Sabine Armitage

Sabine Deleaux Armitage
Sabine Armitage
40th President of Zamastan
Incumbent
Assumed office September 22nd, 2022
Preceded by	Atticus Moreau
Congresswoman, Northern Isle-8
In office September 22nd, 2016 – September 22nd, 2022
Preceded by	Christopher Barron
Succeeded by	Joshua Stephenson
Assistant Minority Leader
In office September 22nd, 2020 – September 22nd, 2022
Personal details
Born	(1989-11-21) 21 November 1989 Providence, Northern Isle, Zamastan
Citizenship	Zamastanian
Nationality	Zamastanian
Political party	BCP
Height	5 ft 5 in (165 cm)

Sabine Deleaux Armitage (born November 21st, 1989) is a Zamastanian politician who serves as the 40th President of Zamastan, having been elected in 2022. Prior to this, she served as the junior congresswoman from Northern Isle Province's 19th district, a seat she was elected to in 2016, and served as the Assistant Minority Leader in the 109th congress. She is a member of the Blue Conservative Party, and was a mainline a candidate for president in the 2020 election, seeking to replace Foley Sakzi who was not seeking a second term reelection. She lost the race to former-Governor of Alutia Atticus Moreau, but announced she would seek the presidency a second time in the 2022 election cycle, beating out other conservative candidates like Jean Brunelle and ultimately facing off against GLP candidate Leanne Dale.

Armitage drew national recognition when she won the Blue Conservative Party's primary election for the Northern Isle's 7th congressional district on June 4th, 2016. She defeated BCP Caucus Chair Keenan Lawrence, an 8-term incumbent, in what was widely seen as the biggest upset victory in the 2016 election primaries. She went on to win the district's seat in the 2016 general election, succeeding soon-to-be Governor Christopher Barron, with her grassroots and conservative campaign recieving notable media attention. Armitage majored in international relations and economics at the University of Tofino, graduating cum laude in 2010. She previously worked part-time as a waitress, bartender, and fast-food employee before running for congress in 2016.

Armitage is one of only 13 congresswomen among the 202 BCP lawmakers currently in congress and one of 54 women among 421 lawmakers in Congressional Hall. Armitage is a neoconservative, known for her focus on national security, support for the military, a pro-business stance, hawkish foreign policy views, and fiscal and social conservatism. However, she holds relatively liberal stances on social issues, having signaled support for gun control legislation and decriminalization of illegal substances.

Early life and education

Armitage was born into a Catholic family in Providence on November 11, 1989, the daughter of Bethany and Mell Armitage. She has a younger brother named Kiran. Her father was born in Tofino to a Janapan family and became an architect; her mother was born in Ossinia. Armitage lived with her family in an apartment in the Providence neighborhood of Arkchester until she was five, when the family moved to a house in suburban Chatt Heights. Armitage attended Chatt High School, graduating in 2007. In high school and college, Armitage went by the name of "Sandy Armitage". She came in first in the microbiology category of an International Science and Engineering Fair in 2007 with a research project on the effect of antioxidants on the lifespan of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In a show of appreciation for her efforts, the Institute of Kelowna Laboratory named a small asteroid after her: 23238 Armitage. In high school, she took part in the National Ossinians Institute (NOI) Youth Legislative Session. She later became the NOI Secretary of State while she attended the University of Tofino.

After graduating from high school, Armitage enrolled at the University of Tofino. Her father died of lung cancer in 2008 during her second year, and Armitage became involved in a lengthy probate battle to settle his estate. She has said that the experience helped her learn "first-hand how attorneys appointed by the court to administer an estate can enrich themselves at the expense of the families struggling to make sense of the bureaucracy". During college, Armitage served as an intern for BCP Senator Rene Salas in his section on foreign affairs and immigration issues. She recalled, "whenever a frantic call would come into the office because someone is looking for their husband because they have been snatched off the street by immigration services, I was the one that had to pick up that phone. I was the one that had to help that person navigate that system." Armitage graduated cum laude from the University of Tofino in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both international relations and economics.

