“ The 66-year-old’s appointment as interim leader - until elections in May - is seen by many as a milestone for the gay and lesbian movement, correspondents say. “I don’t think her sexual orientation matters. Our voters are pretty liberal, they don’t care about any of that,” Skuli Helgeson, Social Democratic Alliance’s general secretary, told the BBC. Ms Sigurdardottir - who has never hidden her sexuality - is, nevetherless, very private about her personal life, never discussing it in public. She married her companion Jonina Ledsdottir in 2002, according to AFP news agency. Ms Sigurdardottir is one of Iceland’s most popular politicians. Her appeal has held up even as confidence in the government itself has plummeted, amid the economic crash, soaring unemployment and street protests. Born in the capital Reykjavik in 1942, Ms Sigurdardottir studied commerce before becoming a flight attendant for Loftleidir Airlines in 1962.
