Mette-Margarethe Samuelsen

**Mette-Margarethe Samuelsen** (born 25 October 1962) is a Reshan politician who has served as prime minister of Resha since 2012 and leader of the Conservative Party since 2009. She is the second woman to serve as prime minister, and the first to lead the Conservatives. Samuelsen previously served as Minister of Defense from 2001 to 2004, Minister of Children and Family Affairs from 2000 to 2001, and has been a member of the Thusting since 1992.

Samuelsen was born to an upper-middle-class family in Vadhelle. Raised in the Stakjer district, she graduated from Vadhelle Cathedral School in 1981. After finishing her secondary schooling, Samuelsen enrolled in the University of Vadhelle, graduating with a degree in social work in 1984. She returned to the school to receive her master's degree in 1986. After finishing her education, Samuelsen worked as a social worker and children's welfare advocate for the Reshan government from 1986 until 1990, when she entered the private sector. She ended her career in social work in 1992, in order to enter politics.

Samuelsen first flirted with a political career after applying to stand as a candidate for the Conservatives in the 1988 election. She was placed low on the electoral list, and ultimately did not win a seat. Samuelsen returned to politics in the 1992 election, and this time won a seat in the Thusting. Upon her initial election, the Conservatives had lost their majority and were put into the opposition. However, following the 2000 election, they entered the majority again. Samuelsen was nominated to serve as Minister of Children and Family Affairs by Endre Lyng, serving from 2000 to 2001. Following the resignation of Håkon Haraldsen, Samuelsen was nominated by Lyng to be promoted to Minister of Defense, serving until the Conservatives once again entered the opposition in 2004. Samuelsen was nominated as a candidate to succeed Lyng as Conservative Party leader, but was defeated by Karl Hegstad. After Hegstad led the party to a disastrous result in the 2008 election, Samuelsen was chosen to succeed him. The party saw massive success under Samuelsen's leadership, reentering the majority following the 2012 election. With this, Samuelsen became prime minister, only the second woman to hold this post. She was reelected in the 2016 election.

## Early life and education

Samuelsen was born on 25 October 1962 in Vadhelle to parents Benedikt Samuelsen (1930–2014) and Irene Tveig (1934–2018). Her father worked as a trial attorney, while her mother was a housewife who became a lawyer as well in the 1980s. Samuelsen grew up in a wealthy family, living in the affluent Stakjer district of Vadhelle in a two-story, six-bedroom home. Samuelsen is the younger of two daughters; her elder sister is Brigitte, born  (1960-04-22) 22 April 1960 (age 63).

Samuelsen began her education in 1968, attending a local, public primary school in Stakjer. She graduated from primary school in 1978, subsequently enrolling in Vadhelle Cathedral School, a selective, public gymnasium. While at Vadhelle Cathedral School, Samuelsen was a popular student who was elected to serve as *timmen messiah* for her graduating class. After studying a social sciences and humanities program, she graduated from gymnasium in 1981. After finishing her secondary education, Samuelsen enrolled in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Vadhelle, graduating with a degree in social work in 1984. She reenrolled in the school to receive her master's degree in 1986.

## Social work career

After graduating with her master's degree, Samuelsen began working as a social worker for the child welfare services of Heggedal County, located within the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. In the position, Samuelsen worked for the Reshan government in child welfare cases, having to intervene in families where suspected child abuse or neglect was occurring, sometimes resulting in removing the child from their home and placing them in foster care.

By 1989, Samuelsen had become deputy director for the Heggedal County Child Welfare Services. In 1990, she left her position in the public sector and was hired as director of child welfare at the private adoption agency Thorsen-Bauren Adoption Services. In her position, Samuelsen oversaw the department that was tasked with performing wellness checks on families that had recently adopted a child through the agency. She ended her career in social work in 1992, in order to enter politics.

## Political career

### Early politics

Samuelsen first flirted with beginning a political career in 1988. She had applied to stand as a candidate for the Conservative Party in the 1988 general election, and was placed lowly on the national electoral list. While the party ultimately won a plurality of seats and won the election, they did not win enough seats in order for Samuelsen to be elected.

Four years later, Samuelsen applied to stand as a candidate again, ultimately being elected to the Thusting in the 1992 election. Upon her election, the Conservatives had lost their plurality and entered the opposition. In 1993, Samuelsen was frequently cited as one of the incoming MPs to watch most closely, and was later hailed as one of the rising stars within the Conservative Party in 1994. She was later reelected in both the 1996 and 2000 elections.

### Ministerial posts

Following the 2000 election, the Conservative Party had won a plurality of seats in parliament, and returned to the government under the leadership of Endre Lyng. Samuelsen was nominated by Lyng to serve as Minister of Children and Family Affairs in his cabinet, and was later sworn in by Jon Henrik II. In the position, Samuelsen was responsible for overseeing family affairs, children's affairs, women's affairs, religious affairs, and other consumer affairs within Resha. During her tenure, Samuelsen strengthened laws advocating for the protection of children, and outlawed practices such as corporal punishment and conversion therapy.

