Souro Foiritan
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| Name | Souro Foiritan | |
| Race |
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| Bloodline |  | |
| Role |  Gallente Federation | |
| Born | Unknown | |
| Died | N/A | |
Souro Foiritan is the former president of the Gallente Federation, having finished his second term in office; an unprecedented occurrence and one of many distinctions that demonstrated his immense popularity among Federation citizens at the time of his last re-election.
Early career
In his younger life, Foiritan graduated from the Center for Advanced Studies and began post grad work as a researcher for Chemal Tech. After getting involved in student politics, he decided they were much more interesting and started a full-time political career.
Presidency
Initial candidacy
Foiritan eventually rose through the ranks of the Federation Senate to become a presidential candidate running on the ticket of the Progressive Party. Upon being elected one of the first things he did was to oust his rivals from the party. This was a sign that he did not intend to be a puppet of his party and the beginning of an ongoing power struggle between the President and the Senate, between populism and special interest lobbyists respectively. Most of Foiritan's recent predecessors had generally submitted to the desires of the Senate. Foiritan's policies were still largely that of a Progressor, however: he successfully drove through policy changes that promoted individualism (his opponents say "favoritism"), economic independence (vetoing and dismantling many federal welfare programs) and reduction of government influence on domestic life.
Prosperity and re-election
Under his watch, the Federation economy boomed to record highs. This combined with his charisma and sometime outrageous public stunts initially made him immensely popular with approval ratings quoted as high as 85%. This remained true in spite of common allegations that he engaged in many hardball and underhanded and frequently controversial political maneuvers, although such may be "politics as usual" in the Federation. In a public referendum held in YC106, he was able to get the Federation constitution amended so that the President could run for a second term. In retribution the Senate passed a vote of no confidence to oust him from office and trigger new elections. Numerous delays and one less candidate later (candidate Eman Autrech dropped out), Foiritan narrowly beat out his rival Mentas Blaque in the election held on October 28, YC108.
Planet ownership
During Souro Foiritan’s presidency, a dispute erupted between the Progressive and Social Democratic parties over the legal ownership of planets in unpopulated Gallente systems. The Progressors wanted to handout ownership on an individual basis, whereas the Sociocrats considered the planets to be the property of the Federation, since it was federal scout ships which discovered them and federal construction crews which built the stargates linking the systems to the rest of the Federation. To the Sociocrats, control of colonization and development of the planets should have been left with the Federation so that everyone could reap the rewards. President Foiritan and the Progressors counted on the support of the Unionists (where Minmatar immigrants are very strong), while Mentas Blaque and the Sociocrats counted on the potentially explosive pressure of the lower classes. The issue was hotly debated in government halls, with many expecting a call to a public vote on the matter. The dispute was also debated by public citizens and thought capable of shattering Foiritan’s popularity.
Caldari looming
Before the breakout of the Empyrian Wars, Foiritan was one of the biggest champions of improved Caldari and Amarr relations and supporter of CONCORD. At the same time, spending cuts on the budget of the Federation Navy lead to a very depressed state of wartime readiness and reliance on drones to do much of the fighting. The rise of Tibus Heth in the Caldari State thwarted every attempt at diplomacy amid worsening tensions, climaxing in the disaster of the Malkalen Incident and ending with the surprise attack on Luminaire of 6.10.110. The attack and subsequent surrender of Caldari Prime to Heth's Provists and the defection of Grand Admiral Anvent Eturrer marked the lowest point in Foiritan's career to date.
The execution of Anvent Eturrer
After the capture of Anvent Eturrer, Foiritan led the rally where he was executed on Gallente Prime, having made sure he was sufficiently distant from Eturrer to avoid being associated with him. Foiritan gave a fiery speech about Eturrer's betrayal and the temporary loss of freedoms the Federation had and would suffer in an effort to continue rooting out traitors to the cause. He listed the crimes Eturrer had committed, then spoke of Mentas Blaque and his Black Eagles. He added that a trial had been held in Eturrer's absence and the evidence was so overwhelming that Eturrer's testimony was not needed; and all the while, the assembled crowd of millions cheered vehemently along with Foiritan's words. He offered Eturrer a chance to speak, and for a brief moment, the two exchanged a silent moment of understanding. The Admiral then dropped the microphone with a grin, refraining from speaking. Foiritan subsequently asked the crowd to assist with the execution, revealing Eturrer had been injected with a chemical that responded to sound. At his command, the crowd broke into a cacophony of screams, causing Eturrer to be gruesomely executed.
After the war
Since the breakout of the war, Foiritan made his chief rival, Mentas Blaque, into the head of Federal Intelligence and set him over a special task force known as the Black Eagles to root out other "traitors" to the Federation. His wartime policies proved effective, shown by the deft handling of Uriam Kador's attempted private invasion of Ratillose. However, they came at the cost of the personal liberties he and the Federation had championed.
After the Caldari captured the entire warzone in YC111, Foiritan resigned his presidency. He was succeeded by Jacus Roden.
