Dëshira Rexhepi

**Dëshira Rexhepi** (born 14 August 1965) is a Notoshan politician who has served as leader of Luftojmë! since its foundation in 2017. Additionally, Rexhepi previously served as Minister of Health in the first cabinet of Balush Gjintelma from 2014 until 2017, and was a member of the State Assembly from 2010 until 2014. Originally a member of the New Notosha Alliance coalition and Onwards Forwards political party, Rexhepi later left and founded the Radical Party in 2017.

Born in Sharamarë, Rexhepi graduated from secondary school in 1983. After graduating, she moved to Gortzman to attend the University of Gortzman, where she graduated with her medical degree in 1989. She subsequently remained in Gortzman, beginning her medical trainee program to become an orthopedic surgeon. She completed the program in 1993, afterwards being hired as an orthopedic surgeon at the State Hospital of Gortzman. In 1998, she left her job at the hospital in order to begin her own private practice with her husband in Gortzman. Following the declaration of Notoshan independence in 2010, Rexhepi returned to Notosha part-time and purchased property in Astina. She stood as a candidate in the 2010 parliamentary election for the Onwards Forwards political party and New Notosha Alliance coalition, and was elected to parliament.

Rexhepi intended not to run for reelection in the 2014 parliamentary election in order to return to her medical career. After the New Notosha Alliance became the majority coalition in parliament, however, Rexhepi was nominated by Balush Gjintelma to serve as Minister of Health in his first cabinet. While a cabinet minister, Rexhepi began to come into conflict with Gjintelma and the rest of the government over her support for heavily socialized medicine. Her suggested policies were frequently shot down by Gjintelma, and the media soon began reporting on a feud between the two. In 2017, she resigned from the cabinet and three days later announced the formation of the Luftojmë! coalition, consisting of the Nationalist Platform and the Radical Party, the latter of which she founded. She stood as the prime ministerial candidate in the 2018 parliamentary election, where the coalition won 21 seats.

## Early life and education

Rexhepi was born on 14 August 1965 in Sharamarë – then known as Šaramara – to parents Dazim Rexhepi (1938–2008) and Kuqëlore Logoreci (1940–2015). Her father worked in construction, while her mother was a seamstress who sold her fabrics and garments at a local market. The family was quite poor, and they particularly struggled under the fascist leadership of the Federal Republic of Alaslavia. She was raised as an only child, living in a two-bedroom apartment with her parents and maternal grandparents.

Rexhepi began her education in 1971, attending a local, public primary school in Sharamarë. While in primary school, Rexhepi was a gifted student who dreamed of becoming a doctor, despite some people in her life trying to convince her that women were not cut out to become doctors. After graduating from primary school in 1979, Rexhepi enrolled in a public secondary school, where she was a high academic achiever and popular student. She graduated from secondary school in 1983, afterwards moving to Gortzman to enroll in the Francern School of Medicine at the University of Gortzman, graduating with her medical degree in 1989.

## Medical career

While a university student, Rexhepi was primarily interested in pursuing a career in pediatric medicine. However, after discovering that she was one of the most high-achieving students in her class, she began to consider other more prestigious branches of medicine. Upon her graduation in 1989, Rexhepi began a medical trainee program in orthopedic surgery at the State Hospital of Gortzman. She completed the trainee program in 1993, and was subsequently hired as an orthopedic surgeon at the State Hospital of Gortzman.

In 1994, with the outbreak of the Notosha War (1994–2000), Rexhepi had her parents and maternal grandmother move from Notosha to live with her in Gortzman. In 1998, Rexhepi left her hospital job in order to found her own private practice in Gortzman. Rexhepi managed the practice with her husband Simon Herbig, where Rexhepi practiced orthopedics and Herbig practiced otorhinolaryngology. In 2010, Rexhepi took a leave of absence from the practice in order to fulfill her duties as a member of the State Assembly of Notosha. While intending to return to medicine in 2014, she extended her leave of absence until 2017, after she was nominated to serve as Minister of Health. In 2017, she returned to the practice, despite taking short absences to campaign in Notosha.

