Guðni Jóhannesson, a history professor, has won Iceland’s presidential election in a vote held in the aftermath of the Panama Papers leak in April, which implicated several top Icelandic officials.



The political newcomer only decided to run for the presidency after the leak, and rode a wave of anti-establishment sentiment, emphasising his non-partisan, independent vision of the presidency.

Jóhannesson’s victory, won with 39.1% of the vote, came as he celebrated his 48th birthday on Sunday.

Halla Tómasdóttir, a businesswoman without party affiliation, came second with 27.9%.

Iceland’s president holds a largely ceremonial position, acting as a guarantor of the constitution and national unity. Legislative elections are due in the autumn.

Jóhannesson will now replace Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, 73, who served 20 years as head of state.

Davíð Oddsson, a former conservative prime minister and central bank governor who had been Jóhannesson’s closest rival throughout most of the campaign, won just 13% of the vote.

The outrage that fuelled mass street protests in April and led to the resignation of prime minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson appeared to have dissipated somewhat in the final days of the campaign, as euphoria erupted after Iceland achieving a historic feat in the Euro 2016 football tournament.

Iceland beat Austria 2-1 on Wednesday to qualify for the last 16 in its first major international competition, and will face England on Monday.