Baxter Faucher

Seanadóirí Baxter Faucher
Image of Faucher in 2034
President-Minister of Seuria
Assuming office 2028
Deputy	Hannibal Shillingford
Succeeding	Nathaniel Dunleavey
Parliamentary group	The Independence Rally
Minister for Justice
In office 2018–2026
Chancellor	Nathaniel Dunleavey
Deputy	Hannibal Shillingford
Preceded by	Lewis Ryan
Succeeded by	Lucas O'Rorke
Representative for Balleydehob
In office 2000–2028
Preceded by	Pádraig Garrihy
Succeeded by	Sigmund Twitty
Personal details
Born	Baxter Nerney January 8th, 1966 (aged 68 as of 2034) Balleydehob
Political party	The Independence Rally
Spouse	Mya Faucher
Children	Harrison Faucher
Residence	Cathure
Alma mater	Cathure Institute for Political Development

Baxter Faucher (Née Nerney, born January 8th, 1966) is a Seurian Independence Rally politician serving as the President-Minister of Seuria since 2028. Having served as both the Minister for Justice and Representative for Balleydehob, Faucher has been a notable political figure for much of his life.

Born in Balleydehob, he would change his last name upon becoming 23 and leaving his family, an action owing to personal disputes with them. Faucher was one of the younger members of the Tionól upon his joining of such at the age of 34, and was a surprise pick for Minister of Justice in the Dunleavey Government - a choice believed at the time (and proven correct later) to be preparing Faucher for leadership. He would win the 2028 Independence Rally Leadership Election following Dunleavey's calling of elections and retirement - and despite the surprise insurgency of Tiarnán O'Breen, would become the undisputed leader of such following the elections.

Faucher has remained generally isolated from the populace - being known as a "cold" leader (and being dubbed the "Charmless Codger") despite his numerous attempts to connect to the population through the realm of social media. It has been stated by certain figures that this cold reputation is directly related to the falling popularity of the Rally - although despite this Faucher has survived two further attempts at calling another leadership election.

Early Life

Faucher was born as Baxter Nerney in Balleydehob, a small community located nearby to the capital-city of Cathure, the eldest of four sons. He was known in the town for being rebellious and somewhat violent - being the leader of a small group of peers known as "Nerney's Nitwits" who would commit small-scale crime. These actions would cause him to fall-out with his family, and would eventually lead to him renouncing the familial name and leaving for Cathure after finishing his early education - where he would get a manufacturing job at the Cathure National Automobile Manufacturing Plant.

Following a major union strike (which he was uninvolved with), he would lose his job due to downsizing - leading to him joining the Party for National Liberation, who funded his college career, where he would prove himself to be a surprisingly effective student and orator, joining the college's drama club. During this time, he would meet Mya O'Mullan, who he would start a short relationship with for the period of time before he left college.

He would canvass for Jason Gilmore during his election campaign, but would not be particularly influential in his district.

Early Political Career

He would return to his hometown following the death of his parents in 2000 - running for Representative and winning in a landslide against one of his former friends (Rueben Ryan) in a vicious campaign. After his victory, he would be uncontested in all elections following such - owing to his influence in the town's governance, and the capacity of his role to deny services to the population.

He would work to become a notable in the Party for National Liberation, where he would become known as one of the "brutes" of the party, who could take an aggressive tack in debates while still allowing the more noble elements of the party to remain untouched by the aggression required to fulfill that role.

He served as a member of the Council on Industrial Reorganization for the duration of its existence, and proposed several budgetary and working-rights related reforms for the majority of Seurian industries.

Minister for Justice

Faucher would be appointed as the Minister for Justice by the Dunleavey Government, a move that was rather shocking at the time owing to the personal controversies Faucher carried with him. Faucher would prove to be a surprisingly decisive minister, making over 30 major legislative reforms to key points of policy - including immigration streamlining, acceptance of Arcadie and Kāichrén political refugees, and legislation to make the accessing of political donation records easier.

