Iceland Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir married her long-time partner on Sunday as a new law legalising homosexual marriages came into force.
Ms Sigurdardottir, in her late 60s, formally married writer Jonina Leosdottir after the couple submitted a demand for their civil union to be transformed into a marriage, the RUV broadcaster said.
Iceland’s Parliament on June 12 unanimously adopted legislation allowing gay marriage, in a law that came into force on Sunday. Homosexual couples could previously enter into a civil partnership and benefit from the same rights as heterosexual couples, but this had not been considered a formal marriage.
Ms Sigurdardottir, born in 1942, took power in February 2009. She has lived with Ms Ledsdottir, who is in her fifties, for several years and the couple entered a civil union in 2002.
She is the country’s first openly gay head of government.
***
Czech gets right-wing Premier
Prague, June 28: Czech President Vaclav Klaus appointed right-winger Petr Necas Prime Minister on Monday, exactly a month after a centre-right coalition won a parliamentary majority in a general election.
“I am convinced the government is in the right hands. I believe you will manage to put a Cabinet together in a short time,” Mr Klaus told Mr Necas.
Mr Necas’ Civic Democrats reached agreement with the rightist TOP 09 and the centrist Public Affairs parties to form a coalition with a total of 118 seats in the 200-seat Parliament shortly after the vote. Mr Necas, 45, said the coalition would focus on fiscal austerity and reforms, halting the growth of debt, fighting corruption, supporting the economy and boosting the rule of law. The new government, leaning on what Mr Klaus called “an incredibly comfortable majority”, will be the strongest the country has had since gaining independence after former Czechoslovakia split in two states in 1993. —AFP