Fernande Mifsud
Fernande Mifsud | |
|---|---|
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| Chancellor of Sydalon | |
| In office 15 May 2018 – 3 December 2018 | |
| Monarch | Melisende III |
| Vice Chancellor | Alessandru Zahra |
| Preceded by | Adeodata Haddad de Saabi |
| Succeeded by | vacant |
| Lord Advocate | |
| Assumed office 2 December 2018 | |
| Monarch | Melisende III |
| Preceded by | Indri Bonanno |
| Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice | |
| In office 8 March 2015 – 13 May 2018 | |
| Monarch | Jordan IX Melisende III |
| Minister | Michael Fsadni |
| Preceded by | Elissa Naudi |
| Succeeded by | Ġerardo Axiaq |
| Seneschal of the Lordship of Kerkouane | |
| In office 12 October 2009 – 8 March 2015 | |
| Monarch | Jordan IX |
| Preceded by | Nikola Buttigieg |
| Succeeded by | Maria Calleja |
| Member of National Assembly for Atria | |
| In office 6 June 2014 – 3 December 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Valentin Mifsud |
| Succeeded by | Lawrent Mifsud |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Fernande Xand Magro Mifsud 29 April 1971 Birkirkara, Ostracine, Sydalon |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | In Avante (2014–2016) |
| Spouse | Didyma Antistia (m. 1997) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Galata College, Haenna (LD) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Fernande Mifsud, HC CR SRSL (Fernande Xand Magro Mifsud; b. 29 April 1971) is a Sydalene politician, and the first Chancellor of Sydalon. He is the grandson of former Chancellor Belandra de Magro, Lady de Magro. Since December 2018, he has served as Lord Advocate.
Born near Ostracine to a wealthy family, Mifsud was educated at Lyceu ta'Aradia, and Galata College, Haenna. In 1995, he was a law clerk at the Court of the Queen's Bench, later working as an assistant Crown prosecutor from 1996 to 1998; and a deputy Crown Attorney from 1998 until 2000. In 2012, he was appointed a Queen's Counsel.
He was appointed Chancellor, by Queen Melisende III in 2018, following the announcement of plans for a new liberal constitution. He previously served as a minor member of Council of Ministers member as an Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, reporting to the Attorney General, and before that as Seneschal of the Lordship of Kerkouane from 2010 to 2014.
Early life and career
Fernande Mifsud was born in Birkirkara, in 1971, and grew up in a religious, conservative household. He is the middle child of Sydalene politician Valentin Mifsud and Annibale de Magro, born when his maternal grandmother, Belandra de Magro, Lady de Magro, served as Foreign Minister. He became a student at Lyceu ta'Aradia, in Ostracine, before enrolling at Galata College, Haenna in Latium. Mifsud's education at Haenna was delayed for two years due from 1989 until 1991 to his perform his mandatory national service, where he served as an officer with an armored division near the Sydalene-Yisraeli border.
After his national service, Mifsud began his education at Galata College, initially pursuing a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, though changed his focus to law during his second term. He graduated from Galata in 1995.
While attending Galata, he met his wife Didyma Antistia, a Latin citizen. They married in 1997, and have three children.
Legal career
In 1995, Mifsud returned to Sydalon and began clerking at the Court of the Queen's Bench. The following year, he began to practice law by shadowing an advocate, earning his license by December 1996. After gaining his license, he began working as an assistant Crown prosecutor in the county of Kerkouane. Mifsud primarily handled criminal matters until he was promoted to serve as a Deputy Crown Attorney in Sydalon where he prosecuted crimes arising out of government corruption. He resigned from the central Crown Attorney's office in 2000, later citing frustrations from a superior.
Mifsud entered private practice in 2001, after taking a year long sabbatical from legal practice, and was a partner at an Ostracine-based firm where he did mostly criminal defense. He remained in private practice until 2009. In 2011, he was made a Fellow at the Royal Society for Law. In 2012, he was appointed a King's Counsel on the recommendation of the Lord Advocate Antnin Mula. Since the reign of Queen Melisende III, the honorific is now Queen's Counsel.
Early political career
Mifsud first entered politics in 2009 when he was appointed to serve as Seneschal of the Lordship of Kerkouane. He served as Seneschal until 2014, when he resigned to run for a Senate seat in the National Assembly to replace his father, the previous incumbent. During the 2014 election, Mifsud ran as an independent, unaffiliated from any of the major political factions. He won the Atria district against limited opposition, earning 56% of the vote. He was reelected in 2016, increasing his vote total to 62%.
In 2015, Mifsud joined the Ministry of Justice where he served as an Undersecretary of State, where he oversaw court services, among other court related competencies including administrative courts, criminal tribunals, and prisons.
During the Sydalene Revolution, Mifsud left Ostracine immediately and travelled to his district where he remained with his family until he was called to the royal court of Queen Melisende III in Ascalzar.
Chancellor of Sydalon
During the May 11 raid, Mifsud was in Ascalzar at the court of Queen Melisende III. Mifsud later joined Queen Melisende when she arrived in Sydalon, after the raid and arrest of republican leaders including Adi Philosri. Mifsud was later engaged in high level talks with members of Her Majesty's government, where it leaked that the Queen was planning to reform the government. On May 15, Queen Melisende announced plans for a new liberal constitution; in the same proclamation, Mifsud was named acting head of government and was later officially given the office of Chancellor of Sydalon, replacing the office of First Secretary. Mifsud is the first Chancellor of Sydalon.
Political positions
Mifsud described himself as a centrist when he entered the National Assembly as a member of In Avante. Since becoming an independent, Mifsud has been described as a third way politician by the Sydalene media, but calls himself "a practical politician".
Economy and taxation
Mifsud has spoken in favor of reduced taxes to enable economic growth, but has said that "it is unwise to make specific pledges to reduce taxes." Since joining the National Assembly, Mifsud has voted for increased funding and investment into the West Scipian Railway, and other infrastructure projects throughout Sydalon and northwestern Scipia. He supports an increase to the national minimum wage, and enact legislation to preevnt domain governments from passing their own substantive minimum wage laws.
Foreign affairs
Mifsud supports the Yarden Accords, which came into effect during the Secretariat of his grandmother Belandra de Magro, Lady de Magro. He opposes any Yarden revisionism, calling it "dangerous idea that will lead to pain, suffering, and destruction for all." Similarly, he does not support any proposals to hold popular referenda in the Yarden Valley.
Mifsud supports the North Scipian Free Trade Association, though believes Sydalon should enter into bilateral free trade agreements with similarly minded nations instead of multilateral solutions through the NSFTA. Though Sydalon's application has been stalled since its submission in 1987, Mifsud supports seeking membership in the Belisarian Community due to cultural, historical, and religious ties to the current member states. Mifsud opposes hardline Islamic nations, such as Marad, Nahlia, and accuses Intermaria of enabling both to "sow chaos" in northern Scipia and the Periclean Sea.
National issues
Constitutional matters
Mifsud's key duty since becoming Chancellor has been to ensure meaningful constitutional reform. He is a monarchist, supporting the continued existence of the Monarchy, though says that "certain functions [of the Monarchy] are outdated and should be invested in the National Assembly. Mifsud reportedly seeks a middle ground between the executive monarchies of Belisaria and the ceremonial constitutional monarchy model in Lyncanestria.