Gunnar Ólafursson

Gunnar Ólafursson
File:FloydOlsonIsOlafursson.png Gunnar in the 1930s
Lawspeaker of the Althing
In office 3 January 1925 – 6 February 1953
Monarch	?
Meadcupbearer	Grím Magnússon Alexandra Guðmundsdóttir
Lawspeaker of the Hirds	Finnur Þórirsson Erlendur Tómasson
Lawspeaker of the People	Mörður Sváfnirsson Kristinn Röðullsson Sigmundur Gunnarsson
Preceded by	Guðmund Geirsson
Succeeded by	Sigmundur Gunnarsson
Leader of the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party
In office 16 December 1920 – 6 February 1953
Preceded by	Jóhannes Sigmundursson
Succeeded by	Sigmundur Gunnarsson
Leader of the Opposition
In office 16 December 1920 – 3 January 1925
Prime Minister	Guðmund Geirsson
Preceded by	Jóhannes Sigmundursson
Succeeded by	Guðmund Geirsson
General Secretary of the Atlantican Federation of Labour
In office 1 January 1918 – 16 December 1920
Preceded by	Geir Sigurðsson
Succeeded by	Eysteinn Steinsson
General Secretary of the United Lumberjacks and Papermakers
In office 1 January 1915 – 1 January 1918
Preceded by	Kristján Leifsson
Succeeded by	Leif Agnarsson
Personal details
Born	8 June 1893 Stórkostlegurborg, Atlantica
Died	16 September 1966 (aged 73) Stórkostlegurborg, Atlantica
Political party	Socialist-Farmer-Labour
Spouse(s)	Alexandra Jóhannessdóttir (1919-1966)
Children	2 sons 1 daughter
Profession	Union organizer

Gunnar Ólafursson was an Atlantican politician who served as Lawspeaker of the Althing from 1925 to 1953, making him the longest Lawspeaker of the Althing in Atlantican history. He was the first social democratic and socialist Lawspeaker of the Althing in Atlantica, and also the first to come from the Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party. An incredibly polarizing figure, he was voted the best Atlantican in 2006, ahead of figures such as the first Laspeaker of the Althing, Geir Svensson.

Starting his political career in 1910 as a trade unionist affiliated with the United Lumberjacks and Papermakers (an Atlantican union representing workers in the both pulp and paper and timber industries), an affiliate to the Atlantican Federation of Labour, Gunnar quickly rose in the Federation's ranks thanks to high rates of organising workers and being skilful at politics, briefly becoming the General Secretary of the Atlantican Federation of Labour from 1918 to 1920. he then was elected Leader of the nascent Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party and thus Leader of the Opposition in 1920, forming the Red-Green-Socialist Alliance and moderated the SFL platform, although this unintentionally lead to a left-wing faction of the SFL breaking off to form the Socialist Left Party. He then led the SFL to victory in the 1925 election, riding in a high tide of leftism caused by an economic recession. Introducing single-payer healthcare, old-age pensions, a basic income guarantee and nationalising dozens of companies and creating a state monopoly on many industries in his first term, and creating a ghent system in his second term, Gunnar was re-elected in landslides for nearly a third of a century. He is also notable for largely weathering the Great Depression in Atlantica by a massive economic stimulus in the early 1930s, and this caused his Socialist-Farmer-Labour Party and their allies, most notably the Communists and Socialist Leftists to be re-elected decisively at a time of riding discontent throughout Esquarium. He then led Atlantica through the Second Great War, maintaining Atlantica's longstanding tradition of neutrality by not getting involved. He then led Atlantica during the post-war period until the 1950s, refusing to take sides by with both the Socialist (despite pressure from his coalition partners) Orientalians, Namorese, and West Luziycans and the Capitalist East Luziycans. Shortly after this, he retired due to age and fatigue, and became an elder statesman after his retirement in 1953.

One of the most polarizing figures in Atlantican history, his powerful voice, immense charisma, intimidating eyes and scowl ever-present toward his enemies delighted his supporters and enraged his enemies. His supporters and admirers, among whom are the vast majority of Atlanticans, credit him as the architect of Atlantica's welfare state and economy, while his enemies and critics disparaged him as a populist demagogue and dictator who forcibly controlled the media throughout his 28 years in office.