Magnús Guðleifur Mattíasson

*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* Magnús.

**Magnús Guðleifur Mattíasson** (born 22 July 1976) is a Velkanian politician who has served as Minister of Environmental Affairs in the second Sif María Vilhjálmardattir cabinet since 2018. He is a member of the People's Party, and has served in the Orthing since 2014.

Born in Narísandur to a working-class family, Magnús graduated from the Velkanian Isles Police Academy in 1996, with certification to work as a police officer. Ultimately wishing to become a detective, Magnús was unable to after being rejected from all universities he applied to upon his graduation from upper secondary school. He completed his police apprenticeship in 1998, and later became a trainee with the Velkanian Police Force in Greater Narísandur. After three years as a police officer, Magnús left in 2001, amidst disagreements with his superiors. He subsequently began working odd jobs in industries such as construction and retail, while pursuing a career as a visual artist on the side. In 2003, he joined the People's Party and became a community organizer, organizing rallies and demonstrations to advocate for socially progressive policies in the Velkanian Isles. After failing to be elected to parliament in the 2006 and 2010 elections, Magnús began his political career after being successfully elected to parliament in the 2014 election. Following the 2018 election, he was nominated to serve as Minister of Environmental Affairs in the second cabinet of Sif María Vilhjálmardattir.

## Early life, education, and career

Magnús was born on 22 July 1976 in Narísandur to parents Mattías Árnarsson (born 1949) and Hafþóra Anna Guðmundardattir (born 1951). His parents both came from working-class backgrounds and Magnús was raised in a working-class environment himself, with his father working as a landscaper and his mother as a housekeeper at a local hotel. He was the younger of two children; his elder sister was Lovísa Kristín (1973–1988), who committed suicide when she was 15 years old, after suffering from anorexia and depression for more than two years. Magnús has said that her death had a big impact on him throughout his upbringing. He grew up in the Ákduós neighborhood of Narísandur, in a small three-bedroom home.

Magnús began his education in 1982, attending a local, public primary school in Ákduós. While in primary school, Magnús was a troublemaker who frequently got into trouble due to his rowdy and rambunctious behavior. He ultimately graduated in 1992, subsequently in enrolling in the Velkanian Isles Police Academy, where he began studying to become a police officer. Despite interest in becoming a detective, Magnús struggled with academics and his academic advisor told him that he likely did not have high enough grades in order to pursue university education or become a detective. Despite this, he still applied to four universities upon his graduation to study either psychology, sociology, or criminal justice, and was rejected from each program. Following the rejections, Magnús decided to enroll in a police trainee program in order to become a police officer.

Magnús began his police trainee program after graduating from the Velkanian Isles Police Academy in 1996. Despite considering resigning from the program numerous times, he ultimately graduated in 1998, receiving full credentials to work as a police officer. He was hired by the Velkanian Police Force and assigned to Greater Narísandur. Upon beginning work as a police officer, Magnús struggled in the field and became known for frequent insubordination. After being written up by his commanding officer several times due to insubordination, he resigned from the police force in 2001, in order to pursue other interests. Following his resignation, he began to work odd jobs in construction and retail in order to support himself. He soon began freelancing with the People's Party as a community organizer, organizing a number of rallies and demonstrations in order to promote socially progressive policies. In 2004, he began a career as a visual artist, specializing in sculpture. He opened his own art studio in 2009, which eventually closed in 2011.

## Political career

### Early politics

Magnús first became politically active after registering with the People's Party in 2001. Raised in a family of Social Democratic voters, Magnús had never registered with the party but decided to register with the People's Party due to their devotion to social progressivism, which he began to devote himself to following the birth of his son. After organizing numerous rallies and demonstrations for the party, Magnús was included on the party list for the 2006 and 2010 elections, but was not elected to parliament.

In 2014, Magnús was included on the People's Party list for the 2014 election, and was elected to the Orthing. Upon his election, Magnús became a widely known figure within the party, primarily for voter outreach amongst the working-class and male voters, two demographics the party often struggled with. He frequently drew media attention for his charged testimony in parliamentary hearings, often using colorful vocabulary and passionate speeches.

### Minister of Environmental Affairs

After the success of the People's Party in the 2018 election, the party entered into a coalition agreement with the Liberal-Conservative Party and Reform Party. The media began reporting that Magnús was expected to be nominated to a ministerial position after rising in the ranks of the People's Party and becoming one of the party's "brightest stars."

Ministerial discussions concluded on 13 March, with Magnús being nominated by Sif María Vilhjálmardattir to serve as Minister of Environmental Affairs in her second cabinet. The government was sworn in by Ragnhildur II later that day.

## Personal life

Magnús began a relationship with Muldanian disc jockey, electronic musician, and visual artist Anca Fiodorovici in 1998, while she was living in Narísandur for a period of two years. After becoming pregnant, they became engaged in 1999, and later married the following year. They had one son together: Ingiþór Alexandru, born  (2000-04-26) 26 April 2000 (age 23).

Magnús filed for divorce from Anca in 2002, citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce was finalized later that year. They had been separated since July 2000, just three months after the birth of their son. In 2015, Magnús alleged that Anca was physically and verbally abusive, and had suffered from alcoholism and drug addiction. She now resides in Vaha, and has not had contact with Magnús or their son since 2010.