Marguerite Ernman
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Her Excellency The Right Honourable Marguerite Ernman | |
|---|---|
 Marguerite Ernman, 1991 | |
| 7th President of Imagua and the Assimas | |
| In office 23 April, 1984 – 23 April, 1992 | |
| Prime Minister | Edmondo Privitera |
| Preceded by | Pietro Muro |
| Succeeded by | Isidoro Libero |
| 7th Prime Minister of Imagua and the Assimas | |
| In office 22 March, 1981 – 23 April, 1984 | |
| President | Pietro Muro |
| Deputy | Edmondo Privitera |
| Preceded by | Pietro Muro |
| Succeeded by | Edmondo Privitera |
| 7th Prime Minister of Imagua and the Assimas | |
| In office 23 April, 1952 – 27 May, 1956 | |
| President | Walter Redmond Keswick |
| Deputy | Jim Stevens |
| Preceded by | Frederick Maynard |
| Succeeded by | Martin Ellingham |
| Member of Parliament for Lundholm-East | |
| In office 23 April, 1972 – 27 May, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Ted Anderson |
| Member of Parliament for Lundholm-South | |
| In office 23 April, 1940 – 23 April, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | William Edgren |
| Succeeded by | constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Marguerite Stenbeck 20 October 1910 Lundholm, Saint Christopher's, Imagua, Estmere |
| Died | 28 March 2009 (aged 98) Cuanstad, Imagua and the Assimas |
| Resting place | Lundholm Cemetery |
| Nationality | Estmerish (1910-1937) Imaguan (1937-2009) |
| Political party | Democratic Labour Party |
| Spouse | Griffith Ernman |
| Children | 3 |
Marguerite Ernman (née Stenbeck, b. 20 October, 1910, d. 28 March, 2009) was an Imaguan politician, who was the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Imagua and the Assimas, serving as the seventh Prime Minister of Imagua and the Assimas from 1952 to 1956, and later also became the first woman to serve as President of Imagua and the Assimas, serving as the seventh president from 1984 to 1992.
Joining the Labour Party in 1927, Marguerite Ernman was originally a secretary. However, she was elected in 1940, making her the second female parliamentarian after Elizabeth McDonaugh of the Democrats. Over the next few years, she rose through the ranks, becoming party leader in 1948 after the defeat of Herschel Ahern. She would lead the Democratic Labour Party to victory in the 1952 general elections, defeating Sotirian Democrat Prime Minister Frederick Maynard.
As Prime Minister, she focused on establishing "pan-national" institutions to help bind Imagua and the Assimas together as "one nation," by establishing the Imaguan Maritime Service, and the Imaguan Television Service. As well, she focused on improving labour rights, such as equalising the minimum wage between men and women, and began to introduce the roots to the nation's universal healthcare system that would be fully in place under Efrem Lacovara's leadership.
However, she was defeated in 1956 by Sotirian Democrat Martin Ellingham, as the Sotirian Democrats campaigned on fears that Marguerite Ernman's policies would impoverish the country, as well as criticising her response to the Maracan invasion of Dunhelm Island the previous year. While she resigned the party leadership in the aftermath of her party's loss in the 1956 general elections, she became the Deputy Leader of the Democratic Labour Party under Efrem Lacovara, meaning that in 1960, she became Deputy Prime Minister.
Marguerite Ernman would go on to serve as the first, and so far, only Deputy Prime Minister to serve under two prime ministers, serving under Efrem Lacovara from 1960 to 1968, and under Eric Fleming from 1968 until his defeat in 1972 by Querano Piro. However, she remained deputy leader of the Democratic Labour Party until 1977, when after Travis Marshall was defeated, she became the party leader for a second time.
However, she lost to Anthony Brockett in the 1980 general elections, forcing her to resign her leadership. Her successor, Edmondo Privitera did not appoint her to a position in the shadow cabinet, making her a backbencher. However, in 1983, Marguerite Ernman was nominated to run for the presidency of Imagua and the Assimas.
