Kathryn Wu

Kathryn Wu is the 21st Prime Minister of New Albion and the second woman and first Asian New Albion to be prime minister. She is a member of the Liberal Party. Her election to prime minister came amid 17 years of Tory control and the largely unpopular Commonwealth of Nations led conflict in Aden and Yemen. She was the 38th mayor of Bayton (2007-2009) and the minister of California (2009-2012).

Early Life

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Wu was born in Arboria, California in 1975. She was the first of two children and the daughter of immigrants from British Hong Kong. Her two parents, Liang Li and Zhou Wu met at the University of Bayton. Wu attended University of California in Berkeley where she earned a doctorate in law and political science. She graduated in 2000 and became law clerk in the Court of Bayton where she served until 2007.

Mayor of Bayton

Kathryn Wu announced her run for the Mayor of Bayton on February 25th, 2007. The incumbent mayor of Bayton, Elliot Pierce, was reported to have mocked the experience of Wu in a leaked tape. Wu won as a result and was hailed for her youth, telegenicity, and charisma. During her time in office, she led the redevelopment of the South Docks and was a key figure in the construction of the Purple Line of the Bayton metro.

Minister of California

Wu ran for minister of California on June 6th, 2009. Her opponent, Tomas Lopez, was a member of the Social Democratic party. She won the election by a margin of 22% due to her popularity as mayor in Bayton. She agreed to create a coalition between the Liberals and Greens of California. Her legacy as the minister of California was through her environmental policies. She enacted a cap and trade scheme and nearly doubled the area of greenbelt, parkland, and preserved areas. Greenhouse gas emissions in California dropped 8% during her term. Her time as minister saw the completion of the California Railway Modernization Initiative (CRMI) which cut rail travel times in half between the cities of Bayton, Arboria, and Ancaster.

Prime Minister of New Albion

On January 14th, 2012, she announced her run for the office of prime minister. Many questioned how someone with little political experience could challenge the 17 years of control by the Tories. She ran on an anti-war platform and advocated for the political autonomy of Native New Albions. Kathryn Wu won the elections by a close margin against the Tory incumbent, William Stanley. She was sworn in as prime minister on January 3rd, 2013. During her first month as prime minister, she formed a coalition with the Greens. In December of 2013, she signed a withdrawal of New Albion troops from Aden, ending the involvement of New Albion in the Yemeni-Aden war. In June 2014, she visited Turkey, Algeria, and Egypt. With 72% of the vote of parliament, in September 2014, she passed the Native New Albion Political Autonomy Act, which gave self determination to native groups and vastly expanded the territory of reservations. In early 2015, the Liberal-Green led government failed to pass a nationwide cap and trade initiative. The coalition between the Greens and Liberals ended as a result, causing the Liberal party to be a majority-minority party. By the beginning of 2016, her approval rating had dipped to 40%. $28 billion in funding for a high speed rail tunnel between Nainamo and Vancouver in the province of Victoria was passed with Liberal, Green, and Social Democratic support in July of 2016. By the end of 2016, her approval rating stabilized at 50-55%. In March 2017 she visited Poland, Hungary, Slavonia, and Vojvodina after the return to peace throughout the region. In August 2017, she ran for a second term. Because of her continued popularity and political success, she won reelection. Wu passed the Education Revitalization Act which brought universal education standards for both primary and secondary school throughout all of New Albion in May 2018.