George Robert Kerman

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George Robert Kerman
Official Inaugural Portrait, 2008
President of the Allied Nations of Maracaibo
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 December 2007
Preceded by	Luis Keegan
Personal details
Born	(1983-05-25) May 25, 1983
Political party	Nationalist Party of Maracaibo
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Education	Florenz University (BS)
Signature	George Robert Kerman's signature
Military service
Branch/service	Allied Nations Navy Cadets
Years of service	1999-2001
Rank	Petty Officer Third Class
Unit	2nd Battalion, "Sea Lions"

George Robert Kerman (born 25 May 1983) is a Maracaibean statesman and journalist who has been the President of the Allied Nations since 2008. He is known for being the youngest person to assume an office of national leadership in the modern history of Septentrion, and only the second President of the Allied Nations to have never held a previous public office.

Early Life and Education

George Robert Kerman was born in Fuerza Province in the Allied Nations on 25 May 1983, to his parents Reginald Kerman (1949–2002) and Maria Kerman (née Vega, b. 1952). His mother was a writer for a local community paper, and his father was a worker in the steel industry. Kerman often would pay attention to his mother's writing, and read her drafts at home for fun. He later would note that it was his mother who taught him how to read and write, and his father what to write.

Kerman attended public school, and went to the prestigious, private Florenz University on an academic scholarship. There, he studied Political Science and minored in Communication, graduating in 2005.

Journalist Career

While studying for his undergraduate degree, Kerman became a columnist for La Doncella/The Handmaiden, Florenz University's newspaper. His pieces would often reflect on world events, and opinion pieces on national politics.

After graduating in 2005, Kerman immediately attained a job as a journalist for En El Negro/In The Black newspaper, a national syndicated paper. Once again, he covered international news for his first few months, before being assigned to cover domestic issues.

Kerman was not afraid to publish his political opinion in his pieces, and his articles increasingly criticized the Keegan administration for what he viewed as "gross negligence of duty". For a long time, his calls for greater scrutiny of the government went unheeded until the discovery of widespread corruption in early 2006. Feeling vindicated by the scandal, Kerman doubled down on his claims, also proposing solutions to the problems at hand. His increasingly hardline pieces drew a large amount of readership to the paper, but it also earned the ire of the publication, who fired him in late 2006.

At the end of his career, Kerman had written over two hundred articles for both papers.

Political Upstart

After being terminated by En El Negro, Kerman decided to continue his political aspirations. He became a public orator, traveling the country and making speeches about the state of the nation. A master of speech, and a passionate nationalist, his firebrand style of oratory drew large crowds rather often. Being bilingual, like most of the nation, his speeches were alternatively delivered in Sylvan and Tyrannian, to include as much of the population as possible.

The majority of his early speeches railed against the Keegan administration and what he termed as their "corrupt cronies". Late 2006 through early 2007, Kerman made himself very vocal in the Maracaibean political climate, appearing a handful of times as a pundit on Global Satellite Reporting Network's Scandal Coverage. This only served to broaden his popularity across the country.

The Campaign

The Nationalist Party of Maracaibo had been gaining some traction for a number of years, but its size was unable to rival the Labor or Conservative parties. In 2007, with the election fast approaching, the party presented Gabriel Rosco to run for president. In May of 2007, Kerman officially joined the party, and utilized his gift in public speaking to rally the nation behind it. By the time of the election, the membership of the Nationalist Party skyrocketed, from several hundred thousand to more than five million.

Initially, Kerman urged the public to back Gabriel Rosco for his bid for the presidency. He would later write that he believed the man of sixty two was far more qualified than he was to steer the country right. On the campaign trail, Kerman would open for him and drum up public support. However, party leadership was astounded by Kerman's bold actions and vibrant language. Rosco was asked to step down by the party, and have Kerman replace him. After some pushback by Rosco, the older man finally relented and placed his trust in Kerman. This unprecedented opportunity was turned down first by Kerman, who did not think himself ready for the position. After a few days of thought, he accepted the honor.

Campaign Funding

The Nationalist Party did not have the same budget as the larger parties did, and so Kerman took every opportunity to gain publicity free of expense. In July of 2007, he met the oil magnate Dr. Lorraine Rubin, the CEO of Universal Petroleum, the company which monopolized the petrol industry in the early 1980s. The two came to an agreement, and Rubin began to finance the campaign with company funds.

Strongly believing in transparency in his campaign, Kerman presented the fact that he was receiving funds from the oil company in one of his speeches on the campaign trail. The two remain close today, and some tabloids claim that they are in a relationship, an inference repeatedly denied by both.

The Election

The Nationalist Party became a real contender in the Presidential race, becoming a rising star with Kerman's backing. In televised debates, his opponents would frequently attack Kerman for his young age and inexperience. Kerman would appeal to the people, retaliating to these attacks by calling the more aged opponents of his "hacks and leeches of the common man" and "career politicians". He fully acknowledged his youth, but always presented it as an asset and not a liability, calling himself a "fresh face" in the political system and a "muckraker of the new age".

On 8 December 2007, Kerman received 55% of the popular vote, and he became President of the Allied Nations of Maracaibo.

Domestic Policy

Kerman's domestic policies, especially in his first two years, were largely focused on delivering on his campaign promises of rooting out corruption from the whole of the federal government. His overall policy was self-described as "All Around Improvement".

Foreign Policy

Relations with Casaterra

The Allied Nations have been a part of the Able Vigil Accords pact since shortly after the events of the Pan-Septentrion War. Kerman has historically expressed mild views on such an alliance, initially believing that it was limiting the power of the AN. In recent years, he has come out in support of it, claiming that the AVA would bolster the Allied Nations instead of weakening it.

Kerman has expressed his desire for working with the majority of Casaterran nations. He has publicly expressed his disdain for the FSR and the CNCS, but has not shied away from working with them either.

Relations with Meridian and Hemithean Nations

In September of 2010, Kerman signed the Meridian Doctrine, which stated that the continent of Meridia was to be free of further foreign military influence, and also placed the responsibility of enforcing such a proclamation on the Allied Nations. Furthermore, the document also proclaims that the Allied Nations can and should intervene in any and all military conflicts on the continent in order to restore order and remove wrongdoing.

Kerman has expressed a willingness to work with MEDA, rather than against it, but as of 2017 has not apologized for the Red River War, or has reached out to the Pillowlandian government regarding anything of that nature.

During his campaign, Kerman expressed public contempt for what he termed as grandstanding and interference by the nations of Menghe and Dayashina. The latter in particular's then-new Prime Minister Noru and his foreign policy rhetoric spurred Kerman to draft the Meridian Doctrine.

Personal Life

Pets

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