## Political career

### Early politics

Rexhepi began her political career in 2010, after registering with the Onwards Forwards political party and standing as a candidate in the 2010 parliamentary election, where she was ultimately elected as a member of the New Notosha Alliance coalition.

Upon her election, a minor controversy erupted in Notosha over whether she was constitutionally eligible to serve in the State Assembly. The constitution states that all members of parliament must have at least five consecutive years of residence within Notosha. At the time of her election, Rexhepi had been residing almost exclusively in Frankenland for the past 27 years, with critics saying that she did not meet the five years of residence clause. Rexhepi stated that since she lived the first 18 years of her life in Notosha she did meet the residency requirement, but critics alleged that since at that time Notosha was an unorganized territory of the Alaslavian Republic of Lorbia, it did not count. The dispute ultimately went to the Constitutional Court of Notosha, which decided in Rexhepi's favor; her case was considered to be the first ever high-profile case for the newly created Constitutional Court.

Upon taking her seat in the State Assembly on 15 September 2010, Rexhepi aligned herself with the left-wing of her party, supporting not only the socially progressive policies that Onwards Forwards codified in their party agenda, but also left-wing economic reforms. In 2013, rumors began to arise of Rexhepi joining the democratic socialist Worker and Unionist Party, but she subsequently called the rumors "untrue." Ahead of the 2014 parliamentary election, Rexhepi confirmed that she would not be running for reelection and instead planned to return to her medical career in Frankenland.

### Minister of Health

In the aftermath of the 2014 parliamentary election, it emerged that the New Notosha Alliance coalition had won a majority in the State Assembly. Despite initially announcing that she was leaving politics in order to return to her medical career, Rexhepi ultimately was nominated by Bulash Gjintelma to serve as Minister of Health in his first cabinet. She was later sworn in by Gazmadh Xhanari on 14 March 2014, becoming the first woman to serve in the position.

Upon taking office as Minister of Health, Rexhepi quickly began to get into conflict with the other members of the government. Pushing for policies such as socialized healthcare and an abolishment of private healthcare providers, Rexhepi and her policy proposals were frequently shot down by Gjintelma for being "too radical." The media began reporting of frequent disagreements between Rexhepi and Gjintelma in 2015, and within a year reported that Gjintelma had threatened to fire Rexhepi over her support for a nationalized healthcare system that would have made all hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacies, and clinics public sector. Following this, she largely stepped out of the spotlight for the remainder of her tenure. In May 2017, Rexhepi tendered her resignation as Minister of Health, and officially stepped down on 22 May.

### Luftojmë! leader

Three days after stepping down as Minister of Health, Rexhepi released a public statement stating that she had formed the Radical Party and had negotiated a coalition agreement with the Nationalist Platform under the name Luftojmë! ("We fight!"). She named her political party after Gjintelma referred to her policy positions as radical (Asbanian: *radikalë*), instead reclaiming and appropriating the term. The party and the coalition stood to the left of the New Notosha Alliance, instead supporting Asbanian nationalism, left-wing populism, democratic socialism, and Notoshan sovereignty.

She stood in the 2018 parliamentary election as the Luftojmë! coalition's prime ministerial candidate. The coalition ultimately won 21 seats, winning parliamentary representation for the first time. During the election campaign, Rexhepi referred to her political beliefs as being on the "radical left" of the political spectrum.

## Personal life

Rexhepi began a relationship with Frankish otorhinolaryngologist Simon Herbig in 1991, while both were completing medical trainee programs at the State Hospital of Gortzman. They became engaged in 1994, and later married the following year. In 1998, they opened a medical practice together in Gortzman. They have one daughter: Elsa, born  (2001-07-20) 20 July 2001 (age 22).

The family owns residences in both Gortzman and Astina. Herbig and their daughter spend most of their time in Gortzman, while Rexhepi splits her time between Gortzman and Astina. She took a leave of absence from her medical practice from 2010 until 2017, and now returns to her medical work in Gortzman when she is not campaigning in an election in Astina. Rexhepi is fluent in Asbanian, Lorbian, Lungarian, and Ditrovian, and is a Eurean Muslim.