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The People's Republic of Lavan Tiri.
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Presidents of Lavan Tiri
SINCE the founding of our current nation in 1824, 15 individuals have served Lavan Tiri as President.The longest-serving President was Matteo Gomez, the First President, who served for 42 years, between 1824 and 1866. Gomez led the nation through the turbulent early years and into an age of prosperity that lasted until the 1910s.
The shortest-serving President was Maria Blanco, who served from November 9, 1980 to November 16, 1980, following the death of President Alonso Nuñez in office. Blanco, formerly the Secretary of National Defense, was defeated in her election that year by Algiers Governor Samir Khan, the first (and so far, only) Muslim President. Blanco is also the only President to have also served as Prime Minister: she was elected to the House of Delegates in 1982 from La Mancha, and in 1984 was elected Prime Minister, leading a coalition of her Liberty and Prosperity Party, the Conservative Party, the Queen and Crown Party, and the Workingman's Party. Blanco was Prime Minister from 1984 to 1992, Leader of the Opposition from 1992 to 1994, and Metropolitan Executive of Madrid from 2000 to 2006, when she finally retired at the age of 86--until a return to politics four years later, at the age of 90, when she was elected to the National Assembly to represent the Barajas-Hortaleza constituency in 2010; Blanco had previously represented the same area (with a different name and a slightly different configuration) from 1955 to 1970. She retired again in 2015 instead of running for reelection--before successfully running for a seat on the Madrid Metropolitan Assembly in 2017, stating to the press that she "was still alive and easily bored". Blanco had the longest and most politically-active post-Presidency of any President, and died at the age of 103 in 2023, due to complications from a snakebite inflicted by her pet asp viper.
The first female President was Gianna Russo, who was also the first President from one of the Commonwealth Provinces--prior to her election, she served as the first female Royal Governor of Sicily. Russo served two terms, from 1956 to 1968. Her administration is seen as the height of the Age of Decolonization, when Lavan Tiri either surrendered her colonies to become independent nations, or reorganized them into Free Provinces. Russo's efforts were opposed by the Prime Minister, Juan Carlos Martinez, but she had a powerful ally in the form of King Augustín Coroa X, who took Extraordinary Royal Action to decolonize Madagascar in 1958.
The current President is Hugo Tomas Rodrigo, who succeeded Cristiano Fernao after the 2022 General Election. Fernao, who took the post in 2017, previously served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2014-2017, until he replaced Angelina Cano, who resigned due to a severe stroke. Cano was the second longest-serving President--she held the office from 1986 to 2017.
The complete list of Presidents is below.
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Matteo Gomez (People's Party; Aragon). Lived 1790-1880. Served 1824-1866.
Gomez, formerly a lawyer, journalist, and farmer, was one of the main political leaders of the Bloodless Revolution in 1824--he used his newspaper and magazines to whip up popular support for revolution following the brutal suppression of the People's Revolution in 1812, while coordinating with Armando Muñoz, father of Andres Muñoz, to orchestrate a naval blockade of Imponerse. While two battleships blockaded the harbor, guns trained on the city, a small army of citizenry--many of them lower-class soldiers who betrayed their noble commanders--marched on the Royal Palace and forced Queen Maria to sign the Constitution that Gomez, Muñoz, and others had written, thereby dissolving the nobility and turning Lavan Tiri into a democracy. Later that year, during the first Presidential Election, Gomez won a slim victory against Muñoz and became the first President.
Gomez led the nation through the short-but-bloody Nobleman's Rebellion of 1826, when several of the ancient noble families of Lavan Tiri and their sympathizers tried to secede from the nation. Gomez, against the advise of Prime Minister Martín Cabrera, mobilized the People's Army, with orders to crush and exterminate the rebels utterly. The city of Cartaxo was wiped off the map by artillery fire, and any thoughts of rebellion harbored by other former nobles were crushed when every adult member of the House of Cartaxo was publicly executed in Imponerse.
Gomez also dealt with the Currency Crisis of 1830, when the dinero crashed due to the Revolution and instability in trade. The President responded by establishing the National Bank of Lavan Tiri to provide stability to the dinero, while also instituting lower tax rates and increasing government spending--the beginnings of the National Highway Network were constructed during the Currency Crisis, and the military was grown considerably, in order to fight the recession caused by the Crisis.
Gomez oversaw construction of the Federal Complex in Imponerse, which saw the Parliament and various governmental offices moved into newly constructed buildings instead of repurposed wings of the royal Palácio Branco. This included the President's Residence, the Castelo do Povo; the Prime Minister's Home, the Solar do Farol; the People's Advocate's residence, the Solar Rosa Azul; the High Court complex, the Templo da Justiça; as well as the Salões do Parlemento.