Political career

Congressional career

Armitage speaks with a supporter in Providence during her 2016 campaign

Armitage began her campaign in December 2015 while waiting tables and tending bar at a restaurant in Providence's Bettland neighborhood. "For 80 percent of this campaign, I operated out of a paper grocery bag hidden behind that bar", she told the Jade Tribune. She was campaigning against BCP Caucus Chair Keenan Lawrence, who had been undefeated since 2000. She faced a financial disadvantage, saying, "You can't really beat big money with more money. You have to beat them with a totally different game." Armitage's campaign undertook grassroots mobilization and did not take donations from corporations, a deviation from most BCP candidates.

Armitage received 57.13% of the vote (15,897) to Lawrence's 42.5% (11,761), defeating the 8-term incumbent by almost 15 percentage points in the primary on June 3rd, 2016. The result shocked many political commentators and analysts and immediately garnered nationwide attention. Tarin called it "the biggest congressional upset victory of the 2016 election so far"; the Tofino Times called her the "breakout star of the Conservative Bloc". Following her victory, she was endorsed by many prominent conservative politicians including then-Speaker of the Chamber Foley Sakzi, Larious Maxwell, Kendrick Benton, and Burhan Swanson.

In the general election, she defeated GLP Sato Kumeko with 78% of the vote (110,318) to Kumeko's 14% (17,762).

In the 109th Congress (2020-22), Armitage was selected by her party to be the Assistant Minority Leader under Minority Leader Anthony Hill, boosting her prominence within the party even further.

Presidential runs

2022

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  Armitage recieved 201 electoral votes to Dale's 88

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  Sabine Armitage speaking at a campaign event, 2021

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  The August-September 2022 issue of Tarin magazine showcasing Sabine Armitage and Leanne Dale from the second debate.

On June 20th 2021 Armitage announced that she would be seeking the presidency for a second time. In her fiery speech, she rallied her crowd stating "it is time that we go back to the roots of our great nation, working to boost our economy, serve our people, protect our interests, and lead the world everywhere we go." Boosted on the heels of her close second-place finish in the 2020 election, and having announced her candidacy relatively early for a general election, Armitage quickly maintained a far lead among prospective candidates in national polling. Barely a month following her announcement, former-Secretary of State Jean Brunelle announced his candidacy on August 4th, 2021. Brunelle's popularity had diminished extensively since his firing by former-President Cassious Castovia and inflammatory comments made by former-President Camren Ellison, and many Blue Conservative Party officials called for him to drop out. Armitage's popularity kept growing within the BCP ranks, and continued questions about Brunelle's legitimacy plagued his campaign until he dropped out on November 6th, 2021. Because no other high-profile candidates reached above 5% in polling within the BCP, all planned debates were cancelled and Armitage was declared the official candidate of the BCP on April 2nd, 2022.

With the ongoing Barismont scandal and the Kristina Leach affair causing President Moreau to step away from a reelection bid, it quickly became clear that the 2022 race would be between Armitage and GLP candidate Senator Leanne Dale, as other prospective candidates were trailing far below 5%. The two candidates virtually held neck and neck in popularity for the majority of the race, but following an underwhelming performance at the second presidential debate on July 24th, 2022, Armitage dipped into a near second place behind Dale. A similar appearance in the third debate practically tied the two candidates as the only prospective choices.

On September 20th, 2022, Armitage swept the electoral districts and won 201 to Dale's 88, effectively winning in a landslide. However, Armitage won the popular vote with 109.3 million to Dale's 107.7 million, a divide of only 1.6 million, which triggered many demonstrations and protests by left-wing groups against Armitage's election, citing possible irregularities in the vote counting and registries. The left-wing activist group New Change issued 31 legal challenges in provincial courts opposing Armitage's election, but their challenge was dismissed on September 27th by the circuit court in Delta, Zian. Despite some legal disputes, Dale conceeded that there was no outcome considerate enough to overturn results, and Armitage was sworn is as President on September 22nd.

Presidency

Inauguration

President Sabine Armitage wore a white suit to her inauguration. Her fashion sense as president quickly became a trend.

