Sabina Sulfizi

*This name uses Tagik naming customs; the patronymic is* Muhammedqizina*, while the family name is* Sulfizi.

**Sabina Muhammedqizina Sulfizi** (Beratian: *Сабіна Мухаммедқізіна Сулфізі*; born 18 May 1959) is a Beratian politician and stateswoman who has served as prime minister of Berat since 2017, the first woman to hold the office. She has additionally been the leader of the Beratian National Party (BNP) since 2017, and is the younger daughter of BNP founder Muhammed Sulfizi. Sulfizi served as Minister of the Interior in the Tahir cabinet from 2016 until 2017, Minister of Families and Children in the second Jagmara cabinet from 2005 until 2007, and has been a People's Deputy of Berat since her first election in 1997.

Born in Caspar to Beratian independence activist Muhammed Sulfizi and his wife Gulnissa, Sulfizi's parents were assassinated when she was nine years old. After their deaths, she was sent with her younger sister to live with her maternal aunt and uncle, by whom she was raised. Sulfizi completed her secondary education in 1977, and afterwards moved to Orgland to enroll in Foxford University, graduating with a law degree in 1983. After graduating, she remained in Orgland, moving to Dollchester, where she worked at a nongovernmental organization representing victims of human rights abuses and war crimes in international trials. At the onset of Beratian independence, Sulfizi returned to Caspar in 1986, where she became an anti-fascist pro-independence activist. Following the restoration of Beratian independence in 1988, Sulfizi reentered her law career in Caspar, where she represented victims of human rights abuses by the fascist government in Berat.

Sulfizi began her political career in 1997, when she was included on the electoral list for the Beratian National Party (BNP) in the 1997 general election. She ultimately was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, where she became one of the first seven women elected to parliament from the BNP. Upon her election, Sulfizi became a nationally known figure due to her status as the child of Muhammed Sulfizi, considered to be a national hero in Berat. In 2005, she was nominated by Denis Jagmara to serve in the newly-created position of Minister of Families and Children in his cabinet, becoming the first woman to serve in the cabinet. In her role, Sulfizi advocated for liberal social policies regarding motherhood and children, including paid maternal leave and maternal healthcare. Additionally, under her influence, the nation legalized abortion for the first time in Beratian history. Following the 2007 general election, the BNP lost their majority in parliament and Sulfizi entered the opposition.

As an oppositional figure, Sulfizi began to garner an even stronger national profile, with many political analysts identifying Sulfizi as the single most likely future female prime minister of the country. She was theorized to be a potential successor to Jagmara as leader of the BNP, but she ultimately denied interest in running for the position and endorsed his eventual success Samir Tahir in the leadership election. After the BNP reentered the government following the 2016 general election, Sulfizi was nominated by Tahir to serve as Minister of the Interior, becoming the first woman to serve in this role. As the interior minister, Sulfizi oversaw the Beratian police force, immigration levels, and national security.

In May 2017, a sex scandal emerged regarding Tahir, in which he reportedly had several extramarital affairs with prostitutes and had recently fathered a child with one of them. This was detrimental to the stability of the government and Tahir's popularity, and he ultimately tendered his resignation as prime minister and party leader due to it. Sulfizi announced her intention to stand in the subsequent leadership contest, and she was ultimately elected in a party conference as his successor. She took office on 15 June 2017, becoming the first woman to serve as prime minister, with her government being sworn in later on the same day.

## Early life and education

Sulfizi was born on 18 May 1959 in Caspar to parents Muhammed Sulfizi (1933–1968) and Gulissa Tajar (1935–1968). Her father was an accountant by trade who became a Beratian independence activist and anti-fascist opposition figure in the 1960s, while her mother was a homemaker. Muhammed founded the Beratian National Party (BNP) in 1965, as a means to advocate for Beratian independence and organize rallies. Sulfizi has recalled attending pro-independence rallies with her parents all throughout her childhood, beginning as young as four years old. Knowing that the fascist government had limits on their use of arrests and excessive force, and would not subject a young girl to that, her father took her as a means of protecting other attendants. Sulfizi is the elder of two sisters; her younger sister is Lora, born  (1961-08-11) 11 August 1961 (age 62), who is a lawyer. She was raised in Eurean Islam, despite describing her family as "secular Muslims."

Sulfizi began her education in 1965, attending a local, public primary school in Caspar, where she was a gifted and popular student. Sulfizi graduated from primary school in 1973, and subsequently enrolled in a public secondary school. She attended secondary school at the Caspar Secondary School for Girls, where she frequently got into trouble due to difficulties following the strict moral code for young girls that was outlined by the fascist Kashan government. Despite her mischievious antics, she was still a gifted student who was very popular amongst her classmates. Sulfizi graduated from secondary school in 1977.