She defeated incumbent President Querano Piro 54.6% to 44.9% in the 1984 presidential elections, due to the Sotirian Democrat's handling of the recession, and a growing anti-incumbency factor. As President, Marguerite Ernman served as a head of state, but was still influential in the affairs of the Democratic Labour Party. Thus, she was able to win in 1988 with 55.4% of the vote.
After finishing her second term, Marguerite Ernman retired from politics, but was still involved in public life, giving her opinions on Imaguan politics and women's rights. In her later years, Ernman became the oldest former Prime Minister, and oldest former President, surpassing the records previously held by 85-year old Martin Ellingham in 1995, and 98-year old Venanzio Mazzone in December 2005.
However, Marguerite Ernman from 2003 onward battled pancreatic cancer, forcing her to reduce her involvement in public life. While she did recover to the point she returned to public life in 2006, by 2008, she was hospitalised once again, and would die in Cuanstad at the age of 98 in March 2009.
Early life
Marguerite Stenbeck was born in Lundholm, Saint Christopher's to Albert Stenbeck, leader of a local labour union in Lundholm, and to Ellen Stenbeck, as the second daughter, and third child of four on the twentieth of October, 1910.
In 1915, she started attending Boyd Wright Primary School (present-day Marguerite Ernman Primary School), where she was described as being a "smart enough student," although due to her gender, she was not afforded many of the same opportunities as men did.
In 1919, she started attending Luke Harrison Secondary School (present-day Luke Harrison Comprehensive School), where she obtained high marks in her studies. However, much like in primary school, her gender was an impediment, as many of her teachers believed that she was "wasting her talents on masculine careers," such as politics. Nonetheless, by 1925, she was able to graduate.
Following her graduation, she was hired as a computer at a local office. There, she learned "the realities of work," and realised that her father's descriptions of the conditions that had existed prior to the establishment of the labour union were only inaccurate "precisely because of the union that was set up."
After hearing a speech from Prime Minister Nelson Egnell, she felt "compelled" to contribute "in any way possible" to the Labour Party, and joined the local constituency association in 1927.
Early political career
Constituency association
Marguerite Stenbeck joined the Labour constituency association for Lundholm-South. At the time, Lundholm-South was held by an MP from the Democratic Party, Tim Marklund, who was the opposition leader.
However, due to the Great War raging on at the time, her primary role in the constituency association was to "keep tabs" on the membership lists, and to update the lists if anyone joined, died, or left the Labour constituency association.
Nonetheless, she was mentored by two-time candidate Griffith Ernman, who ran against Marklund in the 1920 and 1924 elections, as he saw "great potential" in her, not just as a "future politician," but also as a "spouse." Thus, over the next few years, their relationship developed, ultimately marrying in 1929.
Despite her marriage, she maintained an active role in the Labour constituency association, despite "misgivings" by other members, as tradition at the time meant that women were to retreat into the household. During this period, Marguerite Ernman continued to become more prominent within the local constituency association.
Following the conclusion of the Great War, Ernman helped campaign for her husband's election campaign in 1936. However, the unpopularity of the Labour government after governing for twelve straight years since the previous general election meant that the Labour party was trounced by the Conservatives, with Tim Marklund losing his seat to Conservative William Edgren.
Nonetheless, her stature continued to grow within the association, as despite her husband's defeat to Edgren and Marklund, she was able to strengthen her position in the constituency association. Thus, by 1940, she was nominated to run for her first election campaign.
She ran against incumbent Conservative MP William Edgren, and against Democrat Boyd Clifford. Her campaign was largely positive, focusing on implementing policies "to better the lives of the people of Lundholm," and to ensure that "all people can live better lives than that of their parents." This message resonated with voters, who voted her in with 36.5% of the vote, to Edgren's 32.1% of the vote, and Clifford's 30.8% of the vote.
Backbencher
Thus, on 23 April, 1940, she was sworn into the Lesser House of Parliament as the Member of Parliament for Lundholm-South, making her only the second female parliamentarian after Elizabeth McDonaugh, who served from 1920 to 1924. As she was a rookie member of Parliament, as well as a woman, she was a backbencher.
During her first term in the Lesser House, Marguerite Ernman advocated for the advancement of women's rights, and of labour rights, saying in her maiden speech that "women can only be truly free when the bourgeoisie stop exploiting our labour." This garnered a lot of attention from the press, who painted Ernman as a radical leftist.
