User:Stefan Bogi/Birkir

The title of this article is an Icelandic name; the last name is a patronymic or matronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Birkir or Birkir Jón.

Birkir Jón Jónsson (Born 24. July 1979) is an Icelandic politican. He has served as a member of the Althing (Icelandic parliament) since May 2003 and is vice-chairman of the Progressive party since January 2009.

Early life
Birkir was born and grew up in Siglufjörður, a small fishing village on the north coast of Iceland. His parents are Jón Sigurbjörnsson (b. 24. okt. 1950) Björk Jónsdóttir (b. 15. aug. 1951). He has three brothers. After finishing school in Siglufjörður and later secondary school in neighbouring Sauðárkrókur, Birkir moved to Reykjavík in the year 2000 to study political science at the University of Iceland. However, in 2001 he took up a potition as an assistant to the then Minister of Social affairs, Páll Pétursson, a position he held until 2003. He was a member of the steering committee of the Progressive party youth faction (SUF) from 1999-2003, there of vice chairman from 2001-2003.

Political career
Birkir´s first involvement in national politics came when he was fourth on the Progressive party ticket in the North-West constituency. As such he never stood a chance of being elected to the Althing but could possibly have been a reserve member if the party had secured two seats. However the result was disappointing with only one Progressive party member being elected. Four years later Birkir secured the fourth spot on the party ticket in the new Northeast constituency. His hometown of Siglufjörður had then in a complete reshuffle of the electoral system been made part of that constituency. This fourth spot was not widely expected to result in a seat in Althing but in a landslide victory in the constituency the Progressive party secured four seats out of nine. Birkir Jón, then aged 23 years and 290 days became the second youngest person ever to be elected to the Althing, the one younger being Gunnar Thoroddsen former prime minister who was 113 days younger when first elected in 1934.

In Althing Birkir became the youngest person ever to chair a parliamentary committee when he became chairman of the industry committee in 2004. He also became the youngest person ever to chair the prestigious finance committee in 2006.

In the 2007 election Birkir held the second spot on the Progressive party ticket in the Northeast, next to party vice-chairman and then foreign secretary Valgerður Sverrisdóttir. The party secured three seats in the constituency but suffered a severe defeat nationally and ended upp in opposition for the first time in 12 years. After the banking crisis hit Iceland in the fall of 2008 there were turbulent times in Icelandic politics. In the Progressive party national assembly held in January 2009 Birkir was elected vice-chairman as a part of a new look leadership, with political newcomer Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson elected chairman of the party and Eygló Harðardóttir elected party secretary. After the coalition government of the Independence party and the Social Democratic Alliance fell, the Progressive Party pledged support to a minority government of the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement until elections could be held.

In the 2009 election Valgerður Sverrisdóttir decided to step down and Birkir became the party leader in the Northeast constituency after defeating fellow member of Althing Höskuldur Þórhallsson in a pre-election. The Progressive Party did better in these elections than the ones two years earlier both nationally, the party increased their numbers in Althing from 7 to 9, and in the Northeast constituency but there the party still lost one seat, went from 3 to 2.