Björn Valur Gíslason, member of Althingi, Iceland’s Parliament, said on Tuesday that “Iceland’s name has been abused and harmed internationally in recent years. The President of Iceland bears great responsibility like many others.” Gíslason is a member of Althingi for the ruling Left Green.
Photo: Páll Stefánsson/Iceland Review
According to mbl.is Gíslason said that President Grímsson was a cheerleader for the business tycoons and that he had greatly affected their success abroad. “The stature of the presidency, and the importance of the president has as a leader of the nation internationally, make his deeds more grave than those of politicians in many ways.”
Gíslason went on to say that one might conclude by looking at all the effort that the President had put into marketing for the Icelandic businessmen, that he might have some direct gain and hoped for a rich harvest in the end. “Maybe we will later discover if it was so.”
In conclusion Gíslason quoted the report of the Investigating Committee and said that one of the lessons from the President’s behavior was that the role of the President must be better defined by the constitution. Rules have to be set on his role and interactions with other states and a code of ethics had to be set for the presidency. “One can easily support this view of the authors of the report,” Gíslason said.
Before becoming President Mr. Grímsson was the Chairman of the People’s Alliance, a socialist party. Up to his presidency the presidents had been apolitical and stayed out of close contact with business. Mr. Grímsson often rode on private planes and took part in various activities with the now discredited tycoons of Iceland.
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