Willy Brandt

Category:The Imperial Constitution
Willy Brandt (born 18 December 513AER) is a Falleen politician who served as the leader of the Socialist Party and Democratic Labour Party (now Democratic Unionist Party) from 565AER until 582AER and as Imperial Chancellor from 575AER until 582AER. He resigned from parliament in 584AER. 
== Early and personal life ==
=== Early life ===
Brandt was born in the small town of Unkel, Cartria, to carpenter Otto Brandt and Rut Hansen. He went to Unkel Catholic College, a local high school where he graduated with average grades and a variety of awards in state Track Competitions. Later on, he attended Drosst State University, where he studied Medicine and graduated 6 years later as a trained physician. 
=== Military career ===
Instead of following a path towards medical specialisation, as he originally planned, Brandt decided to join the military as a Field Medic for the D Company of the 78th Infantry Brigade. He served during the interventions in Haalsia and alongside Verzarian soldiers during the invasion of Kaarnoor -- where he was non-fatally wounded by a bullet to the left arm. After the war, he moved to Hastiga where he joined local authorities in the rebuilding of the wartorn city of Nonambar. 
=== Family ===
Brandt has been married to Carlotta Thorkildsen since 538AER, with whom he has four children: Matthias (born 539AER), and the twins Lars and Peter (born 543AER). 
Brandt had 6 siblings, 2 of which died in childhood and one which perished in the war. From the original 4 sons of Otto and Rut Brandt, only two remain alive -- Willy and his brother Hermann -- alongside their two sisters: Sarah and Janine. His mother Rut (born 487AER) continues to live in her native Unkel and his father, Otto (born 482AER), passed away on 7th March 564AER. The family comes together every year in Brandt's childhood home in Himmelstraße 33, Unkel, to catch up with each other and visit their aging mother.
== Political career ==
=== Early career ===
In 555AER, after working partly as a physician in Nonambar and as Health Advisor for the Nonambar City Council during it's efforts of local reconstruction, Brandt decided to get involved in politics. A staunch socialist in nature, Brandt had been part of the Socialist (Party) in Hastiga since 550AER as member and shortly as party treasurer in 556AER. 
=== Member of the Nonambar City Council ===
In 557AER, Brandt ran for public office in the Nonambar City Council as an independent through his one-man party: Social Citizens' Movement. He managed to win his seat and served as member of the Nonambar Council Economic Committee from 559AER until 564AER, gaining considerable popularity in Hastigan politics. 
=== Socialist Party ===
Hastiga has been the hotbed of left-wing politics in the Empire for as long as people can remember. The polarisation of of politics on a national level and the ideological shift towards the right had made left-wingers across the Empire -- but in particular Hastiga -- more frustrated at the machinations of Corrintrin. It was because of this, and the failure of years of inefficient neo-liberal governments, that a group of men and women gathered in Nonambar to represent the workers of Falleentium -- the Socialist Party was born.
The Party was set up by a group of local politicians, former Hastigan representatives, union members and a pantheon of ordinary working people from all walks of life. At the helm of the party were Brandt and close friend socialist Hastigan MP Sigmar Gabriel. Brandt had become the face of the party, giving several speeches and expanding the membership of the party across the country. By mid 564AER, the party counted a stunning 5000 members mostly centered around Hastiga's cities and towns. The party sought to appeal to left-wing voters dissapointed by the watered down centrist policies of PLP leader Jacques Durand and his coalitions with the FLP.
The party staunchly believes in economic and social reforms as well as decreasing military spending and holding unto an anti-interventionist position internationally. Representative of the Falleen left, the party supports increasing the minimum wage, expanding the welfare state, investing in the social services, public ownership of vital industries, economic protectionism and left populism
=== Falleen Federal Election, 565AER ===
After months of campaigning, public appearances, coverage by the media and an offensive campaign against the PLP -- the nation went to the polls to elect it's representatives. Against all odds, the Socialists managed to strike 40 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Most seats were won in the state of Hastiga, which was normally monopolised by the PLP, and cemented a strong support-base within the island state for Brandt's Socialists. During this term, Brandt pushed for minimum wage increase and achieved so through the Living Wages Act 567AER. With the fall of the PLP-FLP government two years into the term, snap elections were called and the Socialists prepared for another electoral campaign.