Nonetheless, her advocacy for these issues, combined with her advocacy of the issues of her constituents helped her secure re-election in 1944 against Russell Olney of the Conservatives, and Archibald Spanswick of the Democrats, where she won with 42.7% of the vote.
In her second term, Marguerite Ernman continued to strengthen her position in the Labour Party, aligning herself to the party's left wing, as her democratic socialist views were consistent with the party's left wing. This led to many politicians accusing her of being a Swetanian agent, as they believed that her views would lead to Imagua becoming more like Swetania.
Nonetheless, her popularity among her constituents allowed her to secure a third term in 1948, with 59.4% of the vote, compared to 37.4% for Conservative candidate Jake Scovell.
First tenure as Leader of the Opposition
After the newly-established Democratic Labour Party only gained an eleven seats in 1948 compared to the former Labour Party and the Democratic Party's results in the 1944 general election, party leader Herschel Ahern announced his resignation, and to call for a leadership race.
Marguerite Ernman threw her hat in the ring, facing Wilbur Smith on the right-wing. During the leadership race, Ernman campaigned on creating a "just society for all Imaguans," and vowed to create "pan-national institutions" to complete the unification of the Estmerish-speaking Imagua and the Etrurian-speaking Assimas, in order to prevent the union from "fracturing."
Her rhetoric and charisma helped Ernman lead over Smith, and she became party leader with 55% of the vote, over Smith's 42% of the vote. This made her the first leader of an represented party to be a woman, which was seen as a risky move on the part of the Democratic Labour Party, due to the ingrained social attitudes towards women.
Nonetheless, Marguerite Ernman proved herself to be a very competent legislator, while her charisma helped win over voters, with her "passionate performances during debates" being a major aspect of her leadership of the opposition. In 1951, she was confirmed to be the candidate for the Imaguan premiership.
Thus, by the time the writ was dropped for the 1952 general elections, she faced Conservative leader and incumbent Prime Minister Frederick Maynard, who had served as Prime Minister since 1944. During the election campaign, Marguerite Ernman campaigned on ending "sixteen years" of Conservative dominance, on adopting universal healthcare, and on creating pan-national institutions to help "bind" the country together.
Her active campaign compared to Maynard's "reclusive" nature, combined with an anti-incumbency factor helped the Democratic Labour Party take thirty-nine of the seventy seats, or an increase of thirteen seats, allowing them to form government.
Ernman also defeated Conservative candidate Lewis Bates 60.2% to 35.5%, allowing her to secure a fourth term in the Lesser House.
Premiership
On 23 April, 1952, Marguerite Ernman was sworn in as the the seventh Prime Minister of Imagua and the Assimas, making her the first woman to serve as head of government in Imagua and the Assimas, and one of the first female heads of government anywhere in the Asterias.
That day, her cabinet was unveiled, with Jim Stevens named Deputy Prime Minister.
As Prime Minister, she immediately focused on establishing pan-national institutions to transcend the linguistic divide between the Estmerish-speaking island of Imagua and the Etrurian-speaking Assimas Islands. To this end, she instituted policies, such as establishing what would become the Imaguan Television Service through the Telecommunications Act of 1953, and establishing a state-run ferry operator, which would become the present day Imaguan Maritime Service, to help bridge the gap between the two communities.
As well, Ernman instituted regulations to ensure that labour rights would be protected, with one law in 1954 enshrining the principle of equal pay for equal work, and thus raised the minimum wage for both genders to be at ten pence an hour (adjusted for inflation 23ſ97, or €2.91 in 2020), while another law ensured that a card check system be adopted, to ensure that unions can be officially recognised. In 1955, she introduced free emergency medical care.
However, despite her initial popularity, opponents led by Conservative leader Martin Ellingham attacked her policies for harming Imagua's competitiveness, and for harming "the very base of her support," as Imagua started the process of deindustrialisation, which over the next few decades would see most Imaguans lose their manufacturing jobs, as they were outsourced to other countries, or else made obsolete by technology.
