Erasmo Ruiz

Erasmo Ruiz
Ruiz in 2196
27th President of the Serenacy of Carinansia
In office June 25th, 2193 – June 24th, 2201
Vice President	NIna Magrina
Preceded by	Rodrigo Agramonte-Bitencourt
Succeeded by	Melissa Moruga
Personal details
Born	(2124-09-18)September 18, 2124 San Ferpa, Tohuecotl, Carinansia
Died	July 3, 2213(2213-07-03) (aged 88) Bergeçon, Vatou Department, Islonia
Resting place	Ruiz family mausoleum
Political party	Party for the Cárinansian Revolution
Spouse	Maria Alvarez Ruiz
Children	Rodrigo Ruiz Erasmo Ruiz, Jr. Maria Ruiz
Parent	Mercedes Ruiz (mother)
Occupation	Politician, director, actor

Erasmo Ruiz (September 18th, 2124 - July 3rd, 2213) was a Carinansian politician and actor who served as the 27th President of Carinansia from 2193 to 2201. A member of the Party for the Cárinansian Revolution, his presidency is considered to constitute the tail end of the first Pax Carinansiana, and he is considered to be one of the most prominent social liberal figures in Carinansian history.

Raised in the public housing districts of Tohuecotl, Ruiz did not attain any higher education after graduating from the mandatory K-12 schooling in 2142, working as a fast food line cook and as an elderly care assistant within the state. He moved to Anáheiro in 2149, and became a side actor at the Jardin de Verano theater in Rimac, but quickly gained a leading role in recognition of his acting prowess. From 2151 until 2183, he appeared in over twenty movies, becoming an internationally-renowned movie star. Between 2183 and 2189, he directed several films for Ruiz Alvarez Studios, until retiring from the entertainment industry altogether, becoming a political commentator on his talk show, Free Voices with Erasmo Ruiz, between 2189 and 2192. In early 2192, he announced his intention to run for president. He published a 1349 page manifesto outlining his personal ideology and policy aims, which he would call Inclusive Futurism, but would later be simply referred to as Ruizmo.

In the 2193 PRC primaries, he was initially viewed as an inexperienced political outsider, and was depicted by media as a radical idealist. His strong charisma, debating performances, and expanded manifesto allowed him to secure the party's nomination in March. In an initially tight contest with former National Patriot president Maria Rodriguez, he managed to secure 57.9% of the popular vote in that year's presidential elections, with a 57 seat majority in the National Congress.

In his first term, Ruiz implemented several key promises from his Inclusive Futurist Manifesto. In his first week in office, he repealed OE99671 passed by Maria Rodriguez, restoring welfare programs and increasing spending to adjust for the increased population since 2181. Later, he ratified the 38th Amendment to the Serene Constitution, establishing terms of 18 years for Supreme Court Justices, a mandatory retirement age of 71, a limit of 10 Supreme Court Justices, and requiring their finances be transparently available to the general public to prevent corruption. As a consequence, ten justices were removed from the court, including four of Rodriguez's appointees. He only appointed two new justices to the Supreme Court, meeting the new constitutional limit. In 2195, he led peace talks in Nojawa as a neutral third-party between the member states of the Uatederstali-led Coalition for Justice, and the Arcadia-led Socialist League, culminating in the end of hostilities. Throughout his second term, Ruiz focused on expanding workers' protections via the improvement of union-public sector relations, and invested heavily into the Shattered Crescent states to revitalise the regional economy. Throughout both terms, Ruiz emphasised a desire for multipartisanship despite holding a strong legislative majority for the first six years of his presidency.

Ruiz left the presidency in 2201 with the Carinansian economy having seen a significant reduction in the Gini coefficient, a significant increase in the median income, and a large reduction in the unemployment rate and political polarization. However, foreign direct investment in Carinansia decreased by 30% throughout his presidency as a consequence of greater regulations, and free trade policy intended to improve competition caused the shrinking of several industries throughout the country, unable to compete with cheaper international prices. For the next decade, he remained an outspoken advocate of multipartisanship and progressive politics, but he ultimately died in the initial Azlan bombing of the Vatou Isles in Islonia. Historians and scholars have typically ranked him among the top 10 greatest Carinansian presidents, with post-Presidential approval ratings of the public remaining high even over a century later.