Samuelsen left her role as Minister of Children and Family Affairs in 2001, after being promoted by Lyng to serve as Minister of Defense, replacing the resigning Håkon Haraldsen. The decision to nominate Samuelsen as Minister of Defense was controversial and provoked backlash from critics, citing Samuelsen's inexperience with defense policy. Lyng nonetheless defended his decision, stating that he had "faith" in Samuelsen's abilities and knowledge. Samuelsen took office on 9 May 2001. In the position, she was responsible for overseeing defense and military policy for Resha. As Minister of Defense, Samuelsen was instrumental in eliminating conscription for 19-year-old Reshan men, which she had stated she opposed on "moral grounds."

### Party leader

Following the 2004 election, the Conservatives had lost their plurality in parliament and returned to the opposition. Lyng subsequently tendered his resignation as party leader, triggering a leadership election. Samuelsen declared her candidacy in the election, and received the endorsement of Lyng himself. However, she faced opposition from Karl Hegstad, a right-wing challenger whom had been critical of Lyng and his cabinet. Hegstad ultimately defeated Samuelsen in the campaign, narrowly securing his win in a party conference which saw the right-wing faction of the party overwhelmingly supporting Hegstad, while the more moderate faction was split between Samuelsen and other candidates Henrik Underdahl and Katrine Oyen.

While Samuelsen pledged to support Hegstad, she remained critical of him and the right-wing policies that he supported. Hegstad led the party into the 2008 election, which saw disastrous results for the Conservatives, losing more than half of the seats that they had held. This was the all-time worst result that the Conservatives had ever received in an election. Following the result, the moderate wing of the party pressured Hegstad to resign as party leader, and he subsequently left the party, instead joining the Justice Party. Samuelsen stood as a candidate in the subsequent leadership election, where she emerged as the clear frontrunner. She was ultimately elected as party leader in a party conference, becoming the first woman to lead the Conservatives.

As party leader, Samuelsen focused on undoing the reforms that Hegstad had done to the party, and distancing the party from the right-wing. She adopted a liberal conservative platform for the party, which saw the party turning away from right-wing conservatism and beginning to support some socially liberal policies as well. However, as a result of these reforms, a number of right-wing party members left for the Justice Party. Samuelsen led the party into the 2012 election, which saw the party winning a plurality of seats.

### Prime minister

Following the 2012 election, Samuelsen and the Conservatives had amassed a plurality of seats in parliament. Despite preferring to form a coalition government with either the Liberals, Christian Democrats, or Center Party, all those coalition proposals either fell through during negotiations or would not result in a majority in parliament. As a result, Samuelsen was forced to negotiate a coalition deal with the Justice Party, which was ultimately successful. She was sworn in as prime minister on 7 September 2012, along with her first cabinet. Following her swearing in, she became the second woman to ever serve as prime minister.

During her first term as prime minister, Samuelsen faced some criticism due to failing to follow through on some of her electoral promises. Many political commentators noted that this was a result of the coalition agreement with the Justice Party, which didn't allow Samuelsen and the Conservatives to move too centrist on many issues, rendering her promises unkept. Nevertheless, during her tenure Resha did legalize same-sex marriage and adoption, something that she had promised during her campaign. Following the 2016 election, the Conservatives and Justice Party maintained their governing coalition with a reduced majority, and Samuelsen's second cabinet was sworn in.

In May 2019, the Justice Party pulled out of their coalition with the Conservatives due to disagreements regarding the Conservative Party's immigration stances. Following their decision to pull out, Samuelsen was left with a minority government and became vulnerable to a vote of no confidence. In order to avoid that, she began negotiations with the Liberals, Christian Democrats, and Center Party in order to form an emergency coalition government. All four parties eventually agreed to a deal, which resulted in the Conservatives entering the majority again through her third cabinet. Samuelsen will be up again for reelection in the 2020 election.

## Personal life

Samuelsen began a relationship with Reshan oil executive Victor Leiping in 1985, while she was a graduate student at the University of Vadhelle. They became engaged in 1987, and later married the following year. Samuelsen and Leiping have three children together: Matthias, born  (1991-05-29) 29 May 1991 (age 32), Bjørn, born  (1994-01-26) 26 January 1994 (age 30), and Anne-Frida, born  (1998-10-02) 2 October 1998 (age 25). The family resided in Åkrenes until 2012, when Samuelsen became prime minister and the family moved into Dansaborg in Vadhelle, the traditional residence of the prime minister.

Samuelsen is a member of the Church of Resha, although she has expressed disapproval in certain aspects of the church's teachings. After the church publicly endorsed same-sex marriage in 2014, she stated that it was a "major victory for Reshan Christians." She is fluent in Reshan, Framish, Lungarian, and Ditrovian.