Anna van der Sar

Anna van der Sar is the 12th and current Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Neu Westfalen. She is the first female and the only non-Christian to hold the position. A National Conservative from Evelstadt, she took office on September 18th, 2009 with 39.5% of the national vote in the 1st round, and 68.7% in the 2nd round, comfortably defeating her center-right (incumbent) rival with 32.3%. She was elected on a platform of transparent governance, increased investment in science, technology & agriculture, and to resist pressure from liberal opponents to adopt a more internationalist approach to world politics. Despite steady popular support domestically, her critical views on NATO, the EU, Government Surveillance, Immigration and US protests regarding Iran's Nuclear program have occasionally caused controversy overseas.

She is a firm believer in Neu Westfalen's neutrality policy, direct democracy, free speech and meritocratic principles. Her education includes a PhD in Philosophy and Political Science from Evelstadt University, and later served as a diplomat for the Neu Westfalen government between 1999 to 2006. Prior to this she worked as a farm-hand in the Evehalden Alps to help pay for her studies.

Anna converted to Confucianism at age 18. Despite being raised in a Catholic family, she would eventually reject Theism entirely, and later went on to develop an interest in Confucianism during a trip to China. This also reflects the growth of the Chinese philosophy in Neu Westfalen since the 1970's, now numbering 2.3% of the population. Many contribute this to its meritocratic ideals, which are enshrined in the Neu Westfalen constitution.