Saurius Kent

Saurius Kent
11th Premiere of Gladysynthia
In office 2020 – present
Preceded by	Seswitch LaFlaunce
Personal details
Born	9 April, 1954 (age 69) Danaska, Asa'aria
Political party	Unified Democratic Party (UDP)
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Spouse	Angela Kent (age 72)
Children	Sentius (age 48), Arlenen (age 45), Soldius (age 43)
Parent(s)	Sertius Kent, Galinda Kent
Education	University of Pteranim at Ponamu; University of Mönusÿnthys
Awards	Premiereship Medal of Honor
Military service
Branch/service	Gladysynthian National Army
Years of service	1980-2009
Rank	Lieutenant General

Saurius Richard Kent (born 9 April, 1954) is the 11th and current Premiere of Gladysynthia. He defeated Marcus Wimsby (Conservative Families Party), Gloria Minden (Conservative Supporters of Economic Freedom) and Alana Lenk (Democratic Socialist Party) in the 2019 Premiereship Election and was officially sworn in on 19 April, 2020, in front of a minimal crowd due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He holds a bachelor's degree in law from the Ponamu University School of Law, as well as master's degrees in both foreign relations and economics from the University of Mönusÿnthys. After serving in the Gladysynthian Army for nearly 30 years, he gained the trust of the citizens of Gladysynthia by serving several terms in the United Gladysynthian Senate, representing his home province of Asa'aria. Upon being appointed to the office of Minister of International Relations under prior Premiere Seswitch LaFlaunce, Kent achieved legendary status as a result of his actions during the 2018 military conflict with Zamastan, for which LaFlaunce awarded him, as well as several other military leaders, the Premiereship Medal of Honor. Capitalizing on the momentum stirred by his predecessor, Kent's progressive policies regarding the economy, international affairs, and education have bolstered the United Provinces of Gladysynthia to levels not seen since the premiereship of Artemis Fowler.

2020 Gladysynthian National Premiereship Election

Candidate	Province	Affiliation	% Vote
Saurius Kent	Asa'aria	UDP	67*
Marcus Wimsby	Darapherma	CFP	23
Alana Lenk	Pteranim	DSP	6
Gloria Minden	Zeramoa	CSEF	4

*Highest percentage of electoral vote in Premiereship history

During the final year of Seswitch LaFlaunce's term, unsubstantiated rumors began to circulate that Saurius Kent was considering candidacy for the premiereship. Kent swiftly shut down the notion, citing that he did not believe the premiereship was within his calling in service to his country. Eventually, however, he changed his position, and on 17 January 2019, Kent officially declared his candidacy, a move that was quickly applauded by LaFlaunce, who instantaneously gave Kent his endorsement. This positional switch by Kent is one that political analysts theorize to be in response to the immense vocal support of a vast majority of the Gladysynthian citizenry, as well as his alleged disdain for the controversial stance and rising popularity of his more radical future opponent and political rival, Alana Lenk. Kent himself is a quite moderate progressive, known to support multi-partisan legislation on numerous occasions during his several terms advocating for his Asa'arian constituents in the Gladysynthian House of Representatives. If he had not run for premiereship in 2020, it is highly possible, according to several well-respected political analysts, that Lenk would have won the election and been the first member of the Democratic Socialist Party to become Premiere. No DSP member has ever held any major position higher than House District Representative, and there have been no more than 12 members of the DSP to serve in the House of Representatives simultaneously.

Education

Kent graduated with a bachelor's degree in law from the University of Ponamu in 1976. He moved to Mönusÿnthys shortly thereafter to pursue a career as an attorney. He then decided to pursue further education and attended the University of Mönusÿnthys for two years, where he attained dual masters degrees in both foreign affairs and economics. Kent earned a 4.0 GPA throughout the entirety of his postsecondary studies.

Personal Life

Born in Danaska, Asa'aria on 9 April, 1954, Saurius' mother, Galinda, was an Asa'aria 3rd Circuit Judge. He learned all of his initial knowledge in economics from his father, Sertius, an influential entrepreneurial businessman. Kent met his wife, Angela, while they both lived in Mönusÿnthys and attended the University. They were married shortly thereafter and moved back to Asa'aria until Kent decided to join the army. Saurius and Angela have three grown children, all of whom have graduated from university and serve in some form of executive office.

Military Service

Kent joined the army in 1980 at the age of 24 after being moved by the arising conflicts on the global scale. He quickly rose through the ranks, ultimately attaining the position of Lieutenant General, as he saw intense combat on several occasions during battles and skirmishes in many different nations. Kent served a total of 28 years in the Gladysynthian Army and retired at the age of 54. During this time, he was given many awards and earned countless accolades because of his service.

Political Career

After retiring from the military, Kent ran for office for the first time, winning the Asa'aria District 2 Representative election on his first attempt in 2012. He ran for and won re-election consecutively for two more terms. Calling on his experience in the military and immense knowledge in law and foreign policy, Premiere-elect Seswitch LaFlaunce, entering his second term, appointed Kent to the cabinet position of Minister of International Affairs, an office which he held throughout the entirety of LaFlaunce's premiereship. On 17 January, 2019, Kent announced his premiereship campaign, which was almost immediately endorsed by LaFlaunce. Kent's campaign was successful, as he was elected the 11th of Premiere of Gladysynthia, and sworn in on 19 April, 2020. He dwells at the Palace of the Premieres with his wife and the First Lady, Angela. He will be up for ceremonial re-election in April 2024.