Laíla María Bjarnarsdætr

*This is a Velkanian name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name. The subject should be referred to by the given name* Laíla María*.*

**Laíla María Bjarnarsdætr** (1 June 1921 – 13 August 1979) was a Velkanian politician who served as Prime Minister of the Velkanian Isles from 1968 to 1979. Laíla María was the first woman to serve in this office, and is additionally the longest-serving Velkanian Prime Minister of all-time, serving for ten years and 255 days until her death. A Social Democrat, Laíla María has been cited as a driving force behind the widespread gender equality in the Velkanian Isles, and is considered one of the most beloved people in Velkanian history; she has been affectionately referred to as "Mother Laíla" by supporters and the media, and has been ranked as one of the most popular former Prime Ministers of all-time, according to historical analyses.

Born to a working-class family in Naríthjábæk, Laíla María studied to become a beautician at Thórslavik Technical School, graduating as a licensed beautician in 1939. She worked as a hairdresser in Naríthjábæk for several years, but grew tired of the work and began attending the University of Naríthjábæk in 1947. She graduated from university with a degree in business in 1952, and later opened her own small beauty salon in Naríthjábæk. After managing the salon for several years, Laíla María became involved with the rising Velkanian independence movement and began volunteering with the Velkanian Social Democrats. In the 1960 election, Laíla María was elected to the Velkanian Council as a councilwoman for the Social Democrats. She was reelected in 1964 and became an advocate for Velkanian independence, campaigning for "yes" in the 1965 Velkanian independence referendum. After the success of the referendum, the Velkanian Council was disbanded and became the Stádlink, beginning in 1966. In the hopes of an easy transition to independence, Laíla María and other former councilors retained their seats until the first independent election, to be held two years afterwards.

Following the death of Jón Pálsson in January 1966, a leadership election was called for the Social Democrats. Laíla María announced her candidacy shortly afterwards, and went on to defeat Reynard Valbjörnsson in the election, winning 75.4% of the vote. She was sworn in as Leader of the Social Democratic Party on 3 April 1966, becoming the first woman to lead the party in Velkanian history. As party leader, Laíla María led the Social Democrats into the 1968 election, the first election in an independent Velkanian Isles. The Social Democrats went on to win the largest amount of seats of any party in the election, entering a majority coalition with the Green-Agrarian Party. As the leader of the largest party in the governing coalition, Laíla María was appointed Prime Minister by Ragnhildur III on 1 December 1968, becoming the first elected Prime Minister of the Velkanian Isles, and the first woman to hold the office. During her tenure as Prime Minister, Laíla María went on to have massively high approval ratings and was reelected a record two-times: in 1972 and 1976. Following the 1976 election, the Social Democrats had become so popular that they amassed 65% of the seats in the Stádlink, eliminating the need for a coalition.

After complaining about migraines for several months, Laíla María was diagnosed with stage IV highly invasive brain cancer in July 1979. She kept her diagnosis a secret from the public, and continued to serve as Prime Minister in preparation for her inevitable death. She succumbed to the disease on 13 August 1979, surrounded by her family in the early morning at Gardaröst. Following her death, her diagnosis was revealed to the public, and a letter addressed to the Velkanian public that she had wrote days prior to her death was released to the press. Her funeral was broadcast on live television on 18 August 1979, and is the most highly-watched program ever broadcast in the Velkanian Isles. After her death, a large statue was erected of herself in the front yard of Gardaröst, which still stands today, and 1 June was declared Laíla María Day, a national holiday.

## Early life and education

### Family and upbringing

Laíla María was born on 1 June 1921 in Naríthjábæk to parents Bjarnar Orvarsson (1898–1971) and Gunnbjört Anna Hjalmarsdætr (1898–1990). The family was working-class; Bjarnar worked in the transportation industry for the City of Naríthjábæk, while Gunnbjört Anna was a secretary for a small advertising firm. Laíla María was the second of three children and only daughter; her brothers included Didrik Einar Bjarnarsson (1919–2005) and Snævarr Bjarnarsson, born  (1925-04-27) 27 April 1925 (age 98). Didrik Einar worked in construction, while Snævarr is a retired real estate broker. Laíla María grew up in a politically active Social Democratic family, who were staunch supporters of Velkanian independence.

