Putin was elected as president of Russia on Sunday.

The same day, President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson announced that he will run for a fifth four-year term.

He does so for the nation and the Republic of Iceland.

Iceland is at a crossroads, our independence at stake.

Ólafur is now the world’s sixteenth longest serving head of state.

These prime ministers and presidents have been in power longer:

1971 Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain

1974 Paul Biya, President of Cameroon

1979 Tepdoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea

1979 José Eduardo dos Santos, President of Angola

1980 Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe

1986 Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda

1987 Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso

1990 Idriss Déby, President of Chad

1991 Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan

1991 Islam Karimov, President of Uzbekistan

1992 Emomalii Rahmon, President of Tajikistan

1993 Isaias Afewerki, President of Eritrea

1994 Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus

1994 Yahya Jammeh, President of Gambia

1995 Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg

1996 Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland.

Ólafur Ragnar will be re-elected. No one else stands a chance.

Never in the 68 year history of the republic has a sitting president lost an election.

Never has a sitting president been challenged by a serious contender.

Never. 

Páll Stefánsson – ps@icelandreview.com