Jens Haagensen
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Jens Haagensen | |
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| Prime Minister of Lyngaard | |
| In office 5 February 2003 – 21 February 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Rainier Wrensted |
| Succeeded by | Christoffer Burchardt |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 8 May 1999 – 5 February 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Leif Erik Sørensen |
| Succeeded by | Stygge Palladius |
| Opposition Minister of Development, Investment, and Trade | |
| In office 2 June 1997 – 8 May 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Ellen Holmstadt |
| Succeeded by | Peter Brixtofte |
| Opposition Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing | |
| In office 7 June 1994 – 2 June 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Steen Olsen |
| Succeeded by | Anders Suhm |
| Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs | |
| In office 1 December 1988 – 22 February 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Bente Haugedal |
| Succeeded by | Nikolaj Hartvig-Møller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 February 1948 Regnhavn, Lyngaard |
| Political party | Socialistisk Arbejderparti (1964–present) |
| Spouse | Maria Eccleston (1978–present) |
| Alma mater | Regnhavn Polytechnical University |
Jens Haagensen Is a Lynsk politician and the former Prime Minister of Lyngaard from 2003 to 2018, making him one of the longest serving prime ministers in the country. He served as leader of the Socialist Workers Party from 1999 until 2018, Leader of the Opposition from 1999 to 2003, and served in multiple government and opposition cabinet positions. He was a member of the Lundsthing from 1972 until his retirement from national politics in 2018. He has also served as a member of the Regnhavn City Council at various points, most notably from 1972-1984, 1986-1988, 1992-1999, and from 2019 onward.
Born in Regnhavn, Haagensen studied at the Regnhavn Polytechnical University after finishing his education at age 15, declining to attend gymnasium. He trained as a welder and eventually joined Metalarbejderforening, and became an apprentice welder. working as a fabricator and repairman for the shipping company Forenet Fragtselskab. He would soon be elected a ombudsman within MAF, later that year in 1972 he would successfully run for local city council in Regnhavn. The Socialist Workers Party, would add him to their list of ML's for the upcoming elections in 1972. He would serve multiple positions within the government. Most notably he would be a the Chief Advocate for the Ministry of Labor in the 70's, and later he was a member of the National Urbanization Board, Rural Affairs Board, and Chairman of the Board of Labor. He would also hold multiple Cabinet and Opposition Cabinet level positions. Most notably he served as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs during the brief premiership of Niels Vemming from 1988 until 1991.
in 1998 Jens would challenge SAP leader Leif Erik Sørensen after the Mydtskov Affair, and won at that years party confrence with 64% of the vote. Haagensen tenure as opposition leader was seen as aggresive and disruptive. His criticisms of the National Rights and Security Act helped his party to win a majority in the 2003 elections. As prime minister, Haagensen enjoyed high popularity figures. He sucessfully renegotiated government contracts with the National Aviation Union, preventing a strike. he also finished the National Roads and Rail Initive, which doubled the length of the nations Freeway, and passanger rail infrastrcture. He maintained Lyngaards involvement in JSEC operations international, most prominently in Sulekh, and Upper Asema. He also passed the Tax Reform Package, which drastically changed how taxes were done in Lyngaard. He also passed the Møller-Mosklædteg Trade and Securities Act which set stricter regulations how the financial industry. He also passed the New Oppertunities Act, which oppened more trades, particularly pink-collar, and grey-collar work, to apprentiship systems that allowed people to work their way into a trade. as well as establishing new national guidlines on hiring and training people's formally convicted of criminal offenses.
Haagensen's party suffered from combative internal factions. After the proposal of the District Tax Reform Bill, Deputy Party Leader and Treasurer of the SAP, Berit Larsen would defect from the party and form her own, the Reform Coalition in 2014. Some voters would shift allegiance to the National Workers Coalition after Haagensen publicly rebuked the idea of establishing a new public housing credit scheme. His party would lose ground in the 2018 General Election, pulling the party to second place for the first time in nearly 20 years. Haagensen would resign leadership of the party after conceding defeat on election night. He would return to local city politics afterwards, which he had been intimately involved with for decades while an ML.
Since his departure from national politics, Haagensen has attempted to maintain a low, hyper localized profile. He is considered to be one of the best Prime Ministers of Lyngaard. His policies on public infrastructure and labor rights have made him a hero of the countries left. He his a philanthropist, supporting vocational schooling for teens and young adults, funding charities which help immigrants integrate into the workforce, and has donated much of his earnings to the Royal Cancer Research Institute. Critics will point to his handling of the Deir al-Bahr Incident, the Battle of Mina al-Abtal, and the Exchange Fraud Scandal. Despite this, Haagensen tends to rank above average, if not in the top 5 of prime ministers, according to yearly public surveys.