Early life

Erasmo Javier Ruiz was born out of wedlock on September 18, 2124 in the Mass General Training Hospital, in San Ferpa, Tohuecotl, as the eldest son of Mercedes Ruiz. She would later marry Julian Flores when he was five years old, bearing a further four children with him. Throughout his childhood, Ruiz lived in various public housing complexes throughout the state of Tohuecotl, in the cities of Villa Cespedes, Naninga, San Juan, and Atirinto at different points in time. He was enrolled in public school throughout his childhood, attending the Gran Pino Elementary School, Roberto Bitencourt Institute, and the La Jungla College for his final three years of schooling. Ruiz's values originate from the hardships he endured throughout his early life, as the quality and size of housing gradually shrunk due to budget cuts made during the late Agramonte Administration and throughout the Takeda Administration. Throughout his teenage years, Ruiz acquired several part time jobs to help provide for his siblings, as his mother was unable to work, and Julian struggled with drug addiction throughout this time.

While attending La Jungla College, he briefly joined the school's drama and acting club, but was pressured by his parents to quit to focus on work. His teachers and counsellors strongly advised him to remain, noting his expansive acting range. Nevertheless, he abided by the wishes of his family, and didn't act for years afterward. Upon graduating, he quickly acquired several part-time positions as a line cook at various fast food restaurants, seeking to make as much money as possible without higher education, as his grades were too poor to attend university. After a year of this schedule, he chose to switch to caring for the elderly, working at the Rose Valley Care Home. For the next two years, he worked six days a week, but his acting talent would be recognised by those around him. Thus, the focus of his work changed from the duties of nurse, to providing entertainment to the patients of the facility, including as a stand-up comedian, singer, and as a fitness instructor.

Entertainment Career

In late May 2149, he quit his job at the home and moved out of his family home despite protests from his parents. He briefly spent a month in San Ferpa, before ultimately moving to Rimac, Anaheiro, and finding work as a stagehand as side actor at the Jardin de Verano Theater. The audience and his peers quickly recognised his acting potential, and he gained progressively more important roles in theatrical productions. By January 2151, he was the lead actor in several plays, including Xiutecuhtli Carintecatl, the Dawn of Time, and New Beginnings, being recognised as a slapstick comedy actor. While performing the Dawn of Time, casting director Paulin Alguacil noted his prowess and approached him after the conclusion of the performance, offering him the lead role of Gary Dunn for the upcoming comedy movie The Laundry List. This offer came after the previous actor for the role died halfway through filming, with the production crew nearly bankrupt. He accepted the following day, and for the next year, he would be involved in several reshoots of scenes. Upon its release worldwide in March 2152, the movies was well-received by the audience and critics alike, who both especially praised Ruiz's strong performance.

In December that year, he was offered the lead role of Gerald Crumble for the movie Chaos in Custardville, being promised 15% of the gross box office earnings in exchange for no upfront pay, which he accepted. Ultimately, he received CAR$60 million for his role, the highest payout for a novice professional actor ever at the time. Upon its release in January 2154, his performance in the movie was lauded as exceptional, providing additional layers of commentary and emotion beyond the superificial comedy. He was nominated for the Jubilant Award for Best Lead Actor in a Movie, but didn't win. Despite this, his nomination propelled him to new levels of stardom, gaining him several new acting jobs in a variety of comedy films. In 2159, he was voted Communication Digest's World's Sexiest Man for that year, already considered one of the greatest comedy actors of the era. In 2161, he chose to branch out to other genres of movie, and was cast as the primary antagonist of the thriller drama The Quiet March. Initially, this announcement was met with public ridicule, believing Ruiz unable to act as a serious chracter. However, upon its release, his performance was received to wide acclaim, with his role as Leonard Voss, the CEO of a megacorporation, widely considered to overshadow Juliette Gardet's performance as Eliza Warren. He received his first Jubilant Award for his performance that year.

From that point onwards, Ruiz began to be typecast as a serious actor, appearing in several more movies as the primary antagonist.