Iceland's President clears up his call for a pineapple pizza ban
Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson averts international incident over what toppings should be allowed
Iceland's President Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson has clarified his outspoken opinions on pizza toppings following a public outcry.
Last week, when answering questions from pupils at a high school in Akureyri, the politician revealed his favourite football team was Manchester United and that he was "fundamentally opposed" to pineapple on pizzas, reports the Washington Post.
While few quibbled with his choice of football team, there was uproar from pineapple lovers across the globe – especially as Johannesson went even further and said he would actually like to ban the combination.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Presumably cheesed off by the response - and keen to hold on to his 97 per cent approval ratings - Johannesson took to Facebook to reveal he does, in fact, like pineapples, but "just not on pizza".
He added: "I do not have the power to make laws which forbid people to put pineapples on their pizza. I am glad that I do not hold such power.
"Presidents should not have unlimited power. I would not want to hold this position if I could pass laws forbidding that which I don't like. I would not want to live in such a country."
However, far from settling the matter, Johannesson caused further consternation by capping off his Facebook statement by appearing to recommend seafood as a pizza topping instead.
His proclamation that "presidents should not have unlimited power" was also taken as a dig at Donald Trump.
Johannesson has enjoyed huge popularity since his election last June, buoyed by his decision to refuse a 20 per cent pay rise, donate ten per cent of his pre-tax salary to charity and marched in a Gay Pride parade, says The Guardian.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published