Rikard Fegaad
The Honourable Rikard Fegaad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of Vyvland | |
| In office 30 April 1998 – 12 November 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Mafjas Skenterby |
| Succeeded by | Minke Selengborg |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 3 November 1996 – 30 April 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Mafjas Skenterby |
| Succeeded by | Mafjas Skenterby |
| Foreign Minister | |
| In office 4 November 1994 – 3 November 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Melda Giyr |
| Succeeded by | Rydulv Yge |
| In office 3 March 1990 – 23 December 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Torsden Kogel-Big |
| Succeeded by | Melda Giyr |
| Domestic Minister | |
| Assumed office 22 November 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Jes Delmeer |
| Utilities Minister | |
| In office 25 June 1989 – 3 March 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Humbold Kwen |
| Succeeded by | Kurl Azjrig |
| Member of Parliament for Sjyr, KS | |
| Assumed office 10 June 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Alecaanjre Renderings |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 200px February 18, 1951 Sjyr, Kros |
| Died | 200px |
| Resting place | 200px |
| Nationality | Vyvlander |
| Political party | Christian Democratic and Conservative Party (-2004) Conservative Party (2004-) |
| Spouse | Ros Gyddel (1977-2008) |
| Children | Tomas Fegaad, Jorj Fegaad, Kurl Fegaad |
| Parent |
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| Alma mater | University of Vreusdi |
Rikard Fegaad (pronounced /ɾe'ʝʊɾd ðə'gäːd/) was the sixth and longest-serving Prime Minister of Vyvland, and the longest serving Conservative Prime Minister, from 1998 to 2005. He formed three different National Commissions during a period of consistent economic growth, with his party being the largest in coalitions with the National Party, Monarchist Party, Helish Union, Christian Democrats of Helland and Liberal Party. Well-known policies enacted during his time in government included cutting the top income tax bracket from 55 to 45%, and relaxing business restrictions. He currently holds the office of Domestic Minister in the Welelmsen cabinet, making him de facto second-in-command of the government.
Early life
Fegaad was born in Sjyr, in Kros, to an upper-middle-class family. His parents operated a small chain of jewellery shops, although he was not set to inherit them due to his having an older brother, Jofrig. Rikard was bright at school, and thus gained a place at the University of Vreusdi, the most prestigious in North Vyvland.
Career
Early career
Fegaad was first elected to Parliament in the first reunified Vyvlander general election in 1984, representing the town of Sjyr in Kros province. Fegaad became a vocal member of his party in the chamber during Abram Zymeker's term, speaking out against the swathe of policies known as the Liberal Revolution, and upon Zymeker's defeat, Fegaad was appointed as Utilities Minister in the first Eeris National Commission, being promoted to Foreign Minister the next year, after the death of then-minister Torsden Kogel-Big. He lost this position after Eeris's government was defeated in the 1993 general election to a Liberal landslide. After a shake-up of Conservative positions, Fegaad was not appointed to an official post until 1994, when he became Foreign Minister.
In 1996, Fegaad was chosen as the Conservative leader. He led a harsh offensive against the government of Prime Minister Mafjas Skenterby and President Erik Menjreng, who were portrayed as incompetent by many newspapers due to their inability to pass legislation; only one bill was passed every forty days on average. This, combined with effective Conservative campaigning, led to a landslide general election victory in 1998, with the Conservatives winning 207 seats, the greatest percentage won by any party since reunification.
Prime Minister
After the 1998 election, KDC entered into government with the National Party and Monarchist Party. However, the two other parties in Fegaad's coalition were constantly in opposition to one another due to their strong positions on republicanism and monarchism respectively. This was further worsened by strikes, especially among the Vyvlander Fishing Association union (VVV), prompting Fegaad to call for a public boycott of the fast food fish restaurant chain Hektsee, of which the VVV was the major shareholder.
In 2000, Fegaad reformed his coalition to include the Helish Union and KDH and exclude the Monarchists. The second coalition was much more successful, with caps on immigration placed, taxes lowered and many business restrictions relaxed. However, Fegaad failed to gain as strong a majority in the 2002 election, necessitating a coalition with the Liberal Party, then led by Vredurd Dengkus. During this term, the Conservatives found it harder to bring about their centre-right manifesto, and the coalition was far less stable, especially in its second and third years.
With a lowering popularity during his second term, in 2004 Fegaad rebranded his party from the Konservativ-Demokratig Christenpaart (Christian Democratic and Conservative Party) to just Konservativ Paart (Conservative Party) with the aim of attracting more votes in the 2005 election. However, after the election caused by the Conservatives' coalition with the Liberals breaking up in 2005, the party came second behind the Socialists. Fegaad resigned as party leader on the 11 January 2006, with Kurt Blymont taking his place.
Domestic Minister and later career
Fegaad had considered stepping down from Parliament in advance of the 2013 election, but decided to contest his seat again in August of 2013. Sources close to Fegaad also suggested that he may have stood for President in the 2014 presidential election, despite being appointed as Domestic Minister in Kurt Blymont's National Commission after the election. In the end, such a campaign failed to and he.
As the unofficial second-in-command of the cabinet, Fegaad acted as the de facto leader of the government after Blymont's injury in the 2015 Nevan royal wedding bombing, during which he whad to coordinate Vyvland's first response to an increasingly unable geopolitical situation in the wake of the Lazarene Sea Crisis.