By 1955, she was again nominated to run for a second term as Prime Minister, while Salustio Zampini was nominated to run for the Imaguan presidency. That year, Maracao invaded and occupied Dunhelm Island, and Ernman's decision to not declare war on Maracao to retake the island led to a substantial decrease in her popularity, even though she cut diplomatic ties, and lodged a diplomatic protest against Maracao.
Thus, by the 1956 general elections, it was unclear whether Marguerite Ernman would secure a second term as Prime Minister. Nonetheless, when the writ was dropped by outgoing President Walter Redmond Keswick, she ran a vigorous campaign to try and get the Democratic Labour Party re-elected to government.
She promised that if re-elected, she would continue to implement the policies she had already set out, and to begin to "roll out" universal healthcare, so "all Imaguans can see their physician without worrying about sacrificing basic necessities."
Despite her charisma and personal popularity, the Conservative campaign led by Ellingham helped the Conservatives become more popular over the Democratic Labour Party, meaning that when the results came in, the Conservatives gained seven seats, while the DLP lost seven seats, allowing them to form a majority government.
However, Ernman was able to secure a fifth term in the Lesser House of Parliament, defeating Conservative candidate Calvin Bunker with 58.2% of the vote, compared to Bunker's 40.5% of the vote.
Return to the opposition
Following her defeat in the 1956 general elections, she announced her resignation from the leadership of the Democratic Labour Party, admitting that her policies were "too radical for most Imaguans to handle." Thus, in July 1956, a leadership convention was held, where they selected Efrem Lacovara to become the new party leader.
Despite this, she was appointed Deputy Leader of the Opposition, which meant that she was the second-in-command for the parliamentary party, which was believed to be a way to assuage the party's left wing, as Lacovara was seen as a more centrist leader of the Democratic Labour Party. This meant that she continued to exert great influence over the direction of the Democratic Labour Party, despite the fact that the party was in opposition.
As well, Marguerite Ernman continued to represent the interests of her constituency of Lundholm-South, criticizing the policies of the Conservative government for harming the interests of her constituents. This allowed her to maintain her popularity among her constituents.
Thus, in the 1960 general election, she dedicated much of her energies to her constituency race, as she faced Conservative candidate Doug Atkinson. Despite Doug campaigning on accusing Ernman of being a Swetanian-style socialist, and promising to do a better job "representing the interests of Lundholm-South," Marguerite Ernman responded by pointing out how Doug Atkinson was born in Cuanstad, and thus was "not a good fit for the people of Lundholm-South" compared to Ernman.
While the race was close, Ernman won a sixth term in the Lesser House of Parliament with 50.1% of the vote, compared to Atkinson's 49.7% of the vote. As well, with Efrem Lacovara leading the Democratic Labour Party to a majority government, she would become Deputy Prime Minister.
Later political career
Deputy Prime Minister
On 23 April, 1960, she was appointed by newly-elected Prime Minister Efrem Lacovara to serve as Deputy Prime Minister.
As the Deputy Prime Minister was a ceremonial role, only applicable if the Prime Minister died while still in office, it was believed that this position would be "relevant enough to give Marguerite Ernman a position of power," while irrelevant enough that few outside her constituency and the governing Democratic Labour Party would know who she was.
However, following her appointment as Deputy Prime Minister, she started to exert influence over the day-to-day workings of government, especially as Prime Minister Efrem Lacovara urged President Eric Fleming to "reign, but not rule." This meant that the role of the Imaguan presidency would be sidelined, in favour of that of the Prime Minister, thereby making Imagua firmly a parliamentary republic as opposed to a semi-presidential republic, as could have been done under the Imaguan constitution.
Due to this shift, the role of the Deputy Prime Minister grew, as the Prime Minister would frequently delegate "more menial" tasks to the Deputy Prime Minister, such as presiding over cabinet meetings in the Prime Minister's absence. This allowed Marguerite Ernman to wield "extensive influence" within the Democratic Labour Party.
Despite her role as Deputy Prime Minister, and her increasing responsibilities within the parliamentary party, she was still committed to representing the interests of Lundholm-South, as she believed that "focusing entirely on national issues while not paying attention to local issues will only alienate those who voted for you."
