Ástþór Magnússon Wium (born 4 August 1953) is an Icelandic businessman and peace activist, who is best known for being the founder of the first credit card company in Iceland and as a perennial candidate for the office of President of Iceland.
Ástþór Magnússon Wium | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 August 1953 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, peace activist |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Democracy Movement (1998–2009) |
| Spouse | Natalia Wium |
Background and education
editAfter finishing the landspróf (national examination), Ástþór studied at the Commercial College of Iceland before moving to the United Kingdom in order to study commercial photography and marketing at the Medway College of Art and Design.[1]
Business career
editÁstþór brought Eurocard to Iceland in 1979, making it the first credit card company operating in Iceland. The success of Eurocard made him financially independent.[1]
Political career
editÁstþór unsuccessfully campaigned for the post of President of Iceland four times: in 1996, 2004, 2012, 2016, and 2024. In 2000, he failed to get the necessary 1,500 signatures and therefore was not on the ballot. On 1 June 2012, his candidacy was revoked because he had failed to obtain the mandatory certificate from the senior electoral officer in the Northwest constituency; as he was the only challenger in 2000, this meant that the sitting President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson was re-elected unopposed.[2] In the 2004 election, he got 1.9% of the total vote, and in 2016 he got 0.3%.[3]
Ástþór was the founder and chairperson of the Democracy Movement, a political party founded in 1998 for the purpose of promoting direct democracy and e-democracy. The party folded after the 2009 general elections. He also founded the peace movement Peace2000.[citation needed]
In 1996, he distributed the book The Use of Bessastaðir to every household in Iceland.[4]
Ástþór has at various points been critical of the foreign policy of the United States, particularly during the Iraq War, which he vehemently opposed.[5] In later years, Ástþór has frequently taken a pro-Russia stance in various disputes between Russia and the Western world. Notably, he expressed support for Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for arranging it.[6] Ástþór has been critical of international sanctions placed on Russia in wake of the invasion of Ukraine, and in 2023 he argued that the sanctions constituted an act of genocide against Russian people.[7]
On 3 January 2024, Ástþór announced that he would run for President for the sixth time.[8] During the review by the National Electoral Commission, after turning in the required endorsements, it was found that Ástþór, along with a few other candidates, had less than the minimum number of signatures when invalid endorsements had been removed, such as the names of those who had also signed with another candidate.[9] The following day he turned the missing endorsements and his candidacy was ruled valid.[10]
Personal life
editÁstþór is married to the Russian-born lawyer Natalia Wium.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b Þóra Kristín Ásgeirsdóttir (9 March 1995). "Athafnaskáld & ævintýramaður". Helgarpósturinn (in Icelandic). pp. 20–21. Retrieved 3 January 2024 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Business magazine - Ástthór: Bring the credit cards to Iceland". vb.is (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 29 June 2012.
- ^ "Úrslit forsetakjörs eftir frambjóðendum og kjördæmum 2004-2020". PxWeb (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ Brynjólfur Þór Guðmundsson (2 January 2024). "Fyrstu frambjóðendurnir eru sjaldnast líklegir til stórræða". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Ástþór Magnússon (22 April 2022). "Er mamma sölumaður dauðans?". Vísir.is. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Kolbeinn Tumi Daðason (20 March 2014). "Skora á Alþingi að virða niðurstöðuna á Krímskaga". Vísir.is. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Ástþór Magnússon (2 November 2023). "Styður héraðsdómur þjóðarmorð?". Vísir.is. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Bjarki Sigurðsson (3 January 2024). "Ástþór Magnússon býður sig fram til forseta Íslands". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Sigurðsson, Bjarki (27 April 2024). "Eiríkur og Ástþór fá frest til að bæta við undirskriftum - Vísir". visir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "11 verða í framboði til embættis forseta Íslands". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 3 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ Sunna Valgerðardóttir (21 May 2016). "Tíu staðreyndir um Ástþór Magnússon". Kjarninn (in Icelandic). Retrieved 3 January 2024.
