Chandrika Kumaratunga vs Olafur Ragnar Grimsson

Kumaratunga won the presidential election, becoming the first female president of Sri Lanka. She led the People's Alliance coalition and promised peace negotiations with the LTTE.

Kumaratunga survived a suicide bomb attack by the LTTE during a rally at Colombo Town Hall. The blast killed 15 people and injured her, causing permanent damage to her right eye.

Kumaratunga proposed a new constitution to devolve power to provinces, aiming to address Tamil grievances. The proposal faced opposition from Sinhalese nationalists and was not adopted.

Kumaratunga's government signed a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE, brokered by Norway. The peace process stalled due to disagreements over power-sharing and LTTE's refusal to disarm.

Olafur Ragnar Grimsson was elected President of Iceland, succeeding Vigdis Finnbogadottir. He won with 41.4% of the vote. His presidency began a period of 20 years in office, making him one of Europe's longest-serving heads of state.

Grimsson refused to sign a media ownership bill passed by parliament, triggering a national referendum. The bill aimed to restrict media ownership. Voters rejected the bill in the referendum. This was the first time a president used the veto power since Iceland's independence.

Grimsson was re-elected President of Iceland unopposed as no other candidate qualified for the ballot. This occurred during the 2008 financial crisis that severely impacted Iceland. His unopposed re-election reflected political consensus during a national emergency.

Grimsson announced he would not seek re-election after 20 years as president. His decision followed the Panama Papers scandal, in which his wife was implicated. He left office in August 2016, ending the longest presidential tenure in Iceland's history.