Leonel Freitas
The Most Honourable Leonel Freitas | |
|---|---|
 Freitas in 1963 | |
| Premier of Paretia | |
| In office 28 May 1959 – 6 July 1966 | |
| Preceded by | Dário Varejão |
| Succeeded by | Danilo Abril |
| Deputy Premier of Paretia | |
| In office 1966–1969 | |
| Preceded by | Danilo Abril |
| Succeeded by | Raimon Gaudí |
| Deputy of Domal | |
| In office 1950–1969 | |
| Preceded by | Carla Teixeira |
| Succeeded by | Gonçalo Santos |
| Leader of Popular Alliance | |
| In office 1947–1969 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Caetano Ribiera da Vila |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leonel Freitas Resendes 1 May 1909 Domal, Luzela |
| Died | 30 March 1969 (Aged 60) Precea, Paretia |
| Cause of death | Car bombing |
| Political party | Popular Alliance |
| Spouse | Anabel Solís |
| Children | 4 Martim Raúl Silvío Inês |
| Alma mater | University of Brigída |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Functionalist Paretia |
| Branch/service | Paretian Armed Forces |
| Years of service | 1930-1934 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Battles/wars | Great War |
Leonel Freitas Resendes (1 May 1909 - 30 March 1969) was a Paretian soldier, professor, and politician who served as the Premier of Paretia from 1959 to 1966, and continued to served as Deputy Premier of Paretia under Danilo Abril from 1966 until his assassination by Tosuton separatists in 1969. He was the founder of the and leader of Popular Alliance from 1947 until his death. He was a leader of the conservative wing of Paretian politics, which alongside Danilo Abril and Guilherme Rocha formed a coalition government known as the National Paretian Union, a broad right-wing government that was formed in response to leftist separatism in Tosutonia, Visega, and Esmeira. This lasted from 1959 to 1975. This period of Paretian history is known as the Anos de Chumbo (Years of Lead), where far-right and far-left terrorist groups fought in Paretia.
Early Years
Early life
Born in Domal, Luzela on 1 May 1909, he was the son of José Maria Freitas and his wife Lucia, his father was a lawyer in the city of Domal. His mother was half Montecaran. He was the second child of the family, alongside his older sister and younger brother. Freitas was educated at the University of Brigída where he eventually where he focuses on political theory and military tactics. He was a member of the New Nation of Paretia Party's student wing at the school in 1928, although it was the only legal party allowed in Paretia at the time. Despite this, later in life he stated he regrets being a member of it, "I understand they were the sole legal group allowed, but I was infatuated with the spectacle of functionalism, I regret being supportive of the regime".
Military service
When the Great War broke out in 1927 he was at college but eventually he was conscripted into service in 1930 in the army of Functionalist Paretia. He served on the front fighting the Etrurians outside the city of Teradad where he would serve as an assistant to General Tomas Sotiriano Robles. He eventually was transferred to combat and would rise to the rank of Sergeant. He would be captured by Etrurian forces in 1934 and was in captivity until 1935.
University of Brigída
After the war and his release by the Etrurian forces he would return to society and became a Cathedratic Professor at the University of Brigída and taught law at the university. He became a prominant conservative at the school where he became a leader for them during his career there, he publics works in law and politics as well as military tactics. In 1937 he married Anabel Solís, during the Solarian War he was arrested by occupying Etrurian forces for political reasons but was released.
Political Career
Leader of Popular Alliance and Deputy career
After the Solarian War and the return to monarchy he founded the Popular Alliance, a right-wing conservative political party. It's platform was based on conservatism, nationalism, and economic liberalism. It did not gain traction early on, when it won it's first seats in the Senado de Paretia it only won one, the seat of Freitas. It was competing against the widely popular Catholic Democracy Party, which was the major right-wing party at the time.
In 1953 the party started to become more popular with voters with a platform of "economic prosperity and security", according to the party manifesto in the 1953 election. However the party became a member of the opposition against the Dário Varejão's Paretian Labour Party. He became a major critic of the government of the PTP and was seen a leader for the conservatives. During the 1950s separatism in the western regions of Paretia, namely Tosutonia and Esmeira, began to grow and become more violent and militant. The 1954 Encerosa raceway bombing and 1955 Ocerto killings would lead to a new party focus.
In the 1956 elections he would criticize the government of the Paretian Labour Party for not doing enough to fight the separatists, and claimed that the separatists were being supported by councilist elements abroad such as Amathia and Chistovodia. He also made reference to similar left-wing separatist forces in Etruria's Carinthia and Novalia regions. He said in a speech in 1956 "We are threatened by militants who seek to destroy our nation. The Labour Party is not doing enough because they do not wish to, they secretly relate to these separatists. They want the situation to get worse, we must fight the enemies in the government in order to fight the enemies in the western regions."
In the 1959 Paretian general election the Popular Alliance won the most seats, but Freitas wanted to able to make radical reforms in order to combat the separatists, and would form a broad right-wing coalition with the Catholic Democracy Party and the far-right National Sotirian Force, the latter was lead by Guilherme Rocha, a neo-palmeirist and was very controversial. This alliance became known as the Paretian National Union
Premiership and National Union
First term
During the first term of Freitas he would enact laws to strengthen policing in the country. He would expand the reach of the death penalty, and would lower sentences for police officers involved in killings of separatists. He would move much public funding to police and military funding. In 1960 he would pass a bill that banned foreign entities and certain NGOs, which he claimed aided the separatist movement.
