Sofija Anasdohter

This is an Azmaran name. The last name is matronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Sofija.

The Honorable Sofija Anasdohter
Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 July 2023
Preceded by	Freidrik Aleksaanderssun
Leader of the Workers' Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 July 2020
Deputy	Frei Niinassun-Mac Pharláin Analiisa Aleksdohter
Preceded by	Eryk Jorśsun
Thingspeaker of Azmara
In office 13 July 2020 – 5 July 2023
President	Maarija Ryginsdohter Harald Alekssun
Preceded by	Eryk Jorśsun
Succeeded by	Freidrik Aleksaanderssun
Secretary of State for Internal Affairs
In office 19 May 2017 – 13 July 2020
Preceded by	Aansgaar Jonssun
Succeeded by	Þurisas Mâþijassun
Personal details
Born	(1981-03-13) March 13, 1981 Heuthenberg, Haadland, Azmara
Political party	Workers' Party (2007-present)
Spouse	Mâþijas Freidrikssun (m. 2014)
Children	2
Residence(s)	Nysted Place, Stefansburg, Aalmsted, Azmara
Alma mater	University of Karlsby

Sofija Anasdohter (Azmaran pronunciation: [so'fɪjɑ ɑnɑz'doxtɛɹ]; IJssentaal: Zofija Anasdochter; born 13 March 1981) is an Azmaran politician who has served as Leader of the Worker's Party since 2020 and Leader of the Opposition since 2023 and who served as Thingspeaker of Azmara between 2020 and 2023. Prior to this, she served as Interior Secretary in Eryk Jorśsun's government between May 2017 and July 2020.

Anasdohter was born in Heuthenberg in the province of Haadland in 1981 and studied Social Policy at the University of Karlsby, graduating with a master's degree in 2004 and becoming a welfare case manager in her hometown. The impacts of the 2005 Recession on her work led her to become active in the Workers' Party, being elected Mayor of Heuthenberg in 2009 and serving for one four-year term before moving into national politics in 2014 by successfully running for the Folksmot.

She became a key advisor to Eryk Jorśsun's ultimately successful 2015 leadership campaign and as a result became a key member of his advisory team and was repaid by gaining the position of Home Secretary upon the victory of the Workers' Party in the 2017 election. As Home Secretary she provided over the recognition of the minority languages of IJssentaal and Hytklifer, as well as the establishment of autonomy for the provinces of Hytklif and Haadland, as well as making progressive reforms to law enforcement.

After Eryk Jorśsun announced his intention to step down as Thingspeaker and Leader of the Workers' Party in the aftermath of the 2020 election, she quickly became favourite to succeed him as leader of the party and played an active role in coalition negotiations. By July, it was announced that she would succeed Jorśsun in both roles and lead a three-party coalition with the Green Party and The Radicals as coalition partners, and on the 13th she and her new cabinet were sworn in.

Her government would concern itself chiefly with progressive reforms in education and healthcare such as the removal of a historic ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood and the legalisation of the sale of cannabis while largely continuing the economic policies of her predecessor and adopting a moderately conservative stance on immigration with regards to the Tsabaran refugee crisis. Anasdohter would also pursue a more outspoken foreign policy than previous governments, emphasising a defence of human rights and criticism of democratic backsliding, especially with regards to Etruria under Francesco Carcaterra.

After a loss of seats in the 2023 election, Anasdohter would ultimately be replaced as Thingspeaker by Freidrik Aleksaanderssun of Gold Flame. Anasdohter would face a leadership challenge from Þurisas Mâþijassun as a result, yet would defeat him at the Workers' Party conference by a margin of 332 votes to 201 and would appoint former Health Secretary Frei Niinassun-Mac Phárlain and Mayor of Aalmsted Analiisa Aleksdohter as party deputy leaders to shore up her leadership.

Early life and education

Anasdohter was born Zofija Anasdochter in Heuthenberg, Haadland in 1981 to parents who had split up before her birth; as a result, she was raised largely by her mother, Ana Siimunsdohter (IJssentaal: Ana Zimoensdochter), who worked as a bartender at a local beer hall in town and often struggled to manage both her work at the beer hall and her care of Zofija. Anasdohter thus spent significant time in daycares and with her mother's relatives; she spent significant amounts of time with her mother's sister and has thus described her cousins as "being akin to brothers" with the amount of time she spent with them. Anasdohter was raised speaking the IJssentaal minority dialect of Azmaran. She also said that she has "never met" her biological father, who had emigrated to Cassier soon after her birth and remarried, yet in adulthood has connected with her half-siblings in the country.

