Christian Strunk (Pacifica)
Christian Strunk | |
|---|---|
 Strunk at the World Forum (2019) | |
| Vice-Chancellor | |
| Assumed office 26 October 2021 | |
| Chancellor | Marja Sanddorn |
| Preceded by | Marja Sanddorn |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Assumed office 26 October 2021 | |
| Chancellor | Marja Sanddorn |
| Preceded by | Marja Sanddorn |
| Speaker of the World Forum | |
| In office 11 January 2020 – 5 July 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Tavtid Lekmienn |
| Succeeded by | Virginia Vogélium |
| In office 26 December 2017 – 4 March 2018 | |
| Succeeded by | Jean Claude IV |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 24, 1976 Kuckstadt, GI-Land |
| Nationality | Gianlucian |
| Political party | Social Liberal Party (SLP) |
| Alma mater | University of Südtor |
Christian Strunk [ˈkʁɪsti̯an ʃtʁʊŋk] (* 24 April 1976 in Kuckstadt, GI-Land) is a Gianlucian politician and was the first Speaker of the World Forum.
Early life and education
Strunk was born into a worker's family. According to several interviews he gave, his father worked as a plumber, while his mother was staying at home, caring for him and his two younger brothers. As a teenager he visited the Hans-Jürgens-Karß-Gymnasium, where he participated in the debate club as of 7th grade. He also published several articles in the school magazine later on, which would later help him getting an internship in the editorial office of Die Gazette. After passing his Abitur, he went to the University of Südtor studying journalism. He finished his studies with a bachelor's degree in 1999, which secured him a position as editor for GIN.
Political career
Christian Strunk signed up for the political youth organisation JuSoDe in 1992, when he was just 16 years old. However he wasn't liking the sometimes too socialistic tendencies the young idealists followed. This is why he turned his back to the organisation just two years later. After having focused on his studies at university and writing articles for GIN for a few years, he tried his luck again, this time joining the Social Liberal Party (SLP) in 2003. In 2005 he won a mandate in the Gianlucian parliament in his home constituency, which he held until the elections of 2017. Just a few days after he lost his mandate though, he would get elected to be the official ambassador of the Federal Republic of GI-Land to the newly founded World Forum.
Speaker of the World Forum
On 26 December 2017 Strunk got elected to be the first speaker of the World Forum. Due to his resignation on 4 March 2018 his first term was cut short. While the organisation decided on a membership application process, he did not come too far with his original plan to establish the Committees and the International Court (IC), the founding members have agreed on in Grovne, by the end of his term. He later criticised himself, GI-Land and his successors in the speaker position for not having been able to come up with a solution even two years after the establishment of the World Forum.
In January 2020 he accepted the nomination of the Frost Empire for another speakership term, promising to finally establish the committees. Shortly after he has been elected, him being the first speaker to hold this position multiple times, he submitted Resolution No. 1a to achieve that goal, which got accepted by the World Forum Assembly on 4 February 2020. The talks on the establishment of the IC followed swiftly after and resulted in Resolution No. 1b, which got accepted by the WF-Assembly on 10 May 2020.
Aspirations to become the next Gianlucian Chancellor
During the nomination phase in the July 2020 World Forum Speaker Elections he announced he will not only stop being the WF-Speaker, but will also step down as ambassador to the World Forum for the Federal Republic of GI-Land. On 4 July 2020 he gave an interview to the tabloid Das Auge, in which he explained his intention of becoming the next Gianlucian chancellor after Tom Kirchmann. However in the deciding vote on who will become the Social Liberal's chancellery candidate after Kirchmann's sudden death, Strunk lost against Marco Chulz by only receiving 42% support from the party's base [1].
Following the elections on the 5 September 2021 and the catastrophic result for the SLP, Marco Chulz was lifted from his position as head of the party [2], also meaning he was not conducting any coalition talks with the Green Party. This task was transferred mainly to Strunk in the process. On 25 October 2021 it was announced, SLP and Greens will form a coalition for the legislature lasting until 2025, which will not only promote Marja Sanddorn to the position of Chancellor, but also make Strunk vice-chancellor and foreign minister of GI-Land. He was inaugurated on the next day. One of his main tasks will be to finalise negotiations for a security alliance with befriended countries like the Frost Empire and Sedunn as well as preparing several free trade deals.
Personal life
Between 2004 and 2010 he was married to Elena Furcht. They got officially divorced in 2011.
Christian Strunk has two younger brothers.