In 1961 when Etruria invaded Tarpeia, he criticized the government and began to cut ties with the Etrurians. This included suspending military aid to Etruria in fighting separatists in their western regions. In 1961 he also would propose to ban regionalist parties in Tosutonia, Esmeira, and Visega, but this failed due to opposition in his own party and the UNP. However, in 1962 the UNP successfully banned the Paretian Section of the Workers' International from the 1962 election ballot with claims that the party had too many members working with separatist groups such as the People's Army of Tosutonia.
In 1962 the National Union government would deploy military forces in Tosutonia, and the next year Esmeira and Visega. These military deployments also included setting up military outposts and checkpoints across the western regions of Paretia. He also set up increased military defenses on the western border of Paretia, namely Etruria's border, this caused increased tensions with Etruria. In 1962 the Paretian government would conduct Operation Falange which would arrest and take down many separatists cells, but not enough to crush them.
In 1962 Freitas met with world leaders such as August von Münstermann in Werania and Guian FitzHubert of Estmere. He would call Werania and Estmere "our nation's greatest allies in the fight against councilism and equalism".
Second term
In the 1962 election the UNP would gain more seats in both houses of the Senado de Paretia. Freitas would continue to be the leader of the UNP and would strengthen ties with Werania and Estmere during his second term. Paretia and Estmere would send military support Nise against the socialist forces of Sohar and their allies during the Anniserian War which began in 1963. Despite this, he met with socialist leaders such as Eduard Bojchenko.
Despite his close relationship with the governments of Estmere and Werania, Freitas the UNP were against joining the Euclean Community, claiming that the Union would hurt the economic state of Paretia, which was seeing a economic upturn during this time. He would maintain a close relationship with the EC despite this.
Freitas would begin to privitize certain sectors of the economy in 1963. In 1963 far-right militant groups such as the Rebirth of the New Nation would rise up in response to the separatists. The 1964 Sandoralia attack against SPIO supporters commited by the far-right and street brawls between far-right and far-left elements in the western regions lead to the government to respond to the far-right by beginning to target them alongside the separatists.
Third term
Another far-right attack targeted the PTP women's section in 1966. The far-left responded by targeting the UNP's National Sotirian Force who they claimed were supporting the far-right terrorists. The government began to focus their energy even more on the far-left due to this, this lead to less resources going towards dealing with the far-right groups. After this was made public, protests against Leonel Freitas began, he would resign from his job as Premier and became Deputy Premier under his ally Danilo Abril, leader of the Catholic Democracy Party.
Deputy Premiership
Continued fighting between the far-left and far-right would occur during Freitas' time as Deputy Premier. The assassination of the far-right's Narcís Montoliu and kidnapping and killing of the far-left's Ysabet Filella lead to more calls for further action to be done against the violence.
Danilo Abril, now Premier, would meet with Freitas and Guilherme Rocha on what to do next. They would plan a massive combined police and military operation against the separatist terror groups. Ricard Florensà, member of the PDC and Regional Premier of Tosutonia would be a key player on the creation of Operation Rainha.
Operation Rainha saw the arrested of the leaders of the most of the major left-wing separatist groups, and the deaths of two of them, including EPT leader Jordi Fajardo. A national emergency declarationw as used to give the UNP new powers to combat the separatist groups in the western regions. The operation today is considered a success, but it did not target the far-right, this was a major criticism of the operation, despite the success of the operation, it did not completely destroy the EPT, the remnants of it continued to operate unti 1971.
Assassination
Operation Rainha struck a fatal blow to the EPT, which was now in a dying state with members leaving continuously. The EPT sought revenge for the killing of it's leader Jordi Fajardo, it planned to attack the UNP government as retaliation.
The EPT would target Guilherme Rocha and his family, and Leonel Freitas and his family, in this attack. On March 30 1969 the EPT would simultaneously place a car bomb targeting Rocha and Freitas separately in Precea. The attempt on Rocha was foiled quickly and the bomb diffused, the attempted gun attack on his family was also stopped.
At the same time, Freitas would be killed by the car bomb meant for him. The attempt to attack his family would go through but was stopped mid attack by guards. Freitas' daughter Inês would be wounded in the attack, but survived.
This attack would be the last major act by the EPT. Freitas was replaced by Raimon Gaudí as Deputy Premier. Danilo Abril would not run for re-election and would have Caetano Ribiera da Vila, the new leader of Popular Alliance, take over the UNP's candidate, he would serve as Premier from 1969 until the collapse of the UNP government in 1972.
Personal life
Leonel Freitas was a devout Solarian Catholic, many of his relatives and close friends would work for the church.
Freitas married his wife Anabel Solís in 1937, she was the sister of the left-wing politician during the Republic, Diogo Solís. She would die of liver cancer in 1962. Freitas would have his only daughter, Inês, take the position his wife had in political affairs.
Leonel Freitas and Anabel had four children, Martim (born 1938), Raúl (born 1939), Silvío (born 1941), and Inês (born 1942).
