Harald Alekssun
Harald Alekssun | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Alekssun in 2017 | |
| President of the Commonwealth of Azmara | |
| Assumed office 21 September 2021 | |
| Premier | Sofija Anasdohter |
| Preceded by | Maarija Ryginsdohter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 21, 1967 Aalmsted, Azmara |
| Nationality | Azmaran |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Green (before 2021) |
| Spouse | Ana Jorśdohter (m. 1993) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Westmaark |
| Occupation | |
| Known for | De Werald |
Harald Alekssun (born 21st March 1967) is an Azmaran politician, marine biologist, television presenter and author who has served as president of Azmara since September 2021.
Raised in a middle-class family in Stefansburg, Aalmsted, Alekssun would study biology at the University of Westmaark, gaining a bachelor's degree in 1988 and a doctorate in 1993. After this he would pursue academic work at his alma mater, becoming a junior lecturer, yet in 1997 would be recruited by Azmaran state broadcaster ARF to host a nature documentary about local marine life.
In 2002 he would leave his academic post permanently in order to work permanently at ARF producing documentaries, with his ARF-1 series De Werald running from 2004 to 2007 and being one of the most watched documentary series in the history of Azmaran media. Alekssun has also worked as an author, writing a trilogy of popular science books focusing on biology that have been well-received critically and commercially.
A former member of the Green Party, Alekssun would stand for the presidency of Azmara in the 2021 presidential election, emphasising issues of climate change and social equality during his campaign and would ultimately be elected with 51.9% of the vote in the final count to journalist Alan Freissun's 48.1%. He was inaugurated on the 21st September 2021.
Early life and education
Alekssun was born on the 21st March 1967 and grew up in the Stefansburg neighbourhood of Aalmsted. His parents both worked in the medical profession - his mother served as a nurse while his father was a physician. His parents were moderately politically active, with both being rank-and-file members of The Radicals, while his paternal grandparents had served in anti-National Coalition resistance groups during the early 1930s.
He studied at St. Wiljâm's Gymnasium in his native Stefansburg, where he served as Head Boy in his final year, before starting studies at the University of Westmaark in biology. At university, Alekssun would be a member of the Westmaark branch of the Azmaariś-Jongmaanśip, a noted student organisation present at many of Azmara's major universities, and would be somewhat involved in university ice hockey.
He would gain a Bachelor of Natural Science in 1988, after which he would take two years out from education in which he would live for six months in Morwall, Estmere and would work at the Museum of Natural Sciences in his native Aalmsted. In 1990 he would return to Westmaark to pursue a doctorate in zoology, and would write his thesis comparing the evolution of species of Paridae to that of species of Testudines.
Career
Television career
Political career
In a 2006 interview, Alekssun described himself as a "boring middle class left-liberal" and said that he was "sympathetic" to then-Thingspeaker Helmut Þurisassun. In late 2010, he would join the Green Party over concerns about the threat of anthropogenic climate change and would express concerns about the rise of right-wing populism in Azmara.
Personal life
While Alekssun was a doctoral student at the University of Westmaark, he would meet Ana Jorśdohter, who was pursuing a doctorate in anthropology. The couple would marry upon the completion of their theses in 1993, and before Alekssun's ascendancy to the presidency the couple lived in a townhouse in the Eleinasburg neighbourhood of Aalmsted.
They have two daughters, Ana, born in 1995, and Helena, born in 1999. Helena identifies as a trans woman, and Alekssun was pictured attending Aalmsted Pride with his wife and two daughters in 2020.
Alekssun is a noted fan of jazz and soul music, and practices a pescatarian diet. Aside from his native Azmaran, he is proficient in Gaullican, Estmerish and Weranian.