This allowed her to win a seventh term in the Lesser House against Conservative challenger Rupert Veitas, with 53.8% of the vote, to Veitas' 42.9% of the vote in the 1964 general elections. As the Democratic Labour Party continued to hold a majority in the Lesser House, and with Efrem Lacovara still remaining Prime Minister, she was again confirmed as Deputy Prime Minister.
During her second term as Deputy Prime Minister, Marguerite Ernman continued to wield extensive power over the Democratic Labour Party in the absence of the Prime Minister, helping establish constitutional convention for all Deputy Prime Ministers that have succeeded her. Thus, she helped shape the policies of the Imaguan government, especially regarding women's rights, with Viviana Andreoli becoming the first female Bahio-Imaguan to be a cabinet minister in 1964, albeit as a minister without portfolio.
However, her continued popularity meant that by 1967, as Eric Fleming was nearing the end of his second term under the Imaguan constitution, and with Efrem Lacovara announcing his intention to run for the presidency, there was speculation over who would lead the party: while Marguerite Ernman eyed the leadership, so too did Eric Fleming. However, when the conference took place, she faced a three-way battle between herself, Fleming, and Evan Watson. Following her defeat in the first round, she urged her supporters to back Fleming, who defeated Watson in the second round with 65% of the delegates voting for Fleming.
In the 1968 general elections, she campaigned against Conservative nominee Edith Fitzgerald. Despite Fitzgerald's initial popularity, by the time the results came in, Marguerite Ernman won her eighth term in the Lesser House, with 57.3% of the vote, compared to Edith Fitzgerald's 40.1% of the vote. In the Lesser House, the Democratic Labour Party maintained their majority.
Much to her surprise, Eric Fleming again nominated her to serve as Deputy Prime Minister for a third consecutive term. Marguerite Ernman accepted the role, meaning on 23 April, 1968, she was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister for a third time, and making her the first person to serve as Deputy Prime Minister under two separate Prime Ministers.
In her third term, she continued to preside over cabinet meetings in the absence of the Prime Minister, and used her position to help shape government policy, especially in ensuring more women were in cabinet than at any point in Imaguan history, with three cabinet ministers with portfolios being women, including Viviana Andreoli, as well as two cabinet ministers.
However, by 1972, a growing anti-incumbency factor set in against the Democratic Labour government, as they had ruled over Imagua for the past twelve years. Thus, when the writ was dropped, it was expected that the Conservatives would take control of the presidency and the Lesser House.
With her constituency abolished, due to the growing population of Lundholm between the 1961 and 1971 censuses, she was nominated to run as the Democratic Labour candidate for Lundholm-East. At her campaign, she ran against Hobert Baird, who accused Ernman of having run of ideas, and of being "too old" to continue serving in the Lesser House.
However, Marguerite Ernman's campaign accused Baird of being too aligned with "right-wing regimes" in Asteria Superior, and accusing him of being "sympathetic" to the right. As well, she promised to continue representing the interests of her constituents, and accused Baird of "only being in it for the money."
Thus, when the results came in, Marguerite Ernman won with 62.4% of the vote, compared to Baird's 35.8% of the vote, allowing Ernman to win a ninth term. However, as the Democratic Labour Party lost thirteen seats, she was, for the first time in twelve years, sent to the opposition.
Shadow cabinet
With the defeat of the Democratic Labour Party in the 1972 general election, Eric Fleming announced his resignation. As Marguerite Ernman was still the deputy leader, she became the acting leader for the parliamentary party until a leadership convention was held in June 1972. There, they elected Travis Marshall, a former black power activist.
Travis Marshall once again appointed Marguerite Ernman to serve as the Deputy Leader of the Democratic Labour Party. This was seen as a move, not so much to assuage the party's left wing, but rather, to assuage the party's centrists, as Travis Marshall was seen as far more radical than Ernman was, and the hope was that by appointing her to such a prestigious position into the shadow cabinet, it may help improve the chances of a Democratic Labour government in the 1976 general election.