Gomez wielded total control over the People's Party he founded, which, at the time, meant wielding total control over national politics in Lavan Tiri. He set a precedent of Presidents being considered leaders both nationally and within their party, although his neurotically-tight grip and the lack of experienced party leadership to succeed him caused the People's Party to fragment during the tenure of his successor. Gomez was known as a passionate, intelligent, fiery man, prone to "fits of temper" and "seasons of despair". He never married, and had no children. Modern scholars generally agree that Gomez was most likely bipolar, and probably homosexual--he was unmarried, but expressed a lifelong fascination with his rival/friend Armando Muñoz (who he often called "bewitching" in his private diaries), and lived in the Castelo do Povo with Antonio Pereria, a close friend of his. Private diaries were recovered in 2012 that indicate a romantic and sexual relationship between the pair lasted from shortly before the Revolution to Pereria's death in 1865. Pereira's death drove Gomez to despair, and he did not seek to retain the Presidency in 1866, instead retiring to a country estate in Aragon, where he had Pereira buried.
President Gomez ran unopposed in his final four elections, having forged himself from a firebrand newspaperman into a respected statesman and national icon. His decision to retire sowed confusion among the electorate, while his lack of interest in designating a successor threw the political establishment into chaos.
Gomez is often ranked as one of the best Presidents in Lavani history, due to his role in the foundation of the Republic, his proactive role in dealing with my myriad crises of the early years of democracy, and his long tenure of service.
Andres Muñoz (People's Party; Castile and Leon). Lived 1801-1881. Served 1866-1878.
Andre's Muñoz was the only son of Armando Muñoz, one of the masterminds of the Revolution of 1824. His tenure is best understood as a contrast to that of Matteo Gomez--Gomez was a hero of the Revolution, who took office at a young age (34), served for decades, and dealt mostly with internal crisis after internal crisis. Gomez was a country gentleman, born wealthy but not noble, and grew up middle-class. Gomez was fiery and moody, but brilliant. By contrast, Muñoz was elected at 65, served a mere two terms, and his best-known accomplishments are military and foreign in nature. He was the son of a debtor who went into the Navy to escape prison, and grew up poor while his father Armando worked his way up the ladder of the Navy. Muñoz was stolid, blunt, and steady, favoring plain speech over soaring rhetoric and personal loyalty to ideological purity. He took a hands-off approach to the People's Party and treated Parliament the way he'd treated the Army as a Naval Admiral--colleagues, not servants. Muñoz was also heterosexual.
After Gomez announced his retirement at the end of his seventh term, the People's Party was thrust into a sudden and bloody battle to decide who would be President--as no other parties had formed yet, winning the People's Party nomination was tantamount to victory. Muñoz, who had been Commanding Admiral of the Lavani Navy since 1850, ran against Galician Delegate Lorenzo Rodriguez, Algarve Governor José Tavares, and Gomez's fourth and final Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Alejandro López. His campaign struck a middle line between the fiery liberalism of Rodriguez, the moderation and personal charm of Tavares, and the foreign policy expertise and institutional appeal of López. He also parlayed his father's famous name and his own long military service into broad popularity amongst the working classes, and was elected in a populist surge in 1866.
As President, Muñoz was content to allow Parliament to take the lead on internal affairs such as taxation, infrastructure, and agriculture, while he took the lead (oftentimes ignoring Parliament) on foreign affairs and the military. He began the expansion of Lavan Tiri's Colonial Age, claiming colonies up and down the west coast of Africa, as well as Haiti, and several ports in South America. He unsuccessfully attempted to claim territories and ports around the Mediterranean, including Cyprus and Jerusalem. Muñoz's myriad military missions and mishaps made the fledgling Republic a player on the world stage, however, his disinterest in internal affairs allowed Prime Minister Rafael Chavez (oftentimes ranked as one of the worst Prime Ministers in Lavani history) to run the Parliament as a personal fiefdom. Corruption exploded faster than unsuspecting natives during Muñoz's tenure, and he decided to not seek a second reelection in 1878. Muñoz was drummed out a bare week before Chavez died in a mysterious horse-racing accident.
Lorenzo Rodriguez (People's Party; Galicia) Lived 1820-1910. Served 1878-1896. Previously served as Delegate from Galicia from 1858-1870.
