Lilja Mósesdóttir

Lilja attended the University of Iowa, where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1984. Additionally, in 1988, she received a Master of Arts in Development Economics at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. Later, in 1999, she graduated from the University of Manchester, becoming a Doctor of Philosophy.[2]

Lilja worked as a professor at Bifröst University from 2003 to 2007.[3] From 2008 to 2009, she worked as a senior researcher at the University of Iceland and the European Commission.

Lilja decided to run for office following the economic unease that came with the Icelandic financial crisis. She decided to run as a member of the Left-Green Movement political party, claiming that she wanted to help with the reconstruction work that was needed in order to support Icelandic society, and that her education and work experience were ideal for this job.[4] She also listed women's rights, peace, sustainable development, and equality as reasons for her campaign.

She first ran for office in the 2009 Icelandic parliamentary election, a snap election held due to protests from the Icelandic people in response to the aforementioned financial crisis. She won the sixth seat of Reykjavík South.[5]

On 11 March, 2011, Lilja, along with fellow politician, Atli Gíslason, announced that she would be resigning from the Left-Green Movement party, saying that she and Atli felt like they were on a "different path" than the rest of the government when it came to topics such as the handling of the budget.[6] They felt pressured by the government, and disliked the road that the party had taken.

On 7 February, 2012, a new political party, the Solidarity party, was introduced under the chairmanship of Lilja. She said that it was a party for those who were tired of corruption within the government, and resented the disparity in society. She claimed that the party was neither left or right wing, as the party wanted to find solutions from both sides. The party's main goal was listed as using legislation to achieve equality, solidarity, and a common welfare base.[7]

On 22 December 2012, Lilja announced that she would not be seeking reelection in the upcoming 2013 elections. She claimed that "[i]t was never [her] intention to become a politician", and that she would be returning to work within the university sector.[8] In addition, the Solidarity party announced that they, too, would not be participating in the elections.[9]

Lilja is married to Ívar Jónsson, who was the Director of the National Department of the National and University Library of Iceland from 2008 to 2012. He now works as a Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Østfold University College, where Lilja also works.[10]

They have a son together named Jón Reginbaldur, who graduated from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm with a master's degree in engineering.[11]

• Althing biography
• Lilja's LinkedIn