Thus, Marguerite Ernman during this time served as an influential leader of the party's centre-wing, seeking to position herself between Marshall's left-wing faction, and Sebastian Young on the right. As such, she used her position as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to help improve the party's image, and to "clear up any misunderstandings" caused as a result of Marshall's leadership of the Democratic Labour Party.
As well, Marguerite Ernman continued to represent the interests of her constituents of Lundholm-East, criticising the Conservative government for not doing enough to help improve the economic situation in Lundholm-East, as more companies were leaving Imagua and laying off workers. At the same time, with stagflation setting in, she accused the Conservatives of not doing enough "for the ordinary Imaguan," and instead only focusing on the elites in Cuanstad.
This meant that by the 1976 general election, Marguerite Ernman was able to hold her own in Lundholm-East, facing Conservative candidate James Bradley. Despite Bradley's charismatic campaign, Ernman was able to secure a tenth term in the Lesser House with 58.7%, compared to Bradley's 40.5% of the vote.
Second tenure as Leader of the Opposition
After the defeat of Travis Marshall in the 1976 general elections to Querano Piro, and the loss of six seats, of which five went to the Conservatives, and one to the leader of the Imaguan Party of Democrats, Rupert Cox, Travis Marshall attempted to stay on as leader.
However, at the 1976 leadership review, Travis Marshall was defeated, and he was forced to resign, making Marguerite Ernman the acting leader of the opposition. A leadership convention was scheduled for February 1977, with Marguerite Ernman announcing her intention to run to take over the leadership of the Democratic Labour Party.
There, she faced Fletcher Harrison on the left-wing, and Sebastian Young on the right-wing, making it a three-way race. In the first round, Harrison was eliminated, leaving her and Young in the race. In the second round, most of Harrison's votes went to Marguerite Ernman, allowing her to defeat Sebastian Young with 60% of the vote on February 14, 1977.
This once again returned her to the leader of the Democratic Labour Party. During her second tenure, Marguerite Ernman was noted for her skillful leadership of the Democratic Labour, and her efforts to rebuild the party's strength following Travis Marshall's leadership. She also criticised the Conservative's "indifference" to the looming recession, as it started spreading from southern Coius towards the rest of the world, including Imagua and the Assimas.
When the Imaguan economy entered a recession in 1979, Ernman blamed the Conservatives for "not preparing our country to handle the recession," and accused them of "playing the fiddle while Solaria burns." Her speech helped boost support for the Democratic Labour Party.
Thus, when the 1980 general election campaign started, Marguerite Ernman was facing Anthony Brockett on the national stage. During her campaign, Marguerite Ernman promised to "implement radical measures to end the recession," and create a "just economy for all Imaguans," with Ernman placing the blame for the recession on the hands of capitalism itself. Her radical rhetoric, while it was initially popular, alienated many voters.
When the results came in, while the Democratic Labour Party gained three seats, the Conservatives kept control of the Lesser House, and the Imaguan presidency, with Piro becoming President. However, Ernman was able to win with 60.2% of the vote against Conservative candidate Ernie Powell, allowing her to sit in the House for an eleventh term.
Opposition backbencher
Following her defeat, she resigned as the leader of the Democratic Labour Party, again taking full responsibility for her party's loss to Brockett in the 1980 general election. A leadership conference was scheduled for January 1981, where Edmondo Privitera succeeded her as the leader.
Edmondo Privitera did not appoint Marguerite Ernman to the shadow cabinet, meaning that for the first time in over three decades, Marguerite Ernman was not involved in a cabinet position, either as part of the shadow cabinet, or as a cabinet leader. Part of the reason for this was because Privitera felt that Ernman was too old, but part of the reason was due to Ernman intending to run for the Imaguan presidency in the next presidential elections in 1984.
During her eleventh term in the Lesser House of Parliament, Marguerite Ernman continued to represent the issues of her constituents in Lundholm-East, while preparing herself for a bid for the presidency.
In October 1983, Marguerite Ernman was nominated to run for the Imaguan presidency, while Edmondo Privitera was confirmed to be the DLP candidate for the Imaguan premiership. By this point, the tide had turned against Anthony Brockett's Conservative government due to both a growing anti-incumbency factor, and because of Brockett not doing enough to end the recession.