The runner-up of the 1866 election, Rodriguez became one of Muñoz' most vocal critics during his time in office, continually taking to the papers to lambast Muñoz for his expansionism and Chavez for his rampant corruption. Although continually punished by Chavez and his allies (Rodriguez spent 18
Estevao Da Costa (Socialist Worker's Party; Douro Litoral). Lived 1839-1921. Served 1896-1914. Previously served as Secretary of International Commerce from 1890-1896; Deputy Minister of Finance for Commerce and Trade 1885-1890; Member of the National Assembly from Feira 1880-1885; Deputy Solicitor General of Douro Litoral 1877-1880
Abel Monterroso (Conservative Party; Tras-os-Montes). Lived 1862-1929. Served 1914-1920. Previously served as People's Advocate 1911-1914; Governor of Tras-os-Montes 1906-1911; Member of the National Assembly from Alfândega da Fé 1902-1906
Raul Velasquez (Socialist Worker's Party; Cantabria). Lived 1879-1979. Served 1920-1932, 1944-1950. Previously served as Chairman of the Socialist Worker's Party 1940-1944; Delegate from Cantabria 1934-1944; Shadow Minister of Agriculture 1916-1920; Member of the National Assembly from Santander 1907-1920
Paolo Da Costa (Progress and Peace Party; Douro Litoral). Lived 1890-1971. Served 1932-1944. Previously served as Secretary of International Affairs 1930-1932; Minister of Finance of Douro Litoral 1925-1930; Member of the Douro Litoral Senate 1920-1930
Diogo Magalhaes (Liberty and Prosperity Party; Ribatejo). Lived 1900-1992. Served 1950-1956. Previously served as Shadow Minister of Administration 1943-1950; Deputy Minister of Finance for Taxation 1940-1943; Founder and Chairman of the Liberty and Prosperity Party 1938-1950; Member of the National Assembly from Coruche 1938-1950; Minister of Administration of Ribatejo 1936-1938; Member of the Ribatejo Senate from North Coruche 1930-1938
Gianna Russo (Mediterranean National Alliance; Sicily). Lived 1900-1992. Served 1956-1968. Previously served as Royal Governor of Sicily 1952-1956; Deputy Secretary of International Commerce for Business in the Americas 1950-1952: Member of the Sicilian Colonial Assembly from North Palermo 1938-1950; Member of the Palermo Municipal Council from the North First District 1935-1938
Alonso Nuñez (Liberty and Prosperity Party; Asturias). Lived 1920-1980. Served 1968-1980. Previously served as Secretary of National Defense 1966-1968; Deputy Secretary of National Defense for Intelligence and Preparedness 1960-1966; Deputy Secretary of International Commerce for Economic Competitiveness 1958-1960; Member of the National Assembly from Oviedo 1952-1958.
Maria Blanco (Liberty and Prosperity Party; La Mancha). Lived 1920-2023. Served November 9, 1980 to November 16, 1980. Previously served as Secretary of National Defense 1975-1980; Deputy Secretary of International Affairs for Military Affairs 1970-1975; Chairwoman of the Liberty and Prosperity Party 1965-1970; Deputy Minister of Urban Affairs for Suburban Development 1963-1965; Deputy Minister of Public Health for Mother's Concerns 1960-1963; Member of the National Assembly from Barajas 1955-1970; Chairwoman of the Liberty and Prosperity Party of La Mancha 1953-1955; Member of the La Mancha Senate 1950-1955
Samir Khan (People's Revolutionary Socialist Front Party; Algiers). Lived 1930-2021. Served 1980-1986. Previously served as Governor of Algiers 1974-1980; Minister of Administration of Algiers 1965-1970; Member of the Algiers Senate from Zeralda 1958-1980.
Angelina Cano (People's Party; Catalonia). Lived 1940-present. Served 1986-2017. Previously served as Secretary of International Commerce 1983-1986; Delegate from Catalonia 1979-1983; Member of the National Assembly from Lleida 1970-1978.
Cristiano Fernao (Christian Society for Progress; Setúbal). Lived 1964-present. Served 2017-2022. Previously served as Secretary of Foreign Relations 2014-2017; Metropolitan Executive of Imponerse 2006-2012; Member of the National Assembly from Santo Ildefonso 2000-2005; Member of the Imponerse Metropolitan Assembly from Torre dos Clérigos 1992-1997.
Hugo Tomas Rodrigo (Science and Progress Party, Valencia). Lived 1970-present. Served 2022-present. Previously served as Governor of Valencia Province 2014-2022; Deputy Minister of Education for Higher Education 2009-2014; Co-Founder and Chairman of the Science and Progress Party 2001-2005; Member of the National Assembly from Eixample 1994-2014; Member of the Valencia Metropolitan Assembly from Pla del Remei 1992-1994.
Four Presidents have been relatives: Paolo Da Costa was the grandson of President Estevao Da Costa, and Angelina Cano is the granddaughter of Raul Velasquez. The average age of a President upon their first election is 46 years.
