Geir Haarde

Geir Haarde assumed the office of Prime Minister of Iceland in 2006, following the resignation of former Minister Halldor Asgrimsson. In January 2009, Haarde resigned and disbanded his Independence Party in the wake of a major economic crisis in Iceland. Haarde cited illness as his reason for stepping down, but many believed the global financial crisis and its impact on Iceland was the true reason for his departure.The Independent: Iceland PM is first global political casualty of the crunch (January 24, 2009)

On January 28, 2009, it was reported that Iceland's Social Affairs Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir would become the interim prime minister until elections could be held in May 2009.International Herald Tribune: Iceland to appoint gay woman minister to PM post (January 28, 2009)

Prior to his election as Prime Minister, Haarde worked as an economist for the Central Bank of Iceland and as the country's finance minister. For a brief period, from 2005 to 2006, he also acted as Iceland's Foreign Minister.

Haarde received an undergraduate degree in Economics from Brandeis University in the United States. He went on to earn two Master's degrees—the first in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and the second in Economics from the University of Minnesota.