Alex Holthe

Alexander Rudolf van Holthe (/ˈhɒlt/; 12 December 1912 – 27 November 1999), commonly known as Alex Holthe, was an Enderronian politician who served as Prime Minister of Enderron from 1967 to 1970. He served as the leader of the United Party from 1967 to 1976, and served as a Member of Parliament for Flinders South from 1954 to 1978.

Holthe was the second prime minister of Dutch heritage, after Edward Jansen. He was raised in rural northern Sierra Prefecture (which what would later become Greenberg Prefecture). He completed a Bachelor of Arts at the Royal Institute of Technology and initially worked as a journalist and publisher, only moving to politics in his late 30s. He entered parliament as the MP for Flinders South at the 1954 election. He was promoted by William Oxley to the Cabinet in 1959, where he held multiple portfolios including Minister for Labour and Minister for Education.

Holthe entered the national spotlight in 1963 when he became the Deputy Prime Minister under new prime minister Benjamin Thrailkill. He also took over the Foreign Affairs portfolio. In 1967, Thrailkill suddenly died and Holthe was elected unopposed as the new leader by the party caucus, and consequently became prime minister.

Although he was regarded as a centrist and a key figure of the moderate faction within the United Party, as prime minister Holthe continued most of the policies of his more conservative predecessors Thrailkill and Oxley. The Holthe Government has been described as "highly cautious and orthodox" by historians, and placed heavy emphasis on maintaining Enderron's steady post-war economic growth. It continued Enderronian involvement in the Vietnam War, but began withdrawing troops by 1968 amid growing public discontent. At home, the Holthe Government faced increasing inflation and unemployment. The growing republican movement of the 1960s is considered to be the most salient issue of Holthe's prime ministership. After consistent public pressure throughout his first few months in office, and against the historical position of the United Party, Holthe, a moderate monarchist, pushed to hold a referendum to settle the issue and quell continued tensions within the government. The result was a larger-than-expected landslide in favour of abolishing the monarchy. Following the vote, Holthe oversaw the transition process to an Enderronian republic.

At the 1970 election, the Holthe Government was defeated in a landslide by the centre-left Calvin Rhinehart-led Social Democratic Party opposition, ending 24 years of continuous United government. Holthe survived a leadership challenge by his deputy Vincent Speakman and continued on as the Leader of the Opposition. He would lead the United Party to another loss in the 1974 election. He subsequently stepped down from the leadership in 1976, and retired from parliament in 1978. He retired from public life in 1990. With a tenure of 3 years and 5 months, Holthe is the longest-serving prime minister to never have won an election. Historians and scholars have ranked Holthe's tenure in office as average. Holthe has been praised for settling the republican question and efficiently handling the transition process, but his government has been criticised for poor economic management and lack of direction, especially during its final months in office.