=== Falleen Federal Election, 567AER ===
With the collapse of the Progressive Labour Party, the largest representative of the Falleen left in parliament, the Socialist Party had the opportunity to fill a vacuum in the next legislature. Through an effective campaign, the Socialists managed to nearly triple it's amount of members of parliament, succeesfully absorbing many former PLP voters. With 112 seats, or roughly 14% of the vote, the Socialists became the second largest party in parliament and leaders of the HIM's Loyal Opposition. He formed this opposition alongside likeminded left-wing parties which conglomerated under the Socialist brainchild voting bloc: Le Cartel des gauche
=== Falleen Federal Election, 571AER ===
Under Brandt, the Socialists managed to gain an unprecedented 20% of the vote in it's third election cycle. With UKIP sitting at 26,6%, the Socialist 170 MP's towered far above the third biggest party, the NSU with 11% of the seats. Brandt made the historic decision to cooperate with Merkel's Liberal Conservatives and Sessions' Centrist Republicans to form a grand Purple Coalition of the centre. The decision sparked dissent from the the coalition parties' radical base, who saw the move as a betrayal to the message of their parties. In an address to the country, Brandt explained the necessity to build a Liberal Progressive Coalition over a Far Right Clique dominated by the FCRP, CG, FCU and NSU. That the choice was easy considering the alternative would lead to the collapse of the welfare state, the destruction of the minimum wage and a pursuit of hawkish interventionism.
=== Falleen Federal Election, 575AER ===
After 4 years in coalition with United Koalition of Imperialist Parties and the Popular Republican Movement, the Socialist Party under Brandt increased it's share of the vote once again to almost 200 MP's. After a characteristically polarised election, renewal of the Purple Coalition with UKIP seemed implausible with the election of Amber Rudd as Merkel's successor to party leader. UKIP remained the largest party in parliament, however, Brandt held collateral talks with the PRM, NP, FLP and CP on an alternate center-left coalition to the possibility of a hard-right coalition led by Rudd. The talks succeeded, and Brandt managed to garner the support to be appointed Chancellor. 
=== Peacetime term and Cabinet Brandt I ===
From 575 until 578, Brandt led a relatively succesful and proactive government. It passed several pieces of legislation to boost investment into public services, education, healthcare and infrastructure -- while passing a budget which greatly reduced the deficit by reducing wasteful spending (primarily in the military). Brandt also authorised referenda in the states of Hastiga and Veldunium through the Brussels Agreement, which subsequently led to the affirmation of the wish for independence of the Veld and Hastigan people. Many deemed this a massive blunder on the part of Brandt, who remained neutral during the referendum and is largely blamed for the result. Brandt reiterated that his intention never was to keep anyone hostage in the Empire, and that if these people chose to leave the Empire, that they should do so -- but that the Falleen people should be the sole and central interest of any government during exit negotiations.
=== Party rebranding ===
The war against the Red Federation proved problematic for the image of the Socialist Party, with fear among it's leaders that the party would be associated with it's more leftist elements and prove troublesome with regular voters. General-Secretary Christine Lagarde designed a spree of reformation which would "modernise" the party's image -- this is how Democratic Labour was born. Brandt supported the move openly, but many sources seem to imply that Brandt was reluctant of "moving to the center" and abandoning the party's core values to become more electable.
=== World War III ===
In 578AER, the Red Federation launched an attack on the Nilira Alliance and Falleentium was forced to respond. The armed forces were mobilised and millions of soldiers from across the Nilira Alliance engaged the Red Federation in Gelakkar Island, Faraal, Jeet, South Shiha, Draaz, Kaarnor, Cantonos and across the seas and skies surrounding them. By 580, the leadership of Supreme Allied Commander and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Philip de Villeneuve -- and it's close cooperation to the Chancellery through the Military Council -- led to the turning of tides and subsequent victory of the allies in 582. Two treaties were signed by the Brandt government, the Deddah Peace Accords to get the Islamic League out of the War, and then an armistice with the Red Federation by january 582. 
=== Falleen Federal Election, 582AER and Brandt's resignation ===
With the election being scheduled merely a month after the disssolvement of parliament, the election campaign was relatively short. Throughout the war, approval ratings for Labour Democrats and Chancellor Brandt plummetted to as low as 12% according to some polls. Brandt had become associated with the war, and with domestic failure in regards to the economic perils brought by the 5 year-long conflict. This proved decisive in the 582AER General Election results, which saw Labour Democrats shed over 60 seats to their former coalition partners the Popular Republican Movement.
With the disastrous election performance, pressure on Brandt grew exponentially within the party. Brandt announced his resignation the morning after the last votes were counted and the make-up of the next parliament was clear. Although the resignation was fully voluntary, on paper, it was long expected that Brandt would not be able to continue his leadership tenure would the LabDems perform poorly after their first government.
After his resignation, Brandt retreated to the backbenches of the Red Dogs under Ted Cruz -- having seen his party drift away radically from his original vision after nearly two decades.
Category:Democratic Unionist Party