Caterina Munbacher

**Caterina Viktoria Munbacher** (née **Zülf**; born 22 July 1960) is a Lungarian politician who has been the leader of the Social Democratic Party since 2018. Munbacher has additionally served as a member of the Stadtkart since 2003, representing Elgerholme.

Munbacher was raised in a working-class family in Lower Munbach, and graduated from Nordersaun School in 1979. She went on to attend Frederiksbarg University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1982, and a master's degree in 1984. After her graduation, Munbacher worked several jobs in the public sector, working in the Lungarian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Social Welfare, and Finance through the 1980s and 1990s. From 1996 to 2002, she worked at the Lungarian Embassy in Kroftsi, Jansone. She left the position to later begin her political career.

In 2002, Munbacher was included on the Social Democratic ticket in Elgerholme for the 2002 Lungarian general election. She was elected to the Stadtkart, and later won reelection in 2006, 2010, and 2014. In 2018, Munbacher announced her candidacy in the 2018 Social Democratic leadership election. Originally an underdog to more popular candidates such as Uljana Heimlitz and Darlene Grübberbach, Munbacher's popularity gradually increased, especially following the important endorsement of Alexander Rüschko. She eventually won the election, and will now lead the Social Democratic Party during the 2018 Lungarian general election.

Throughout her time in the Stadtkart, Munbacher has been frequently hailed as the leader of the party's progressive wing, frequently in competition with the party's more moderate politicians such as Milo Grübberbach and Heimlitz, with them keeping her out of chief party decisions while they were in power of the government.

## Early life and family

Munbacher was born on 22 July 1960 in Munbach to parents Robert and Georgina Zülf (née *Deningschauss*). The family was working-class, with Robert working several blue-collar jobs and Georgina being employed as a secretary and retail employee to support the family. Munbacher is the middle child of three children; her elder brother is Dennis, born  (1957-09-23) 23 September 1957 (age 66), while her younger sister is Hilda, born  (1962-12-08) 8 December 1962 (age 61). Dennis is a salesperson at a car dealership, while Hilda is a freelance potter. Munbacher was raised in the Süd Dalf neighborhood of Lower Munbach.

## Education and early career

Munbacher began her education in 1966, attending a local public primary school. In primary school, she became very interested in fine arts, being influenced by her mother who painted and sewed clothes in her spare time. Munbacher eventually graduated from primary school in 1972, and began attending secondary school. In secondary school, Munbacher became more focused on academic subjects and performing well in school, although she still held a strong interest in the fine arts, particularly fashion design.

After graduating from secondary school in 1976, Munbacher began studying at Nordersaun School, a *gymnasiüm* in the Nordersaun neighborhood. Prior to enrolling in a *gymnasiüm*, Munbacher considered attending a *kariersküle* to study art or fashion design, but ultimately decided to follow a more academic path in order to have more career stability. In *gymnasiüm*, she studied a social sciences program, specifically focusing on political science. Munbacher went on to graduate from high school in 1979. After her high school graduation, Munbacher enrolled in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Frederiksbarg University in Nordersaun. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1982, and later received a master's degree in political science from the same institution in 1984.

After Munbacher graduated with her master's degree, she began working a number of government jobs in the public sector. She began her career working in the Ministry of Finance from 1984 to 1986, before leaving to work in the Ministry of Social Welfare from 1986 to 1990. Afterwards, she accepted a higher-up position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which she held until 1996. After leaving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she moved to Kroftsi, Jansone to work at the Lungarian Embassy in Jansone. Munbacher remained in this position until 2002, when she returned to Munbach to begin a political career.

## Political career

### Member of the Stadtkart

In 2002, Munbacher was invited to join the Social Democratic ticket for the 2002 Lungarian election representing Elgerholme. The party won enough seats and Munbacher was elected to parliament, taking office on 1 February 2003. Heimlitz quickly associated herself with the progressive wing of the Social Democratic Party. This association led to support from youth voters and progressive activists, but was ostracized in government by more moderate members of her party such as Uljana Heimlitz and Milo Grübberbach. Munbacher later won reelection in 2006, 2010, and 2014.

### Leader of the Social Democratic Party

On 1 May 2018, Milo Grübberbach launched a leadership election to fill his position as Leader of Social Democratic Party as he'd be retiring. Munbacher declared her candidacy on 2 May. She defeated Ella Wrauner, Robert Wrächtenbarg, Darlene Grübberbach, and Alexander Rüschko in the first three rounds where voters consisted of Social Democratic politicians, leaving herself and Uljana Heimlitz as the final two candidates where a winner would be decided by all registered members of the Social Democratic Party. Munbacher went on to win the election on 29 May, after receiving 50.18% of the nationwide vote.

As Leader of the Social Democratic Party, she will lead the party in the campaign for the 2018 Lungarian general election. She is only the second woman to hold the post, following Bo Dzhenav, who was leader from 1995 to 1999.

## Personal life

Munbacher married architect Arnold Munbacher in 1995. They had previously began dating in 1989, and later were engaged in 1993. After moving to Kroftsi for work in 1996, Munbacher became a visiting professor of architecture at the National University of Jansone. Following their return to Munbach in 2002, he returned to his architecture firm and works as a professional architect. Since her election to the Stadtkart in 2002, they have resided in the Leck Dalf  neighborhood of Lower Munbach. Munbacher and her husband have two daughters together: Zara, born  (1997-03-14) 14 March 1997 (age 26), and Lena, born  (1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 24). Zara is their only biological child, while Lena was adopted from an orphanage in Kroftsi.

Munbacher is fluent in Lungarian, Efter, Jansonian, and English, in addition to having some degree of proficiency in Dalian and Kashan. She was raised without religion, and considers herself to be an atheist.