Josef Felder
Josef Felder | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait of Josef Felder | |
| 43rd Chancellor of Werania | |
| In office 17th October 2017 – 28th June 2019 | |
| Monarch | Charlotte II |
| Deputy | Klaus Ngo |
| Preceded by | Viktor Oberhauser |
| Succeeded by | Otto von Hößlin |
| Leader of the Social Democratic Radical Party of Werania | |
| In office 17th October 2017 – 1st June 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Viktor Oberhauser |
| Succeeded by | TBA |
| Minister-President of Cislania | |
| In office 12th May 2010 – 17th October 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Arthur Fischler |
| Succeeded by | Wilhelm Berlepsch |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 12, 1955 Frauberg, Cislania, Werania |
| Political party | SRPO (1985-present) |
| Other political affiliations | OSAI (1974-1985) |
| Spouse | Yvonne Kallenbach |
Josef Felder (born 12 July 1955) is a Weranian politician who served as Chancellor of Werania from October 2017 to May 2019 and the Minister-President of Cislania from 2010 to 2017. He is a member of the Social Democratic Radical Party of Werania.
Felder was a member of the Cislanian Landtag from 1998 to 2017, having previously been a co-ordinator for the Union of Industrial Mining Workers'. In 2006 he was elected as leader of the Cislanian SRPO and led the party to victory in the 2010 regional election, being inaugurated as Minister-President in a SRPO majority government. He won re-election in 2014 in a coalition with the Weranic Section of the Workers' International.
In 2017 following the resignation of Chancellor and SRPO leader Viktor Oberhauser Felder was nominated for t0he leadership due to his self-styled "maverick" reputation which was seen as a potential boon as the SRPO suffered from very low polling. He subsequently won the leadership election and became Chancellor, entering the Volkstag in Oberhauser's former seat with initially high approval ratings. However his confrontational style failed to improve the SRPO's poll ratings which plummeted after the SRPO lost important regional elections. In November 2018 Felder's government narrowly avoided a collapse after he attempted to call an early election which was opposed by his coalition partners the Modern Centre Party.
The 2019 federal election saw a severe loss for the SRPO with Felder losing his constituency seat, although he remained in the Volkstag through a proportional seat. Felder resigned as SRPO leader and Chancellor, formally leaving office on the 28 June 2019 when he was succeeded as Chancellor by Otto von Hößlin.
Early life
Josef Felder was born in the industrial town of Frauberg. His father Stephen Felder was a miner whilst his mother Juliane Hilscher worked as a chamber-maid in a hotel. Felder was the second of two children with his older sister Melissa being seven years his senior.
Felder attended the Frauberg-Metz gymnasium during his teenage years and graduated with high marks in 1973. Felder passed entrance exams to attend the Regenstadt University studying engineering. However he dropped out seven months into his course there - Felder claims his drop-out was due to being unable to afford the tuition fees for the university, although some of his peers have alleged he dropped out due to poor grades and attendance. Felder subsequently followed in his fathers stead as a miner, working at the Frauberg-Sud mine from 1980 after completing compulsory military service that year.
Trade unionist
Felder soon became involved in the trade union movement, joining the Union of Industrial Mining Workers' (UIB) shortly after entering the pits. Three years after joining the UIB Felder was elected as the union's representative for the Frauberg-Sud mine. Felder would raise through the union ranks and in 1996 was elected as the regional UIB co-ordinator for the entirety of Cislania. During his time as regional coordinator Felder clashed with the incumbent NKP-PMZ regional government which was closing unprofitable mines across the province, with Felder calling the actions a "disgrace". In 1998 Felder successfully negotiated a pause in the closing of coalmines in return for the UIB also pausing strike action regarding pit closures, bolstering his profile.
Political career
Felder had been a member of the Weranic Section of the Workers' International in his teens, but switched to become a member of the Social Democratic Radical Party of Werania in 1985 when the UIB itself switch from supporting the OSAI to the SRPO. Felder ran to become Mayor of Frauberg as the SRPO candidate in 1994 but was defeated by the popular OSAI incumbent.
At the 1998 Cislanian regional election Felder was elected as a member of the SRPO in the Cislanian Landtag, subsequently resigning as the UIB coordinator in Cislania upon his election. In 2002 he was appointed as the Cislanian SRPO's deputy leader after gained a reputation as a tough operator within the Landtag and in 2006 was elected as the leader of the Cislanian SRPO after previous party leader Eric Freytag led the party to another defeat to the incumbent NKP-led coalition.