Linda Sgartermaan
The Honourable Linda Sgartermaan | |
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| Prime Minister of Vyvland | |
| In office 23 December 1993 – 4 November 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Denis Eeris |
| Succeeded by | Anhelm Ferog |
| Leader of the Liberal Party | |
| In office 5 June 1990 – 8 March 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Enrig Dalder |
| Succeeded by | Jesika Snoifer |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 3 March 1990 – 23 December 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Aldus Beker |
| Succeeded by | Patrik Voivbeem-Smid |
| Minister of Health | |
| In office 25 June 1989 – 3 March 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Jeusev Iys |
| Succeeded by | Tom vun de Wes |
| Member of the Parliament of Vyvland for Stanmer | |
| In office 10 June 1984 – 3 November 2009 | |
| Member of the National Diet of North Vyvland for Stiven-Norfwes | |
| In office 9 June 1976 – 10 June 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Yaryn Lydman |
| Succeeded by | position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 200px June 4, 1947 Norfbygsoim, Stanmer, North Vyvland |
| Died | 200px |
| Resting place | 200px |
| Nationality | Vyvlander |
| Political party | Liberal Party (1984-present) Socialist Party (1968-1984) |
| Spouse | Alecaanjre Sgartermaan |
| Children | Elena, Tomas, Aanjres |
| Parent |
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| Alma mater | University of Mafiy |
Belinda "Linda" Sgartermaan (née Prukeer, pronounced /lində zgɐɾteɾmäːn/) was the Prime Minister of Vyvland from 1993 to 1994. She was a member of the Liberal Party, which she led from 1993 to 1996. She was the first female Prime Minister of Vyvland. Her 320 days as Prime Minister following the Liberals' surprise 1993 election victory were under a minority government with the Greens after predecessor Denis Eeris's Christian Democratic and Conservative Party declined to continue in coalition. Sgartermaan's term in government was notoriously unstable due to the minority nature of the government; it was often opposed on the left and the right. Hers was the only premiership since the partition of Vyvland to last less than a year. The next year, she was defeated at a party leadership election to Jesika Snoifer, although remained a wetaan.
Sgartermaan was born Belinda Karolin Prukeer in the small town of Norfbygsoim, north of Stiven, in northern Stanmer. Her father worked in the Vjaarlandic military base at Pee to the north, with her mother being a museum curator at Stiven's Greethal museums. Sgartermaan graduated in early 1968 with a degree in Economics from the University of Mafiy.
Soon after finishing her university studies, Sgartermaan joined the North Vyvlander Socialist Party, having become interested in politics due to the Stanmer Riots taking place at the time. Although she was originally relatively left-wing, her views had moderated by her entry into Parliament in 1976, and she ended up crossing the floor to the Radical People's Party (later Liberal Party) in 1984. She gained an influential voice within the Liberal Party, becoming Minister of Health in Abram Zymeker's first government and then Minister of Finance in the Eeris National Commission. In 1990, Sgartermaan took over the party leadership from then-President Enrig Dalder.
The Liberals' unexpected winning of the 1993 general election pushed Sgartermaan to the forefront of coalition negotiations. However, few parties were willing to co-operate with the Liberals; the Conservatives did not want to have a repeat of the previous term (in which the Liberals had become dominant despite being the smaller partner), while Socialist leaders were angered at the Liberals due to perceiving them as 'stealing' the Socialist vote. Thus, Sgartermaan entered into coalition with just the Greens. The coalition was unstable from the start, passing little in the way of new legislation. One of few significant actions undertaken by her government was the cleanup operation after the Great August Storm of 1983. The Sgartermaan government also passed a law permitting on-request abortion (which was repealed two years later). The coalition ended up collapsing before the 1994 general election, which saw a Socialist-KDC grand coalition under Anhelm Ferog take over the premiership.
After months of unpopularity due to the short government and severe election loss, in 1995, Sgartermaan lost a party leadership challenge to Jesika Snoifer, although continued to sit in parliament. Sgartermaan retired from politics in 2009. Since leaving, she has written two books; a biography and a book on policial history.