Lara Münd

**Lara Elisabeth Münd** (née **Schädler-Augsberger**; born 1 May 1974) is a Lungarian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Lungary since 2017, and leader of the Social Democratic Party since 2016. She is the third woman to hold the position of Prime Minister, and the second to lead the Social Democrats. Münd additionally served as Minister-President of Boizenlohn and leader of the Social Democratic Party in Boizenlohn from 2014 to 2017, and was Boizenlohn Minister of Labor from 2010 to 2014. She served in the Boizenlohn Landkart from 2008 to 2017, and has served in the Chamber of Deputies for Boizenlohn since 2017.

Born to a working-class family in Kolna, Münd grew up in the industrial town of Wädenssingen, Boizenlohn. After completing her secondary education in 1993, Münd returned to Kolna and enrolled in the University of Kolna. She graduated with a degree in political science in 1996, and decided to remain in Kolna, where she began working as a coordinator for a political polling firm. In 2002, Münd moved from Kolna to Münchenring, Boizenlohn, where she began working as a policy adviser for the Münchenring County Council. She left this position in 2004, when she became a policy director at the Kolna headquarters for the Social Democratic Party. Münd then became the deputy director of social policy in 2006, before leaving her career to enter politics in 2008.

Münd began her political career after she was elected to the Boizenlohn Landkart on behalf of the Social Democrats in the 2008 Boizenlohn state election. As a member of the state legislature, Münd focused on social issues and was credited as a champion of social policy and civil rights. In 2010, she was nominated by Hans Weber to serve as Boizenlohn Minister of Labor in his cabinet. As the Minister of Labor, Münd sponsored a number of pieces of legislation dedicated to assisting labor unions in Boizenlohn and making it harder for employers to challenge the demands of unions. In 2014, Weber tendered his resignation amidst a sex scandal involving him cheating on his wife with a much younger woman and impregnating her. Following the announcement of his resignation, Münd was selected as his successor as Minister-President and to lead the Social Democrats in Boizenlohn; this made Münd the first woman to serve as the head of government in Boizenlohn, and the first to lead the Social Democrats in the state. As Minister-President, Münd continued her association with the labor union movement, and throughout her tenure, labor membership in Boizenlohn increasted from 64% to 76%. Due to her success and widespread popularity in Boizenlohn, Münd was frequently cited as one of the most promising upcoming names in the party, and was theorized to become a future Prime Minister.

Münd began her career in federal politics in 2016, after she launched her campaign in the 2016 Social Democratic Party leadership election. A favorite going into the race, Münd went on to win the election, becoming the second woman to ever lead the Social Democrats nationally. Pushing the party back to the left after a rightward shift in the late-1990s to 2000s, Münd attracted considerable popularity amongst the working-class and the trade union movement. She led the party into the 2017 federal election, which saw enough of an increase in seats for the party so that they could form a majority coalition with the Lungarian Unionist Party, electing Münd as Prime Minister; this made Münd only the third woman to ever serve as Prime Minister in Lungarian history. As Prime Minister, Münd introduced a number of pieces of legislation dedicated to expanding the rights of union workers nationally, in addition to passing bills dedicated to women's rights, such as banning gender-based pay discrimination and launching protections for victims of violence against women.

Since being elected Prime Minister in 2017, Münd has been selected as the most powerful woman in the world by *Orbes* in 2017, 2018, and 2019, in addition to being selected as the most powerful woman in Lungary by *Orbes Lungary* from 2016 to 2019.

## Early life and family

Münd was born on 1 May 1974 in Kolna to parents Caspar Schädler (born 1949) and Hilda Augsberger (born 1950). Her father worked in a warehouse, while her mother was a postal worker. The family was working-class. Shortly after her birth, her parents split up. Münd was subsequently raised by her father, but saw her mother monthly until age 14, when she moved to Elters, Bonnbrück; Hilda subsequently ran into trouble with the law, being arrested several times for drug possession, shoplifting, driving under the influence, and grand larceny. Münd has had no contact with her mother since she was 16, citing her issues with drug and alcohol abuse, and her refusal to seek treatment for various mental illnesses as reasons why the relationship was cut off.