This spree of reformism would change the opinions many held of Faucher - and was seemingly surprising to the man who had appointed him, considering Dunleavey's statements that he had not been planning to retire at the end of his term being rapidly reversed after Faucher made himself a viable candidate. Faucher would eagerly accept the unstated nomination, and worked to secure his role in the party and as the future President-Minister.

Faucher would, despite his newly gained positive reputation, still be involved in notable controversy - in relation to both insults directed at certain journalists, the corporatization of several notable prisons, and the wiretapping of key opposition gathering points. The latter was the only issue to be strenuously denied by the state, and the story was retracted following intense uproar by members of the Party for National Liberation, whose name change to the Independence Rally he would support.

Leadership Election

Faucher would come into the nomination as the presumptive heir - and for the most part a series of events supporting this idea played out in the early stages of the leadership election. A spree of easy victories would be broken by the upset insurgency of Tiarnán O'Breen, a left-wing figure within the party. While O'Breen would not win any of the major votes, he would become incredibly popular amongst the base of the party - owing to his fiery oration and his lack of patronage by major members of the party.

Faucher would be forced to defend his previously sure-shot victory, and would rely to an incredible extent on framing O'Breen as an enemy of the party working for Arcadie, a tactic which would by definition work at the cost of alienating many moderates in the party - and leading to another upset candidate in the form of Rory Powell, a technocrat who syphoned votes from Faucher to a great extent.

The leadership election would drag on for six months until Faucher was finally nominated, and his surprisingly decisive victory in the general election was the only thing that ensured he kept his position as party leader after such.

President-Minister

Faucher's time as President-Minister has been generally calm, excluding his utilization of hostile rhetoric against Arcadie and recent protests against The Independence Rally's continued rulership of the state. He would be met by his predecessor, Nathaniel Dunleavey immediately before his confirmation by the Tionól. What was discussed between them is not currently known, but Nathaniel had been one of the primary supporters of Faucher during the Leadership Election, being one of his few primarily sponsors. In the wake of the conversation, Nathaniel repeatedly expressed his "distinct belief" that Faucher would be a worthy successor to himself.

Formation of Government

Faucher's first speech to the Tionól would be notably subdued in comparison to his more common speeches, announcing his trust in the Rally and his own economic and political plans (which had taken a backseat to the personality politics of the Leadership Election), promising to work with the technocratic wing of the party represented by Powell to bolster the state's own efforts in ensuring a lack of corruption in key industries. He additionally made it clear that he intended to continue efforts by his predecessor to acquire the F9M Osprey to supplement existing defense infrastructure. Other key parts of his speech included announcing a renewed effort to incorporate ethnic-Arcadie figures in state affairs and the establishment of a council to look into means to secure the sea border.

Key appointments to his personal cabinet included Rory Powell as Minister of the Economy, Callie O'Mangan as Minister of National Defense (the first female appointee to the role), and controversially appointed ethnic-Arcadie Marcel Cousineau as Minister of Home Affairs. Faucher would receive little congratulation from international contemporaries, with the primary exception being Meridon's Leonardo Verdugo.

Domestic Policy

Faucher has historically been labeled as a member of the economic right of The Independence Rally, supporting limited privatization of state industries and continuing integration with the Meridonian economic and political sphere. Despite this, he has taken a more moderate though no less populistic stance during his ministership, working with Rory Powell's technocrats to reduce corruption within the party and state and to maintain the current status of the party-economic system.

He has worked to cut the funding of renewable energy research, instead refocusing on expanding Seurian oil production and sales alongside limited domestic adoption of nuclear power, alongside efforts to slash funding for certain aspects of welfare - specifically child benefits. His welfare reforms have been massively opposed by the public, and as such were gradually pulled back on during the course of his ministership.

Personal Life

Faucher would get married to one Mya O'Mullan a short time after his ascension to the role of Minister of Justice, the two having a chance meeting at a political event. The pair have had one son, and are generally known to be very close.

Faucher was severely wounded when on a hiking trip in 2006, and was almost forced to amputate his leg. He continues to walk with a cane as a result of such, but has not exhibited any other notable health consequences.