Kristrun, 36 – the world’s youngest prime minister

 

Iceland
Icelandic Kristrun, 36, is the world’s youngest prime minister

Joachim Kerpner

Updated 09.50 | Published 05.44

Quick version

• Kristrun Frostadottir, 36, is Iceland’s new prime minister and the world’s youngest head of government, with the support of 20.8% of voters in the latest election.
• Her government’s focus is on welfare issues such as improved healthcare and reduced housing costs, as well as a planned referendum on EU membership in 2027.
• The Icelandic government now consists of three female party leaders, and the country’s current president is also a woman, Halla Tomasdottir.
  

         
          Kristrun Frostadottir. Photo: AP

Kristrun, 36, is currently the world’s youngest head of government.

She has been governing Iceland for three weeks.

And could be the woman who leads the island kingdom into the EU.

After the election in Iceland on December 1, 2024, three women – “The Valkyries”, as they are called in the country’s media – took over the country’s government.

Kristrun Frostadottir, 36, is leading the way as Prime Minister and leader of the social democratic Solidarity Front. At her side, she has Inga Sæland, 65, leader of the populist People’s Party, and Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir, 59, former minister and leader of the liberal Vidreisn, which roughly means “Renaissance”.

Doubled support

The new Prime Minister is popular. Despite only being a politician for four years, she doubled the Social Democrats’ support compared to the 2021 election. The party now has 20.8 percent.

During the election campaign, Frostadottir was accused of having received high bonus payments from Kvika Bank, where she was previously chief economist. Frostadottir – who trained as an economist at several American universities – denied the allegations. She herself has previously been a journalist for the newspaper Vidskiptabladid.

Icelandic parliament Althingi. Photo: TT

New power structure

In an interview with the brittish The Observer on Sunday, Kristrun Frostadottir says that many of the new government's focus areas have nothing to do with feminism:

- But it is important that we show that you can govern in a different way. This is a new power structure – both in terms of our political focus, but also in terms of gender equality, says Frostadottir.

As if having three female party leaders in the country's government weren't enough, Iceland's current president is Halla Tomasdottir. She is the second female head of state in Iceland's history. The first was Vigdis Finnbogadottir from 1980-96.

Kristrun Frostadottir – who has had two female representatives as prime minister – says that her top priority is welfare issues, such as better healthcare and lower housing costs.

iIceland's new Prime Minister Kristrun Mjöll Frostadottir was born in 1988. Photo: Althingi

"The people should have their say"

Another important issue is possible EU membership. The new Icelandic government has promised to organize a referendum in 2027 on possible membership in the European Union.

- There are different opinions within the government when it comes to whether the referendum should end in a yes or a no, but it is not for us to decide. It is the people who should have their say, it is the opinion of the Icelanders that counts. This is a necessary step forward, Frostadottir tells The Observer.

Kristrun Frostadottir is married and has two daughters born in 2019 and 2023, according to Wikipedia.