A member of the Social Democratic Party, he was minister of Foreign Affairs from 1978 to 1980 and the only prime minister who has served in two cabinet roles simultaneously.
[1] His government was the second Social Democrat minority government of Iceland, formed after the collapse of Ólafur Jóhannesson's cabinet, with Gröndal's cabinet only being formed as a temporary solution until the 1979 parliamentary election.
After leaving the political scene in 1982, Gröndal was appointed ambassador of Iceland to Sweden and Finland.
After residing for some years in Stockholm, he served as roving ambassador to the Far East, including Australia, China, South Korea and Japan.
After serving two years as representative to the United Nations, Benedikt Gröndal retired to his native home in 1991.