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 to adopt a more interventionist approach to world politics.

Personal life
Van der Sar was born in Evelstadt, Neu Westfalen to Jacob van der Sar and Helena van der Sar (née Zielke) on the 29th of September, 1975. 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.

Chancellery plane crash
On the 28th of September, 2013 the private jet of the Chancellery crashed in the Evehalden Alps with van der Sar, her assistant, Energy Minister Dominik Jentzsch, three members of her security team and two pilots on board. 16 days later rescue teams located the crash site, finding the bodies of one pilot and a security serviceman, both appeared to have survived the initial impact but later died of hypothermia. The remainder of the survivors had left the crash-site six days after the impact, after leaving a note in the wreckage informing rescuers they intended to find their own way to safety; due to the extremely cold temperatures which had become unbearable.

After trekking across the Evehalden Alps for a way out, the survivors tumbled 25 meters into an ice crevasse. Energy Minister Dominik Jentzsch died during the fall after hitting his head against the ice, whilst van der Sar herself suffered a concussion and a sprained ankle. They remained in the ice crevasse for five days later until a rescue team heard their cries for help and pulled them out, ending their frozen ordeal on the 26th of October. All five survivors were suffering from hunger and exposure related illnesses but would eventually make a full recovery.

Political Views
Van der Sar is a firm believer in Neu Westfalen's neutrality policy, direct democracy, free speech and meritocratic principles. Despite steady popular support domestically, her critical views on NATO, the EU, Government Surveillance, Immigration, Radical Feminism, Islamism and US foreign policy have occasionally caused controversy overseas. She is also known for her tough stance against Tobacco and illegal narcotics, and has spearheaded Neu Westfalen's goal of becoming a smoke-free nation by 2025.

Fiscally-speaking van der Sar is considered moderately protectionist, supporting targeted trade tariffs to protect domestic businesses against cheaper foreign competitors; although she has also backed free-trade deals with several AIN nations. She is often described as being pro-Agrarianist due to her frequent support for farmer's interests.

She is a vocal critic of Multiculturalism and has condemned the liberal immigration policies of many developed nations, citing them as "reckless and highly destructive to economic and social stability". Instead van der Sar supports limited immigration quotas, primarily from other developed nations, with the aim of slowly integrating migrants into the native culture. Her Monoculturalist policies are often regarded by critics as xenophobic, van der Sar however attributes Neu Westfalen's lack of racial integration issues and parallel societies to it's high level of cultural homogeneity.

Religion
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 also enshrined in Neu Westfalen's constitution.