Heidi Nuscher

**Heidi Elsabet Nuscher** (née **Nockermann**; born 14 December 1971) is a Lungarian politician who has served as leader of the Lungarian People's Party since 2014. Nuscher has additionally served in the Stadtkart since 2007, representing South Dine. Initially, Nuscher was elected for the Conservative Party, but switched her party affiliation to the People's Party after its foundation in 2010. Self-identifying as a "right-wing people's conservative", Nuscher's policies and political opinions has been categorized as far-right, anti-immigration, racist, and populist by political pundits.

Born in Kolna, Nuscher was raised in the affluent suburb of Kelen, South Dine. After finishing her education at Kelen Gymnasiüm in 1991, Nuscher moved to Schauwe, Halverbach to attend Schauwe University. She graduated with a degree in economics from the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences in 1994, and shortly afterwards returned to her hometown in South Dine. After her marriage the following year, Nuscher did not work and instead became a stay-at-home mother to her four children. She became active in Conservative politics in her hometown in 2000; she was later elected president of the Kelen Conservative Association in 2004.

In 2006, Nuscher was included on the Conservative ticket in South Dine for the 2006 Lungarian federal election. The party won enough seats, and Nuscher was elected to the Stadtkart. Establishing herself as one of the more right-wing members of the party, Nuscher aligned herself closer with the far-right faction of the party led by Damian Kupp. In April 2010, Nuscher was one of the thirteen Conservative members of parliament who left the party to join Kupp's newly-created People's Party. The party identified itself as more ideologically right, anti-immigration, and pro-capitalism than the Conservative Party. As a member of the People's Party, Nuscher stood in the 2010 Lungarian federal election and won reelection. Following Kupp's death in 2014, Nuscher was elected party leader after running unopposed. Since being elected, Nuscher has led the party to a massive increase in seats during the 2014 and 2018 elections.

## Early life and family

Nuscher was born on 14 December 1971 in Kolna to parents Alexander and Maria Nockermann (née *Albrechtsbarger*). Shortly after her birth, the family left Kolna and settled in the suburb of Kelen, South Dine for safety concerns. Alexander was the founder and CEO of a successful publishing firm, while Maria was the director of a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of education and literacy in Blasmer. The family was upper-class and devoted members of the Lungarian Conservative Party. Nuscher is the middle child of three children; her siblings include elder brother Matwej, born  (1970-03-22) 22 March 1970 (age 53), and younger sister Dorothea, born  (1974-06-16) 16 June 1974 (age 49).

## Education and early career

Nuscher began her education in 1978, attending a local public primary school. Education was something that Nuscher's parents had stressed, beginning when Nuscher was in primary school; her father had received a doctorate degree, while her mother was a university graduate who directed a non-profit devoted to the advancement of education. She graduated from primary school in 1988, where she had grown to become interested in business, economics, and public policy.

After graduating from primary school, Nuscher enrolled in Kelen Gymnasiüm, the only *gymnasiüm* in Kelen County. In *gymnasiüm*, Nuscher studied a business program, as she initially was interested in pursuing a career in business and founding her own cosmetics company. However, she became disillusioned with the idea after becoming disinterested in her coursework, and instead renewed her interest in economics and public policy. Nuscher graduated from *gymnasiüm* in 1991, and then enrolled in the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at Schauwe University in Schauwe, Halverbach. After moving to Schauwe to attend school, Nuscher graduated with a degree in economics in 1994. Nuscher has went on to speak negatively of her experience living in East Lungary, believing that she was treated rudely purely because of her conservative political beliefs.

After graduating from university, Nuscher returned to South Dine and found work at a bank. She soon afterwards began a relationship with lawyer Rickard Nuscher. They became engaged within seven months of dating, and married later in 1995. Following her marriage, Nuscher resigned from her position as a banker, opting to instead pursue a full-time career as a housewife and mother. In 2000, Nuscher began volunteering with the Kelen Conservative Association, a local Kelen County-based conservative group; she was elected president of the organization in 2004. Nuscher resigned from the position in 2006, in order to begin her own political career.

## Political career

### Member of the Stadtkart

In 2006, Nuscher was invited to join the Conservative ticket for the 2006 Lungarian federal election, representing South Dine. The party won enough seats and Nuscher was elected to the Stadtkart, taking office on 1 February 2007. Nuscher quickly associated herself with the right-wing faction of the party, closely aligning with controversial figure Damian Kupp regarding his stances on topics such as immigration and capitalism.

Prior to the 2010 election, Kupp publicly revealed that he was resigning from the Conservative Party and had founded the Lungarian People's Party, which would stand in the election. Nuscher was one of the thirteen other Conservative members of the Stadtkart who left to join the People's Party. Of the fourteen, she was one of twelve who retained their seats in the 2010 election, and was identified by the media as one of Kupp's most loyal followers.

### Leader of the Lungarian People's Party

On 20 April 2014, Kupp suffered a massive heart attack while campaigning for the 2014 election in Braunscher, South Dine; he later died that night. With the party left leaderless, Nuscher nominated herself to take Kupp's place as party leader. In Kupp's will, he wrote that should anything happen to him, Nuscher take his place as party leader. Due to this, Nuscher was left unopposed in the leadership contest and officially took office as leader of the Lungarian People's Party on 30 April.

Under Nuscher's leadership, the party saw a massive seat increase in the 2014 election. After winning 13 seats in the 2010 election, the party won 59 seats in the 2014 election. Analysts saw the rise in popularity as being attributed to the rise of populism and the perceived weakness of the Lungarian Conservative Party by right-wing voters. The party's seat count almost doubled following the 2018 election, winning 104 seats and becoming the fourth-largest party in the Stadtkart.

## Personal life

Nuscher met lawyer Rickard Nuscher after being set up on a blind date by mutual friends in July 1994. They began a romantic relationship soon afterwards, and became engaged on Valentine's Day 1995. They married in a large ceremony in Kelen County in October 1995. She is a member of the Church of Lungary.

Heidi and Rickard have four children together: Diana, born  (1996-12-10) 10 December 1996 (age 27), Max, born  (1998-04-07) 7 April 1998 (age 25), Elena, born  (1999-09-05) 5 September 1999 (age 24), and Tomas, born  (2001-07-12) 12 July 2001 (age 22). The family owns two residences; their primary residence is in Kelen, South Dine, where they own a seven-bedroom home, although they also own a five-bedroom apartment in the Inner Munbach borough of Munbach, where they reside while Heidi is working in the Stadtkart.