Eryk Jorśsun
The Honorable Eryk Jorśsun | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Prime Minister of Azmara | |
| Assumed office 19 May 2017 | |
| President | Maarija Ryginsdohter |
| Preceded by | Sofija Freidriksdohter |
| Leader of the Workers' Party | |
| Assumed office 2 August 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Marie Mellon |
| Member of the Folksmot | |
| Assumed office 11 April 2011 | |
| Constituency | Hytklif |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 11, 1959 Ryksby, Groonbank, Azmara |
| Political party | Workers' Party |
| Spouse | Jana Viljâmsdohter (m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Nysted Place, Stefansburg, Aalmsted, Azmara |
| Alma mater | Sloh College |
Eryk Jorśsun (born 11 June 1959) is an Azmaran politician who has served as Prime Minister of Azmara since 2017 and as Leader of the Workers' Party since 2015. He has also served as a Member of the Folksmot since the 2011 election, being one of two Workers' Party delegates representing the Province of Hytklif.
Jorśsun grew up in a working class household in Ryksby, Groonbank, and studied Economics at Sloh College, graduating with a LMW in Economics and Politics in 1981. After graduation, he served as an economic adviser to the Steel and Millworkers' Union and later to the left-leaning provincial government in Sompland. Gaining a PhD from his alma mater in 1994, he then served as a lecturer at the college in Economics for 16 years, resigning in late 2010 to contest the upcoming election on a Workers' Party ticket and being elected in Haadland.
Between 2011 and 2015 he was a major voice on the left of the party, often openly criticising the party leadership, and became known nationally after vocally supporting the 2013 student protests. After the party gained its worst result in 2014 under the leadership of Marie Mellon, he successfully stood for the leadership in 2015 on a platform of left-wing reforms to address issues of social deprivation in former industrial towns across the country.
Jorśsun's leadership of the party into the 2017 election gave the party its best result since the 1978 election, gaining 36% of the vote and 56 seats, leading to him becoming Prime Minister after forming a coalition with the Green Party and the Socialist Party and returning the party back to government after a six-year spell in opposition. In government, he has been active on addressing his flagship issue of reversing industrial decline, on renationalisation and on addressing the impending climate emergency.
His government has been described as left-wing populist and has been labelled part of the "pink bloc" along with the government of Caldish Taoiseach Stiofán Mac Suibhne for their shared centre-left, non-interventionist and Euclofederalist ideals.