Afterwards, she moved to Orgland to enroll in Foxford University, studying law. While in university, Sulfizi became acquainted with her father's activism, and became a Beratian independence activist herself. No longer fearing the fascist leadership as she was in a foreign country, Sulfizi founded the Beratian Student Union at Foxford University, and organized numerous peaceful protests and demonstrations in favor of Beratian independence, anti-fascism, and the dissolution of the Kashan Union. She graduated with her law degree in 1983. In 1992, Sulfizi enrolled in a graduate program at the Beratian University of International Affairs, graduating with a master's degree in international relations in 1996.

### 1968 assassination

On 20 July 1968, when Sulfizi was nine years old, both of her parents were assassinated in their Caspar apartment during a home invasion in the early hours of the morning. Her mother was killed first by a single gunshot to the temple, while her father was killed second by several gunshots to the chest and skull after a brief scuffle between himself and the assailant. Sulfizi and her younger sister were not home at the time, as both were having a sleepover at their maternal aunt and uncle's home, whom they were both very close to. It was believed that the assailant was aware of the family's schedule, and carried out the murders on that night knowing that the children would not be home. The murders were never solved following a police investigation that was closed after three days, although it is widely believed to have been an orchestrated attack by the fascist government.

Following the deaths of her parents, Sulfizi and her sister moved in with her maternal aunt Nerissa Tajar (1938–2013) and her husband Abdul Samati (1934–2009), whom they were raised by for the remainder of their childhoods. Abdul worked as an industrial laborer, while Nerissa was a primary school teacher. They had no biological children due to fertility issues, so they saw Sulfizi and her sister as children of their own. After a year of residing there, the children were legally adopted by Tajar and Samati; Sulfizi has referred to her aunt and uncle as her "guardian angels," and has frequently spoken of her admiration for them. During her 1989 wedding, she was walked down the aisle by her uncle. Sulfizi did not learn of her parents' murders until she was 12 years old, when a classmate told her; she was initially told by family members that her parents died peacefully in their sleep.

## Law career

After graduating with her law degree in 1983, Sulfizi moved to Dollchester and began working as a human rights lawyer at the nongovernmental organization the Ditrovian International Defense Fund (DIDF). In the position, Sulfizi represented victims of human rights violations and crimes against humanity in international trials. She remained in this position for three years, until leaving in 1986, in order to return to Caspar.

After returning to Caspar in 1986, Sulfizi became involved in the growing pro-independence and anti-fascist demonstrations. Her return to Caspar became internationally recognized news, due to her father's legacy as a pro-independence activist and the founder of the Beratian National Party (BNP). Sulfizi was hired by the BNP as a community organizer, and she frequently organized protests and rallies throughout the country, where she made speeches in support of Beratian independence. She left the position after the restoration of Beratian independence in 1988. That year, Sulfizi founded the Beratian Defense Fund (BDF), where she continued her work in human rights law, representing victims of human rights abuses by the fascist government in Berat.

## Political career

### Early politics

Sulfizi began her political career in 1997, when she was included on the electoral list for the Beratian National Party (BNP) in the 1997 general election. She ultimately was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, becoming one of the first seven women elected to parliament from the BNP. While she had always had a decently large public profile in Berat due to being the daughter of legendary activist Muhammed Sulfizi, Sulfizi's election to parliament brought her into nationwide stardom. At the end of the year, she was declared the "Beratian Woman of the Year" by the Beratian media.

Throughout her early years as a MP, Sulfizi and the remainder of the BNP remained in the parliamentary opposition. Nevertheless, Sulfizi kept her name in the media, and quickly began to rise in the ranks of the party. In a 2018 interview, she stated that while she was conscious that she had a natural advantage in the party ranks due to being the daughter of the party's founder, she attempted to "keep [herself] grounded," and never took things for granted.

### Minister of Families and Children

Following the 2005 general election, the BNP had won a plurality of seats and entered into a governing coalition for the first time in history. She was subsequently nominated by Denis Jagmara to serve as Minister of Families and Children, a newly-created post, in the Jagmara cabinet. With her appointment, Sulfizi became the first woman to ever serve in a Beratian cabinet. In the position, Sulfizi was responsible for overseeing women's rights, family planning, early childhood education, and children's affairs within Berat.