### Education and early career

Laíla María began her education in 1927, attending a local public primary school in Naríthjábæk. Teachers referred to Laíla María as a star student who was eager to help her peers when they needed it, and was a natural-born leader. After graduating from primary school in 1937, Laíla María enrolled in Thórslavik Technical School, where she studied a cosmetology program. Despite teachers urging Laíla María to apply to more intensive gymnasiums such as Naríthjábæk Junior College, she was uninterested and stated that she was content with living her life as simply a beautician and mother. In 1939, Laíla María graduated as a licensed beautician, and began working as a hairdresser at a local beauty salon in the Saudárverfi district of Naríthjábæk.

After becoming dissatisfied with her self-perceived monotonous life, Laíla María took the Velkanian Matriculation Exams and enrolled in the Faculty of Business and Industry at the University of Naríthjábæk in 1947. She worked as a hairdresser during the day, and attended classes at night after her husband came home from work to look after the children. Laíla María went on to graduate with a degree in business in 1952, and subsequently left her job as a hairdresser. Shortly after leaving, Laíla María opened her own small beauty salon in Naríthjábæk, and worked solely as the salon's manager and owner instead of working as a hairdresser. The salon went on to become a modest success, greatly increasing the family's annual income and economic stability. Laíla María went on to sell the salon in 1967.

## Political career

### Political beginnings and parliament

In 1954, Laíla María became active in the Velkanian independence movement and began volunteering with the Social Democrats during rallies; this became her first foray into politics. Her political experience began to grow, and later applied to stand as a candidate in the 1956 election, but was rejected. Nevertheless, she continued to volunteer in politics while simultaneously managing her salon, and grew to become a known figure in Social Democratic politics and the Velkanian independence movement. In anticipation for the 1960 election, Laíla María applied to be a candidate once again and was selected by the Social Democrats to stand. She went on to be elected, taking office as a councilwoman in the Velkanian Council.

In the Velkanian Council, Laíla María aligned herself with the pro-independence faction of the council, campaigning heavily for an independence referendum for the Velkanian Isles. She was later reelected in 1964. Following the announcement of the 1965 Velkanian independence referendum, Laíla María campaigned heavily for the "yes" campaign, appearing on television and radios throughout the Velkanian Isles and becoming a household name. After this rise in star power, Laíla María began to be cited as a possible future political leader in the Velkanian Isles.

After the success of the referendum, the Velkanian Duchy ceased to exist and became the independent Kingdom of the Velkanian Isles on 1 January 1966. In order to ease the transition to independence, the Velkanian Council was not dissolved, but simply disbanded in favor of the Stádlink, with councilors retaining their seats until the next election.

### Prime Minister of the Velkanian Isles

Shortly after the restoration of Velkanian independence in January 1966, Jón Pálsson, the Leader of the Social Democratic Party, died after a heart attack. A leadership election was announced to find a successor, and Laíla María was quickly rumored as one of the most likely candidates by the Velkanian media. On 1 February 1966, Laíla María declared her candidacy in the leadership election. She went on to be selected by Social Democratic members of the Stádlink as one of the top two candidates, advancing to the members' vote along with Reynard Valbjörnsson. In the election, Laíla María defeated Reynard after receiving 75.4% of the total vote. She was later sworn in as party leader, becoming the first woman to lead the party.