Inaugurated on September 22nd, 2022 at Congressional Hall, Sabine Armitage became the 40th president of Zamastan. She was sworn in by Supreme Court chief justice Roosevelt Dunn using a bible once owned by William Castovia. She was then introduced by Speaker Alisha Fletcher and Senate president pro-tempore Burhan Swanson. Among her first acts, Armitage signed a 5 billion dollar aid package for relief efforts following the Andaluni earthquake which occured the day before. She also reauthorized by executive order a previously redacted amendment to the Nationality and Maritime Borders Act, which allowed Coast Guard personnel to immediately deport illegal migrants without processing asylum claims. This action recieved much condemnation from the Congressional liberal bloc, as well as a rare rebuttal by Janapa's president Kendrick Mehans, who called the decision "quite detrimental and saddening".

Armitage's cabinet appointments began confirmation hearings and approvals shortly after her inauguration, with the first confirmation being Chantelle Carson to Secretary of State. This was the first time in Zamastanian history that the three highest-ranking offices in the country (President, Speaker, and Secretary of State) were all held by women. General Easton Granholm was named Secretary of Defense, Colt Piers was named Secretary of the Treasury, and Winston Currie was named Attorney General. The only figure carried over from the Moreau administration was Adrian Sardou, the director of the Zamastanian Intelligence Service.

Domestic affairs

On September 27th, Armitage laid out her proposals for her domestic agenda, including a long-proposed tax overhaul plan calling for tax cuts for most Zamastanians, but prompting criticism that the plan favors business and the rich and could add trillions of dollars to the deficit. Armitage asserted that the tax plan was aimed at helping working people, creating jobs and making the tax code simpler and fairer. But it faced an uphill battle in the Congress Chamber with the controlling Liberal bloc, and in the Senate with Armitage’s own Conservative Party divided over it. The plan would lower corporate and small-business income tax rates, reduce the top income tax rate for high-earning Zamastanian individuals and scrap some popular tax breaks, including one that benefits people in high-tax provinces dominated by liberal blocs. The proposal drew a swift, skeptical response from Senator Lou Guillaume, a leading Conservative “fiscal hawk,” who vowed not to vote for any federal tax package financed with borrowed money.

Foreign affairs

On October 1st, 2022, a massive bomb tore through the naval facilities of Beresa, Saint Croix and Bens, sinking the ZMS Grouse and damaging dozens of other vessels, killing 988 people including 342 Zamastanian sailors. In her first televised address to the nation after her inauguration, President Armitage stated:

"This is one of the darkest days in Zamastanian history, by far the darkest in the alliance's history, and this day presents a magnitude of horror that the world has rarely seen. Terrorists of presently unknown affiliation struck at the heart of the south Adula fleet, shredding our ships apart with tremendous fire, leaving destruction and smoldering wrecks in the harbor of Beresa. We stand with the people of Saint Croix and Bens, as well as with all of our allies who have suffered terrible losses today. Our sailors were on duty while in peacetime, and this attack was brought to them at a moment that would otherwise spell a sense of rest. What we have seen in the wake of this horrific attack is the courage, bravery, and servitude of our men and women in the armed forces, who lept from their bunks below decks to the fires above, to save their fellow sailors and their allies aboard other vessels. The Zamastanian government will find those responsible, and with our allies, we will commit all resources neccesary to defeating them and bringing them to justice. The alliance will not stop, no matter what challenge we face, and we will be victorious against our enemies."

Sabine Armitage, 10/1 Televised Presidential Address

Political positions

Armitage is considered a moderate Blue Conservative. Since she her 2020 reelection to congress, some have deemed her voting record "more moderate" than that of her previous years in the legislature. In 2021, the Tofino Times gave Armitage a composite score of 56% conservative and 45% liberal. Armitage is a neoconservative, known for her focus on national security, support for the military, a pro-business stance, hawkish foreign policy views, and fiscal and social conservatism. However, she holds relatively liberal stances on social issues, having signaled support for gun control legislation and decriminalization of illegal substances.

Armitage supports pulling back firearm restrictions, but has stated that she believes comprehensive background checks and longer waiting periods are required before someone is allowed to purchase a gun. She supported President Anya Bishop's ban on assault-weapons in 2019.

Armitage supports the Third Trimester Abortion Ban, which restricts abortion access beginning at the 28th week of pregnancy except in cases of rape, incest, or immediate and severe health effects for the mother. Armitage states that while she is personally opposed to abortion, she does not believe in restricting access beyond the third trimester. Her rational for supporting the ban, which has been in place in Zamastan since 1999, cites the statistical rarity of third trimester abortions and the exception clause which allows women to get abortions in the third trimester if their health is at risk.