As the Minister of Families and Children, Sulfizi advocated for liberal social policies regarding motherhood and children, including paid maternal leave and maternal healthcare. Additionally, under her influence, the nation legalized abortion for the first time in Beratian history. Amidst tensions within the cabinet, the government collapsed in May 2007, and a new election was called. The party ultimately lost the new election, and Sulfizi left her position as a minister.

### Opposition member

After the party lost the 2007 election, Sulfizi returned to the opposition along with the rest of her party. Due to their result in the election, party leader Jagmara tendered his resignation, and the Beratian media considered Sulfizi to be one of the top choices to succeed him. Behind-the-scenes, Sulfizi was rumored to be considering a bid to become party leader, but ultimately decided against it due to her belief that a woman would not be able to win. She publicly denied any interest in running to succeed Jagmara in September 2007, and endorsed the candidacy of Samir Tahir, who eventually won the leadership election.

As a opposition figure, Sulfizi's national profile began to grow tremendously. By 2010, she was cited in the Beratian media as one of the "unofficial leaders" of the BNP, and as one of Tahir's closest confidantes in parliament. In 2012, she was cited as being the most likely first female prime minister.

### Minister of the Interior

Following the 2016 general election, the BNP won a majority of seats in parliament, returning to the government after nine years in the opposition. With this, Sulfizi was nominated by Tahir to serve as Minister of the Interior in his cabinet; this appointment led Sulfizi to be considered to be the most powerful woman in Beratian history, becoming the first female interior minister and the first woman to hold such a powerful ministerial post. As interior minister, Sulfizi was responsible for national security, immigration, and the local police force.

As interior minister, Sulfizi was considered by the media to be a "senior member" of the cabinet, and one of Tahir's closest allies in the government. In April 2017, she was cited as a "top contender" in an eventual hypothetical leadership election to succeed Tahir. Also that month, Sulfizi was reported to be polling as not only the most popular member of the government, but additionally the most popular politician in all of Berat. Her approval ratings hovered between 68–74%, while her disapproval hovered between 18–22%, resulting in the highest net approval of any Beratian politician.

### Prime minister

In June 2017, a sex scandal erupted surrounding prime minister and BNP leader Samir Tahir. Newspaper the *Caspar Sentinel* leaked that Tahir had reportedly been engaging in numerous extramarital affairs for the past decade, most often with prostitutes. In March 2015, he reportedly fathered a child with one of the prostitutes that he had been having affairs with, and was essentially living a "double life" with her and their son in Sarinüzüm, staying with them in a home that he purchased for them on weekends when he was not working. Tahir's wife Damla Ayik was reportedly aware of the affairs, and did nothing to stop them.

Following the publication of the allegations, Tahir vehemently denied them, referring to the report as "yellow journalism." However, public opinion quickly began to turn against him, and opposition figures began demanding his resignation and fresh elections. Four days after the reports, Jona Vocaj, the Asbanian prostitute whom Tahir fathered a child with and shared a home with in Sarinüzüm, came forward and confirmed the allegations. After this, Tahir as well confirmed the reports, and tendered his resignation as party leader and prime minister. Ayik also subsequently filed for divorce.

After Tahir's resignation, a leadership contest was triggered to determine his successor. Sulfizi emerged as the clear choice to succeed him, being a senior cabinet official and by far the most popular politician in Berat. She ran unopposed, and was eventually elected unanimously in an emergency party conference. Sulfizi took office on 15 June 2017, becoming the first woman to serve as prime minister. Her cabinet was also sworn in on the same day. As prime minister, Sulfizi has been cited as the most powerful woman in Beratian history. She has led a centrist liberal government, prioritizing Beratian sovereignty, social liberalism, and economic liberalism.

## Personal life

Sulfizi began a relationship with Beratian human rights lawyer Raj Belissa in 1986, after they met at a pro-independence protest organized by the Beratian National Party (BNP), for which they were both working. They became engaged in 1988, and later married the following year. Following their marriage, Sulfizi became stepmother to Belissa's one son from a previous marriage, whom Sulfizi is not in close contact with.

Sulfizi and Belissa have three daughters together: Tulin, born  (1991-04-12) 12 April 1991 (age 32), Irem, born  (1994-09-25) 25 September 1994 (age 29), and Luna, born  (1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 27). The family resided in a four-bedroom apartment in Caspar until 2017, when they moved into the House of Independence, the traditional residence of the prime minister of Berat and their family.

Sulfizi has identified herself as a Eurean Muslim on several occasions, although she is non-practicing. She is fluent in Beratian, Kashan, and Ditrovian.