Member of the Icelandic Parliament — Samfylkingin
Víðir Reynisson is a Member of Parliament for the Social Democratic Alliance in the South Constituency since 2024. He is best known for his long and distinguished career in civil protection and security matters, having worked for the National Commissioner of Police and other law enforcement institutions for nearly three decades. As Director of Civil Protection and Emergency Management at the National Commissioner of Police from 2020 to 2024, he played a key role in the nation's security affairs and led Iceland's cooperation with international organizations in this field. Before joining Parliament, Víðir had built extensive experience in security matters, both domestically and internationally. He served on the civil protection committees of NATO and the European Union for many years and chaired the EFTA working group on civil protection. Víðir also served as Safety and Security Director of the Football Association of Iceland for over two decades, managing security matters related to sporting events. His background as a carpenter and police officer, combined with his extensive professional experience in civil protection, provides him with a unique perspective in parliamentary work. As the Social Democratic Alliance's first Member of Parliament with this specialized experience in civil protection and security matters, Víðir brings new expertise to the legislature. He has demonstrated commitment to public service through decades of work and is known for his professional approach and international collaboration in his field.
Víðir Reynisson began his career as a carpenter in 1991 and worked in the construction industry until 2000. In 2000, his career took a new direction when he joined the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management as a project manager, marking the beginning of nearly three decades in public service in the field of security and civil protection. In 2003, he moved to the Civil Protection Department at the National Commissioner of Police as a project manager, before being appointed Head of the same department in 2006, a position he held until 2015. From 2015 to 2019, Víðir worked as Civil Protection Manager for the Police Commissioner in South Iceland, while simultaneously holding various roles related to sports security. He served as Safety and Security Director of the Football Association of Iceland on a part-time basis from 1997 to 2018 and then full-time from 2018 to 2019, a role that thus spanned over two decades in total. In 2020, he returned to the National Commissioner of Police as Director of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, a position he held until 2024 when he took his seat in Parliament. Internationally, Víðir has been actively involved in civil protection cooperation. He served on NATO's Civil Protection Committee from 2003 to 2015 and again from 2020 to 2023, and was also a member of the European Union's Civil Protection Committee from 2003 to 2015 and 2020 to 2024. He chaired the EFTA working group on civil protection from 2004 to 2007 and has served on numerous working groups and government councils on civil protection and security matters over the years.