Žarís Nevran Alandar

Her Excellency Žarís Nevran Alandar
Portrait of Nevran Alandar painted in 2020.
63rd Prime Minister of the Acronian Empire
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 January 2017
Deputy	Jeila Telan Vandravat
Preceded by	Aniríl Dravana Niktat
Minister of International Trade and Development
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 January 2017
Preceded by	Nokrai Ožara Tendoríl
Leader of the Opposition
In office 20 August 2016 – 31 January 2017
Preceded by	Talvar Rendri Maktovan
Succeeded by	Movra Vodroni Alištar
Member of the Diet for Nakaš West
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 June 2012
Preceded by	Nari Nevran Alandar
Personal details
Born	Žarís Nevran Alandar (1975-01-02) 2 January 1975 Nakaš, Acronis
Political party	Remembrance
Domestic partner	Linai Nakana Modrovai
Residence	300 King Davras Avenue, Zaram, Acronis
Alma mater	University of the Aequator, Tomís, Nandrat Province, Acronis

Žarís Nevran Alandar (alternately spelled Zharis Nevran Alandar) is the current Prime Minister of the Acronian Empire, serving in that position since January 31st, 2017. In this position, Nevran Alandar also serves as President of the Council of State, which is similar to a privy council in other monarchies, and she also holds the portfolio of Minister of International Trade and Development. She is the leader of Remembrance, the leading center-to-center-right political party in Acronis, and led that party to victory (in a coalition with the Socialist Party for Democracy) in the 2017 elections. Just 42 years old at her election, Nevran Alandar is the youngest person to serve as Prime Minister of the Acronian Empire, and the first not to be a member of the Senate elected in the 21st century.

Early Life

Nevran Alandar was raised by her parents, Nari and Daronal Nevran Alandar, in Nakaš, a city in southeastern Acronis on the opposite side of the Strait of Kings from the capital, Zaram. Her father was a teacher, while her mother was at that time an elected member the Nakaš provincial legislature. Her mother, Nari Nevran Alandar, would later be elected to the national Diet and serve as a member of the Cabinet. Žarís was known for being athletic in school, in particular playing football (soccer) and volleyball. With Nevran Alandar on the team, Nakaš Akronist High School won the national volleyball championships in 1992 and 1993.

For university, Nevran Alandar attended the University of the Aequator, a small, private liberal-arts university, on an athletic scholarship, where she played volleyball all four years while studying for a degree in economics. She graduated in 1997 with honors. Upon graduating, she began her mandatory 3-year period of conscription in the Royal Acronian Armed Forces. She served in the Royal Acronian Air Force as a military police officer, spending the majority of her conscription at Sinajärv Air Base in Rodoka.

Member of the Diet

Žarís' mother Nari passed away suddenly in April of 2012. At the time of her passing, Nari was the leader of Remembrance, then in opposition, and had been in the Diet for more than 20 years. A major force in Acronian politics at the time, Nari Nevran Alandar's death made national news and, as the leader of the opposition, was afforded a state funeral. A by-election was held for the seat in June of 2012. Žarís was nominated by Remembrance to stand as the party's candidate in the by-election to replace her late mother. Nakaš West was believed to be a somewhat-safe seat for Remembrance, but party leadership felt their chances would be better if the name Nevran Alandar continued to be on the ballot, and the Nodri Randai Doranan Liberal-Green government of the time was viewed to be weak and destined for an early election. Žarís was expected to only hold the seat for a short time as a "caretaker."

However, Žarís proved to be an able political strategist and has remained in the seat since her election. In 2014, she was made Shadow Minister of Rodokan Affairs, and a year later was named Shadow Minister of International Trade and Development, the department her mother had served in as Minister between 1994 and 1999. As the topic has long been a personal interest of hers, and formed the central plank in her campaign to be Prime Minister, she kept the portfolio even fter becoming Prime Minister, being the first PM to also serve in that role at the same time.

2016-2017 Leadership Spill and Election

The Prime Minister's Official Residence at 300 King Davras Avenue in Zaram. Nevran Alandar has lived here since 2017.