When the writ was dropped on 30 January, 1984, she faced off against incumbent President Querano Piro. Her campaign was focused on using her image as a "benevolent grandmother," while criticizing the record of the Conservative governments for "doing next to nothing." This was only exacerbated by the presidential debates held by Imaguan Television Service, where she performed better than Piro in both the Estmerish language and Etrurian language debates.
Thus, when it came time for the votes to be tallied on 23 March, 1984, Ernman defeated Piro 54.6% to 44.9%, while the Conservatives lost twenty-three seats to the DLP, allowing the Democratic Labour Party to form government. Thus, over the next month, she and Piro prepared for her assumption of power.
In her constituency, she was succeeded by Conservative Ted Anderson, defeating her son, and DLP nominee Edwin Ernman.
Presidency
On 23 April, 1984, Marguerite Ernman was sworn in as the seventh President of Imagua and the Assimas, succeeding Querano Piro. This made her the first female president of Imagua and the Assimas. That day, her cabinet was sworn in, with Edmondo Privitera named Prime Minister.
With precedent established by past presidents, she functioned as the head of state of Imagua, meaning that she did not have as much power as she did while she was Prime Minister. Thus, while Ernman used her role to help increase the profile of her country on the international stage, such as by travelling to attend conferences, she also used her position to help indirectly influence the Imaguan government, such as halting the privatisation of Air Imagua, and other stated-owned enterprises.
By the end of her first term, Ernman was more popular, as she had overseen Imagua's exit from the recession in 1985, and was again nominated by the Democratic Labour Party to run for a second term in the 1987 leadership conference, while Privitera was to run for a second term as Prime Minister.
This allowed Marguerite Ernman to comfortably focus on her campaign against Conservative nominee Marino Guccio in 1988. During her campaign, she pledged to leave a legacy of a "just Imagua," and to ensure that all Imaguans would live better lives. This, combined with her performance on the presidential debates, and her own usage of the "benevolent grandmother" persona got her re-elected with 55.4% of the vote.
In her second term, Marguerite Ernman continued to serve as a head of state. By this point, she was starting to see her influence decline in the Democratic Labour Party, primarily due to her old age: in 1990, she announced that after the term was finished, she would "retire from politics for good," and spend the rest of her days in her hometown of Lundholm.
Thus, at the 1991 leadership conference, the party delegates voted for Privitera to be their presidential nominee, and for Gerald Larsson, the Deputy Prime Minister to run for the Imaguan premiership.
Retirement
Continued activity
On 23 April, 1992, the 81-year old Marguerite Ernman handed over the presidency to Erico D'Antonio of the Conservatives. Following her retirement from Imaguan politicis, she returned to her hometown of Lundholm.
Despite her retirement from politics, she was still heavily involved in the Democratic Labour Party, attending as a delegate in the 1992 and 1996 leadership conventions, where she endorsed Ornell Elliott, first as parliamentary leader, and then as presidential nominee, and in 1995, where she endorsed Viviana Andreoli for the parliamentary leadership following Elliott's resignation. As well, she remained active in her local constituency association, volunteering many hours "to ensure that Lundholm-East keeps being represented by a DLP MP."
In 1993, she was inducted as Companion of the Order of Imagua by President Isaac Egnell. However, in 1997, after Austin Houghton was defeated, she threatened to "return the order if Houghton even became so much as an Officer of the Order." As Houghton was not granted the Order of Imagua, she never had to follow through on her threat to return the award.
However, in 1999, Marguerite Ernman was hospitalised after a fall in her home. While she fully recovered from her injuries, she moved into a retirement home in Lundholm. Despite this, she was still active in public life, giving interviews and often sharing her opinions on contemporary Imaguan politics, and on women's rights across the world. As well, Marguerite Ernman was still heavily involved in day-to-day life, with fellow residents at the retirement home saying that Marguerite Ernman "was always available for a conversation whenever awake, on any matter."
In 2002, she was given an honourary degree from the University of Cuanstad in political science, due to her extensive political career. At her commencement speech during the ceremony, she said that her advice for life was "although there are times you fail in life, in love, or whatever, if you are willing to rise up, to try again, you shall one day succeed. Even if it takes decades, you will make it through to the end of the tunnel."