When she was four, Münd and her father moved to the industrial town of Wädenssingen, Boizenlohn, where they resided in a small, two-bedroom house. Caspar married boutique sales associate Michaela Hähne (born 1967) – Münd's stepmother – in 1994; they have two children together: Paul, born  (1998-02-07) 7 February 1998 (age 25), and Lucie, born  (2000-07-18) 18 July 2000 (age 23).

## Education and early career

Münd began her education in 1980, attending a local, public primary school in Wädenssingen, Boizenlohn. In primary school, Münd was an exceptional student and once wrote an essay about how her dream was to become Prime Minister. Her desire to enter politics was triggered after Michalina Porizowska visited her classroom in 1986, while campaigning in the 1986 federal election. Münd graduated from primary school in 1990, and subsequently enrolled in Theresia Weizenbaum Gymnasium in nearby Lausingen, Boizenlohn. Münd studied a social sciences program in secondary school, and later graduated in 1993.

After graduating from secondary school in 1993, Münd moved to Kolna to enroll in the Michalina Porizowska Institute of Political Science and Government at the University of Kolna. She graduated with a degree in political science in 1996. After finishing her education, she began working as a coordinator for a political polling firm in Kolna. In 2002, Münd moved from Kolna to Münchenring, Boizenlohn, where she began working as a policy adviser for the Münchenring County Council. She left this position in 2004, when she became a policy director at the Kolna headquarters for the Social Democratic Party. Münd then became the deputy director of social policy in 2006, before leaving her career to enter politics in 2008.

## Political career

### Boizenlohn state politics

Münd began her political career after she was elected to the Boizenlohn Landkart on behalf of the Social Democrats in the 2008 Boizenlohn state election. As a member of the state legislature, Münd focused on social issues and was credited as a champion of social policy and civil rights.

In 2010, she was nominated by Hans Weber to serve as Minister of Labor in his cabinet. As the Minister of Labor, Münd sponsored a number of pieces of legislation dedicated to assisting labor unions in Boizenlohn and making it harder for employers to challenge the demands of unions. In 2014, Weber tendered his resignation amidst a sex scandal involving him cheating on his wife with a much younger woman and impregnating her.

Following the announcement of his resignation, Münd was selected as his successor as Minister-President and to lead the Social Democrats in Boizenlohn; this made Münd the first woman to serve as the head of government in Boizenlohn, and the first to lead the Social Democrats in the state. As Minister-President, Münd continued her association with the labor union movement, and throughout her tenure, union membership in Boizenlohn increasted from 64% to 76%. Due to her success and widespread popularity in Boizenlohn, Münd was frequently cited as one of the most promising upcoming names in the party, and was theorized to become a future Prime Minister.

### Federal politics

Münd began her career in federal politics in 2016, after she launched her campaign in the 2016 Social Democratic Party leadership election. A favorite going into the race, Münd went on to win the election, becoming the second woman to ever lead the Social Democrats nationally. Pushing the party back to the left after a rightward shift in the late-1990s to 2000s, Münd attracted considerable popularity amongst the working-class and the trade union movement.

She led the party into the 2017 federal election, which saw enough of an increase in seats for the party so that they could form a majority coalition with the Lungarian Unionist Party, electing Münd as Prime Minister; this made Münd only the third woman to ever serve as Prime Minister in Lungarian history. As Prime Minister, Münd introduced a number of pieces of legislation dedicated to expanding the rights of union workers nationally, in addition to passing bills dedicated to women's rights, such as banning gender-based pay discrimination and launching protections for victims of violence against women.

## Personal life

Münd began a relationship with Lungarian political pollster Diedrich Münd in 1996, after meeting at Münd's first job at a political polling firm. They became engaged in 1998, and later married the following year. They have two children together: Samuel, born  (2000-06-04) 4 June 2000 (age 23), and Tatjana, born  (2002-07-11) 11 July 2002 (age 21).

The family resided in a four-bedroom home in Münchenring, Boizenlohn from 2002 until 2017, when they moved into the Federal Offices in the Immenräschen neighborhood of Inner Munbach, the traditional residence of the Prime Minister and their family. Münd had previously rented a small apartment in Munbach in 2016, which she used while campaigning in the city. Münd has identified herself as "irreligious."