In August of 2016, the then-leader of Remembrance, Talvar Rendri Maktovan, was arrested and charged with embezzlement of funds. He was alleged to have taken more than 750,000 Našdat from the Acronian Cerebral Palsy Foundation, a charity on whose board of directors he served, and was later convicted. The Liberal Party was in government at the time, under Prime Minister Aniríl Dravana Niktat. However, it was a minority government widely seen as unstable, and therefore there was significant interest in the position of Leader of Remembrance. No fewer than 38 people, including Nevran Alandar, declared themselves candidate for the position.

Due to the massive number of candidates, no single candidate shared support across the entire party. There was significant acrimony and tension during the leadership election, which was described by the Times of Zaram as "nothing but a mud-slinging gossip-fest of destructive rumors and even more destructive truths." Several people viewed as leading candidates were eventually eliminated as opponents dug up scandalous histories on each other. It was not until the 15th round of voting that Nevran Alandar's name was raised as a "compromise" candidate. While Nevran Alandar was widely known as a member of the "centrist camp" of Remembrance, by the 15th round of election essentially every member of the party's right wing had been defeated. It would take three more rounds until, in the 18th round, Nevran Alandar was elected Leader of Remembrance and became, like her mother before her, Leader of the Opposition.

Aniríl Dravana Niktat's Liberal minority government collapsed on January 2nd of 2017 (notably, on Nevran Alandar's birthday) when the Prime Minister's budget was defeated in the Diet, an automatic vote of no confidence. Despite Dravana Niktat's weak position in Parliament, opinion polls at the time showed a slight lead for the Liberals. Nevran Alandar, the youngest Leader of the Opposition in Acronian history, was not widely expected to win the election. She and the party centered the campaign around developing international trade and diplomacy and ending the last of Acronis' lingering isolationism. Nevran Alandar herself coined the party's slogan that year, "Look Outward and Upward." Remembrance also swore, before the election and during the campaign, to form a coalition with the Socialist Party for Democracy (at that time named "The People First"). In a surprise victory, the Remembrance-SPD coalition won, making Nevran Alandar the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister

As Prime Minister, Nevran Alandar first tackled international diplomacy by launching and completing negotiations for the Alliance of Northwest Gondwana, a regional economic bloc. The ANG would formally begin operations in 2018. She also prioritized bilateral trade agreements with other countries, and during her time in office has launched new agreements with Aivintis, Durakia, Grindoligarch, and Sokala.

In military affairs, Nevran Alandar increased the level of military support Acronis gives to the Union of Commonwealth Alliances, sending Acronian troops to Rodenia and Alksearia to participate in UCA-led military operations. After the coup in Ni-Rao in 2020, she declared that Acronian troops would enter the country to support the government of the Empress and the Grand Vizier, declaring it the "legitimately elected and legitimately serving" government of the country, over the Communist Raonite People's Democratic Republic in the South.

Under Nevran Alandar, a significant thaw in relations occurred between Acronis and the Tavari Union. The two countries agreed to "normalize" relations, meaning opening embassies and naming official ambassadors, after the Tavari Union admitted Bana and New Rania as member-states in 2020. The Tavari Union also joined the ANG, including - like Acronis - membership in the Alliance Free Travel Area. The thaw in relations has been the most divisive action of Nevran Alandar's so far, with strong public opinions both in support and in opposition. The largest political demonstration of the 21st century, a rally in front of the Tavari embassy that saw tens of thousands declare their anger about the thaw, significantly hampered Nevran Alandar's hopes to bring the Tavari Union diplomatically closer, and formal talks with the Tavari have since ceased. Tensions are also known to be high in the coalition, with the SPD in strong opposition to Nevran Alandar's military operation against the Communists in Ni-Rao. However, Nevran Alandar remains more popular than unpopular, with an average approval rating of 59% approval as of December, 2020.

Personal Life

Nevran Alandar is unmarried and has no children. She has been famously coy about her personal life and very rarely directly answers any public questions about her relationship status. On December 23rd, 2020, the announced at a press briefing that she is a "proud lesbian woman" and has entered into a relationship with her former Chief of Security, Linai Nakana Modrovai. She has two pet ferrets, the first ever such animals to live at 300 King Davras Avenue, named Marshmallow and Marzipan.

Nevran Alandar is known to be fluent in Acronian, Acronian Sign Language, and Staynish, and she is said to be very skilled in Rodokan, which she picked up during her military career. She also plays the saxophone.