Ólafur Hreimur Jónsson

*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* Ólafur.

**Ólafur Hreimur Jónsson** (born 24 May 1980) is a Velkanian politician who has served as leader of the Centrist Party since 2018. He additionally served as Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation in the first Sif María Vilhjálmardattir cabinet from 2014 until 2018, and as a member of the Orthing from 2006 until 2018.

Born in Narísandur, Ólafur graduated from Narísandur Academy in 2000, and afterwards enrolled in the University of Velkania. He graduated with his engineering degree in 2003, and afterwards began working as a civil engineer for the Velkanian government. Ólafur began his political career in 2006, after being included on the Centrist Party electoral list in the 2006 election, being elected to the Orthing. In parliament, Ólafur emerged as a rising star within his party, and was cited as a possible future leader. Following the 2014 election, he was nominated to serve as the inaugural Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation 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, Ólafur declared his candidacy for leader of the Centrist Party, and was subsequently elected.

## Early life and education

Ólafur was born on 24 May 1980 in Narísandur to parents Jón Falgeirsson (1944–1996) and Guðveig Anna Jóhannsdattir (born 1953). His father worked as a police officer, while his mother was a dental assistant. Ólafur is the youngest of three children and only son; his elder sisters are María Reynhildur, born  (1977-02-01) 1 February 1977 (age 46), and Gréta Guðrún, born  (1978-12-21) 21 December 1978 (age 45). He grew up in the Lónsfoss neighborhood of Narísandur. When he was 16 years old, his father died after a two-year bout with lung cancer.

Ólafur began his education in 1986, attending a local, public primary school in Narísandur. After graduating from primary school in 1996, Ólafur enrolled in Narísandur Academy to study a general academic program, graduating in 2000. He then enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Velkania, graduating with a degree in civil engineering in 2003.

## Engineering career

After graduating with his engineering degree in 2003, Ólafur was hired by the municipality of Narísandur as a civil engineer. In this position, he was responsible for numerous infrastructure jobs regarding road systems and bridges throughout the city. He left the position in 2005, and was hired by the Ministry of Transportation and Local Governance as a civil engineer, where he began to work on infrastructure projects throughout the entire nation. He left his engineering career to enter politics in 2006.

After losing reelection to parliament in 2018, Ólafur founded the engineering firm ÓLAGA Engineering, together with business partner Helga Ingifríðardattir. The firm oversees infrastructure projects internationally, primarily being contracted out by governments.

## Political career

### Early politics

Ólafur began his political career after he was included on the Centrist Party electoral list in the 2006 election, being elected to the Orthing. He ultimately was elected parliament, taking his seat on 17 May 2006. At the time of his election, he was the second youngest member of parliament at only 25 years old, being just two and a half years older than Auðdís Heiða Guðleikardattir.

Upon entering politics, Ólafur positioned himself in the classical liberal faction of his party, supporting liberal social and economic policies. He was a strong supporter of expanding marriage rights to same-sex couples and loosening restrictions on immigration, but also opposed the strengthening of the welfare state as proposed by the Social Democrats and Green-Socialists. He was later reelected in the 2010 and 2014 elections.

### Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation

Following the 2014 election, the Centrists entered into a governing coalition with the Liberal-Conservatives. Ólafur was nominated by Sif María Vilhjálmardattir to serve as Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation in her first cabinet, a newly created position. In his role as Minister of Scientific Research and Innovation, Ólafur was responsible for overseeing scientific research in the Velkanian Isles in addition to having responsibilities over the relationship between science, technology, and society.

In the position, Ólafur supported a widespread expansion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs at Velkanian schools and universities, and also supported initiatives to diversify the field by encouraging women and other minorities to pursue STEM programs. Additionally, Ólafur also supported making the Velkanian Isles a center of research in fields relating to science and engineering, increasing the research budget at the University of Velkania, and additionally incentivizing the movement of technology companies to the country.

### Party leader

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. Ólafur was the first major candidate to declare his candidacy, and was soon followed by Sólbrún María Geirvaldardattir. Going into the election, Ólafur was seen as the favorite to win, especially after receiving the influential endorsement of senior party member Gaukur Marbjörnsson. He ultimately defeated Sólbrún in a party conference, winning 55.7% of the vote to her 42.1%. Ólafur will now be tasked with leading the party into the 2022 election, with the hope of bringing the party back into parliament.

## Personal life

Ólafur began a relationship with Velkanian flight attendant Anna Björk Kristófersdattir in 2010, after she was the flight attendant on a flight that Ólafur was on. They became engaged in 2012, and later married in 2014. Ólafur and Anna have three children together: Kolfinna Ólöf, born  (2015-11-02) 2 November 2015 (age 8), Súla Björk, born  (2017-08-13) 13 August 2017 (age 6), and Jón Höður, born  (2019-06-30) 30 June 2019 (age 4).

Ólafur's son Jón was born with down syndrome, and Ólafur has appeared in the media with his wife to speak of the experiences they've had with raising a child with a genetic disorder. The family resides in the Þórlákstaður neighborhood of Narísandur.