Declining health and death
In November 2003, Marguerite Ernman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Due to this diagnosis, she announced that she will "suspend all my engagements" to focus on medical treatment. Thus, she underwent surgery to remove the tumor, followed by a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
In late 2005, with her condition improving, Marguerite Ernman released her memoirs, The Grandmother's Story, which focused on her career in politics. This book sold well, and she went on tour to promote the book in Imagua and the Assimas. By 2006, she began to give interviews and was once again sharing her opinions on Imaguan political affairs.
However, in 2007, her condition started to deteriorate once again, as her cancer returned. While she did try and receive treatment, by December 2008, her son, Edwin Ernman announced that Marguerite Ernman "is now in palliative care in Cuanstad," and that "her cancer is at a terminal stage."
In February 2009, she fell into a coma, and would never again regain consciousness. On 28 March, 2009, Marguerite Ernman died at 4:21 pm, at the age of 98. At the time of her death, she was the oldest surviving former Prime Minister, and President in Imaguan history.
After an autopsy determined the cause of death was pancreatic cancer, she was taken to be laid in state at Parliament House, so to allow Imaguans to pay their final respects.
On 5 April, 2009, a state funeral was held at Saint Paul's Gospelite Church in Cuanstad, attended by members of her family, as well as all surviving former Presidents and Prime Ministers, as well as the current leaders of the Democratic Labour Party.
President Agnes Ingram delivered the eulogy, praising Ernman as a "trailblazer who led the way for women like us to be treated equally to that of men in public life," and that her policies also helped "unite Imagua and the Assimas into one nation, as opposed to two nations on two separate islands." She was joined by former Prime Minister Edmondo Privitera, who praised her as being a "mentor," and "like a grandmother."
Following the state funeral, her body was transported to her hometown of Lundholm, where she was interred at the family gravesite at Lundholm Cemetery.
Personal life
Marguerite Ernman first met the 38-year old Griffith Ernman in 1927 after joining the constituency association, and married in 1929, remaining married until Griffith's death in 1973 before his 84th birthday. Together, they had three children: Edwin Ernman, who lived from 1930 until his death in 2012 at the age of 81, Dorothy Palmer, born in 1932, and Martha Brant, born in 1934. At the time of her death in 2009, she was survived by her three children, six grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson.
Following Griffith's death in 1973 from lung cancer, Marguerite Ernman never remarried, and during her term as President, the role of First Gentleman was filled by her son, Edwin Ernman.
She spoke Western Imaguan Creole as her native language, but was fluent in Estmerish, Geatish, Gaullican, Eastern Imaguan Creole, and Etrurian.
Political views
Marguerite Ernman was an avowed democratic socialist, as she believed that the capitalist system as it existed in Imagua and the Assimas "alienated workers from their labour," but felt that the revolutions as done in Swetania would be "utterly counterproductive," instead favouring a democratic approach to socialism.
She was a socialist feminist, believing that "women ought to have the same chances and opportunities to exercise their God-given rights as men," and that the only way that it could be done was ensuring that their labour would not be exploited by the bourgeoisie.
She also was a supporter of the environmental movement, and was a supporter of legalised abortion up to twenty weeks, as well as free public education, and free healthcare for all.
Religion
Marguerite Ernman was baptized as a Gospelite, and grew up in the Gospelite tradition. However, early on, she was influenced by the social gospel, saying that "the religious environment in which the Lord placed me in helped me shape the trajectory of my life."
Until her late nineties, she was a devout Gospelite, going to church every Sunday, although she was known to make more frequent visits to church services throughout the week "depending on whether she was facing tribulations," and celebrating all Gospelite holidays. However, as her health declined, while she still remained a devout Gospelite, she was no longer able to go to church, as she no longer had the energy to do so.
Honours
Domestic
- File:ImaguaFlag.png - Companion of the Order of Imagua, 1993
Foreign
- File:Order of Estmere ribbon Grand Cross Special Class.svg Grand Cross with Special Class of the Order of Estmere (1992)
