Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir

Prime Minister of Iceland

4 October 1942 Reykjavík, Kingdom of Iceland

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1 February 2009 – 23 May 2013

20th and 21st-century Icelandic politician This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Jóhanna. Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (Icelandic pronunciation: ​ ; born 4 October 1942) is an Icelandic politician and the former Prime Minister of Iceland. She became active in the trade union movement, serving as an officer. Elected as an MP from 1978 to 2013, she was appointed as Iceland's Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security, serving from 1987 to 1994, and from 2007 until 2009. In 1994, when she lost a bid to head the Social Democratic Party, she raised her fist and declared "Minn tími mun koma!" ("My time will come!"), a phrase that became a popular Icelandic expression. She became Prime Minister on 1 February 2009, Iceland's first female Prime Minister and the world's first openly LGBT head of government. Forbes listed her among the 100 most powerful women in the world. She has been a member of the Althing (Iceland's parliament) for Reykjavík constituencies since 1978, winning re-election on eight successive occasions. In September 2012, Jóhanna announced she would not seek re-election and retired from politics as Iceland's longest serving member of Parliament.