As party leader, Laíla María led the Social Democrats into the 1968 Velkanian general election, the first election of an independent Velkanian Isles. The party went on to win the most amount of seats, and entered a majority coalition with the Green-Agrarian Party. After securing a parliamentary majority, Laíla María was declared the Prime Minister of the Velkanian Isles by Ragnhildur III; this made her the first woman to hold the post, and the first elected Prime Minister in Velkanian history. Following her election, she formed the First Laíla María Cabinet, which consisted of ministers representing both the Social Democrats and Green-Agrarians. In her first term, Laíla María went on to have soaring approval ratings, citing large approval from Velkanians regardless of party affiliation; in 1970, 86.9% of Velkanians approved of the job she was doing as Prime Minister. In the 1972 election, the Social Democrats increased their seats in parliament greatly, securing a majority on their won. This led to the disbandment of the First Laíla María Cabinet, and the establishment of the Second Laíla María Cabinet, consisting of solely Social Democrats.

After a successful second term in office, Laíla María and the Social Democrats were reelected once again in the 1976 election. In the election, they won a record-breaking 65% of seats in the Stádlink, furthering their parliamentary majority even more. Prior to her death in 1979, Laíla María was preparing to lead the party once again in the 1980 election. At the time of her death, her approval ratings were at about 82.5% nationwide, the best of any Velkanian politician of all-time. After her death, Reynard Valbjörnsson, her former leadership election competitor and later Minister of Defense, was appointed as acting Prime Minister until new elections could be held. He maintained the Social Democrats parliamentary support after the 1979 snap election, but lost a number of seats, leading the party to form a coalition with the Liberal-Democrats. Later, in the 1980 election, Reynard led the party to lose even more seats, and they entered the opposition for the first time since 1968.

## Personal life

Laíla María began dating Daníel Ásgeirsson in 1935. Laíla María and Daníel had grown up together, being next-door-neighbors since birth. As high school sweethearts, they planned to marry after finishing their education. Laíla María and Daníel became engaged in 1939, shortly after Laíla María graduated from upper secondary school, and later married on 4 May 1940. After marrying, they moved into a small three-bedroom home in the Saudárverfi district of Naríthjábæk. While Laíla María worked as a hairdresser, Daníel had a desk job as an office supplies salesman. He later left this position after Laíla María was elected Prime Minister, instead founding a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting for animal's rights, which he served as president of until his retirement in 1994.

Laíla María and Daníel had three children together: Loki, born  (1942-06-04) 4 June 1942 (age 81), and fraternal twins Magnthór and Magdalena, born  (1945-03-12) 12 March 1945 (age 78). All three of their children have gone on to become prominent personalities in the media. Loki began an acting career in the 1960s, later moving to Forsland in 1970 to act in Forsish films. Magnthór began working as a journalist in the late-1960s; by the next decade, he had become a leading political writer for *Daghöga Vælkjáthkurath*, before retiring from journalism in 2015. Magdalena was educated in politics and later began working as an aide in the Stádlink during her mother's tenure as Prime Minister. In the 1988 election, she was elected to the Stádlink for the Social Democratic Party, before retiring from politics prior to the 2016 election.

## Death

Laíla María first began complaining of glaring migraines in December 1978. Due to her fear of doctors, she decided to ignore the migraines and self-medicated with pain relievers. These migraines continued for several months, getting worse and worse; additionally, Laíla María began experiencing immense nausea, to the point that she thought she may have been pregnant. After going on for a year, she decided to visit a doctor to determine the cause in July 1979. The doctor discovered that Laíla María had a highly invasive glioblastoma, an aggressive cancerous brain tumor, and her prognosis was that she would not survive more than another month.

After hearing of her prognosis, Laíla María decided to not make her cancer diagnosis public information, instead continuing as business-as-usual until she died; she decided to not fight the cancer, as she did not expect good results and did not want to fight what she viewed as inevitable. Laíla María later died of the cancer in the early morning of 13 August 1979, surrounded by her family members at Gardaröst. After her death, a national mourning period was unanimously declared by the Stádlink, and her cancer diagnosis was made public. Additionally, a letter that Laíla María wrote in her final days and had addressed to the Velkanian public was released; the letter has since become preserved in the national archives.

Her funeral was broadcast on live television on 18 August 1979, and is the most highly-watched program ever broadcast in the Velkanian Isles. After her death, a large statue was erected of herself in the front yard of Gardaröst, which still stands today, and 1 June was declared Laíla María Day, a national holiday.