to place a distant second or third behind the Social Democrats. Ultimately, the Conservatives narrowly won the election in an upset victory. They formed a majority coalition with the Liberal-Democrats and Fors People Party, and Davíd took office as Prime Minister. His tenure quickly became controversial, when the Liberal-Democrats became critical of the social conservatism employed by Davíd's government. Due to this, and other concerns with Davíd's leadership, the Liberal-Democrats pulled themselves out of the majority coalition in November 2006, leaving Davíd's government vulnerable to a vote of no confidence. A vote of no confidence was brought against Davíd's government by the Social Democrats in July 2007, but was narrowly defeated by a handful of Liberal-Democrats voting in his favor.

Despite the controversy with the Liberal-Democrats in his first term, Davíd and his government were reelected in the 2008 election, furthering their number of seats so that they were no longer in danger of a successful no confidence vote. However, his second term brought other controversies. After appearing relatively weak on the issue of immigration, faced backlash from a number of Conservatives and Davíd faced three ministerial resignations in November 2011. This put Davíd's government at risk of a no confidence vote yet again. In order to quell concerns, Davíd announced in June 2012 that he'd be stepping down as leader and retiring from politics prior to the 2012 election. Pétur Geimar Skaptisson went on to replace Davíd as party leader, and Davíd left politics following the 2012 election.

## Personal life

Davíd began a relationship with Velkanian paralegal Jónasína Eik Kristbergsdætr in 1963, while both were students at the Faculty of Law at Hersingborg University. Davíd and Jónasína Eik later became engaged in 1965, and married the following year. Together they have three children: Anna, born  (1968-03-14) 14 March 1968 (age 55), Marcus, born  (1969-10-04) 4 October 1969 (age 54), and Lena, born  (1971-07-18) 18 July 1971 (age 52). All three children were born and raised in Forsland, so they use the surname "Petursson" instead of the Velkanian patronymic system.

Davíd has been a dual citizen of Forsland and the Velkanian Isles since 1966; additionally, he speaks fluent Velkanian, Forsish, and English, and can understand Hart. After returning to the Velkanian Isles in 1985, Davíd and his family settled in Búdarverfi. Him and Jónasína Eik returned to Hersingborg in 2012, where all three of their children reside.