Armitage supports sweeping tax reform policy and has presented on several occassions a bill which would bring the federal tax rate down nearly 30%. She also supports capping a national minimum-wage at Z$12 an hour, which is higher than the current minimum wage of Z$10 but significantly lower than other proposals.

Though she states her belief in man-made climate change and the threat it poses to humanity, Armitage favors rolling back environmental regulations to allow for a less restricted and more competitive market. She has denounced "environmental hardliners" as "fear-mongerers", but has said that companies should take personal prioritization in seeking reductions in the emission of greenhouse gasses without government interference. Armitage has stated that she wants Zamastan to become fully energy independent through the use of nuclear power plants instead of wind and solar reliance, and has laid out proposals for private company-led goals to reach a complete phase out of non-renewable energy sources by 2055 which wouldn't require federal intervention.

While supporting continued WEDA membership, Armitage made clear in the 2022 campaign that she believed Zamastan's involvement in WEDA should be drastically decreased due to what she interpreted as unfair cooperation and full dependability by its member states on Zamastan's military and funding. Armitage's vote to reject Siniapore's bid to join WEDA joined a chorus of conservative represenatives who were ultimately successful in blocking the south Ausianan nation's bid in the wake of the Jinchon Sea crisis. Armitage maintains that Zamastan should remain in WEDA, but must be more assertive towards other members to take a larger share of funding requirements. Armitage opposed the inclusion of Qolaysia, Saint Croix and Bens, Janapa, and Shoassau into the organization.

Armitage has expressed support for cutting the rate of acceptance for refugee and asylum seekers by 50%, and would rather "create a pathway to citizenship for more immigrants through a solidified process". She later clarified that this does not mean increasing the rate of deportations. She was a key figure in the drafting of the Nationality and Maritime Borders Act, which makes it illegal for migrants to enter into the country via maritime routes. Critics have pointed out that the rates of detained migrants and recorded crossings continued to climb despite the new law, and the bill was widely seen as a failure of cooperation between Moreau's administration and the Conservative opposition bloc.

Armitage is against the legalization of recreational marijuana under federal legislation, but has stated that provinces can determine the legality and decriminalization for themselves. When recreational marijuana was legalized in May of 2022, Armitage voted against it and has stated she would like the Supreme Court to reverse the decision based on "scientific evidence of health complications from chronic marijuana use", and allow provinces to decide its status for themselves.

Armitage supported the 2020 military intervention in Ossinia, and called on President Moreau to conduct airtrikes against Syraranto during the civil war (airstrikes were eventually undertaken for two weeks in March of 2022). Armitage also lobbied for airstrikes against Zalluabed after an accidental missile strike on the ZMS Monserrati during the Hisrea War, which left her largely isolated among Zamastanian politicians in a call for military action. Armitage has also repeatedly called for harsher responses to Yuaneze aggression over the status of Gangkou, praising the sinking of the Huangshan during the Jinchon Sea crisis.

Armitage opposes the 2013 Zalluabed nuclear deal and has stated she will withdraw from the agreement if elected President. The deal was initially signed by Cassious Castovia but was later abandoned by Anya Bishop in 2019, and then restored under Atticus Moreau in 2022.

Armitage has supported the use of torture. After the Zamastanian Intelligence Service's use of torture methods were detailed in the Carrigan Leaks in 2019, Armitage defended the use of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and 'no-touch' torture like sensory deprivation, self-inflicted pain, and psychological stress. However, she has denounced the use of electric shock and strategic starvation.

Personal life

Armitage as she appeared on the cover of Jade Tribune's July 7th, 2020 issue highlighting her presidential campaign

After the death of Armitage's father in 2008, her mother and grandmother moved to Tregueux from Janapa due to financial hardship. She still has family in Janapa, where her grandfather was living in a nursing home before he died in the aftermath of Hurricane Jude. Armitage said that "to be Janapan and Ossinian is to be the descendant of slaves, native, colonizers, refugees, and many others. We are all of these things and something else all at once — we are humans descendant from tribulation."