She was educated at Haavenside Andeskoel for primary education and at Heuthenberg Galukskoel for secondary education, where she excelled in subjects such as sociology, anthropology and psychology. She was encouraged by her teachers to apply for a course at the Aahtbund universities, yet, unsure whether she would fit in with the culture of the universities and wanting a more practical degree, applied to the University of Cârlesby in the capital of Haadland, studying for a master's degree in Social Policy and taking a year abroad at Newstead University in Borland. As a student, she was not particularly active in political circles, yet participated in a few protests and was active in the university's women's football team and some cultural societies.

Political views

Anasdohter has been described by many as being a social democrat or as a democratic socialist, citing her strong support for many of the left-wing economic reforms of her predecessor in office. In 2020 The Aalmsted Herald described her as a "progressive" who was willing to "work across party lines", yet when asked in a 2021 interview with the paper to describe her ideology, she referred to herself simply as a "democratic socialist". In a 2022 interview, Anasdohter stated that she had voted for the Workers' Party in every election she could bar 2005, where she voted for The Radicals in protest at the party's direction under the purple government.

Anasdohter has been known for her championing of socially liberal domestic policies. Notably, while serving as Secretary for Internal Affairs she was responsible for a devolution of powers to Haadland and Hytklif provinces and a change in government policy towards minority dialects in both provinces. Her coalition government with The Radicals and the Green Party has also prioritised feminist and environmentalist causes, with the government making the promotion of gender equality, LGBT+ rights and renewable energy key policy.

This approach has carried out into foreign policy, with Azmara having championed an idealist policy abroad, with the Anasdohter government blocking the Northern Forum's backing of the Tuaisceart-Süd II pipeline and having adopted a staunchly critical attitude towards the creation of LGBT-free zones in Etruria, with Anasdohter referring to them as "an affront to liberal democracy". On other issues, however, Anasdohter has maintained the foreign policy of her predecessors, emphasising relations with other members of the Euclean Community first and foremost and aligning with other smaller members of the community such as the traditional "Alsbora" grouping and with Caldia and Hennehouwe, while also advocating for co-operation between left-leaning governments across Eastern Euclea. She has also maintained the traditional dovish stance of Azmaran governments, supporting continued ECDTO membership while opposing active military interventions by the organisation, criticising the hawkishness of Reginald Wilton-Smyth and Otto von Hösslin towards Tsabara.

Despite her social liberalism, Anasdohter has taken somewhat conservative stances with regards to Azmaran national identity, immigration and assimilation. While serving as Minister for Internal Affairs, Anasdohter defended the points-based immigration system that had been implemented by Jon Jorśsun's centre-right administration and said that it "would not be repealed" by the Workers' Party. When addressing the Tsabaran refugee crisis, Anasdohter notably stated that she had "concerns about the impacts of an influx of refugees on the infrastructure and job market of our societies" and that "Euclean countries should not be made to take on more refugees than can be handled by their society". However, Anasdohter has condemned ethnic nationalist sentiments expressed by many in opposition to the crisis such as those by Weranian Interior Minister Jörg Bullmann.

Anasdohter has also expressed a desire to increase the role of comprehensive schools within the Azmaran education system, stating that the two-tier system of secondary education was "failing" to overcome income disparities in achievement, and has called for more accountability in law enforcement, stating that many processes officers took were "not transparent to the communities they serve".

Personal life

While in her final year at the University of Cârlesby, Anasdohter met artist and writer Mâþijas Freidrikssun. The couple started dating on and off in 2004, and have lived with each other since 2009, getting married in 2014 at a chapel in Heuthenberg. On the 17th July 2018, Anasdohter gave birth to twins Hasel and Birk. The latter of the two has profound hearing loss and as a result Anasdohter has knowledge in Tâjkensprek, the national sign language of Azmara.

Anasdohter is an avid cyclist and amateur landscape illustrator - she spends significant amounts of her personal time cycling around the Azmaran landscape with her husband and has published some of her illustrations on her website. She is also a fan of romantic comedies and of alternative and indie rock.

Anasdohter is a member of the Church of Azmara, but described herself as "non-practicing" and stated that the nature of God was "open to interpretation".