Piero Galimberti
Piero Galimberti | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 32nd President of Marirana | |
| In office 8th July 1952 – 15th October 1953 | |
| Vice President | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Jordi i Teixidor |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Michelozzi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 14, 1908 Ayotoxco, Marirana |
| Died | December 25, 1967 (aged 59) Monticello, Marirana |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Cantone (m. 1928–1967) ; his death |
| Profession | Soldier |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Sotirian State of Marirana (1926-1934) Provisional Government of Marirana (1934-1940) Sixth Mariranan Republic (1940-1953) |
| Branch/service | Air Force |
| Years of service | 1926–1953 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Battles/wars | Great War Lanzstra rebellion |
Air marshal Piero Galimberti ( was a Mariranan military officer who served as the president of Marirana from July 1952 to October 1953. Taking power following the fall from power of president Jordi i Teixidor. Galimberti played an important role in the democratisation process that led to the eventual signing of the Pact of Democracy. He was nicknamed the "Peasant President" due to his humble origins.
Galimberti was born in 1908 joining the aviation section of the Marianan navy in 1926 during the Great War under officer Niccolò Pellegrini. Galimberti joined Pellegrini in defecting to the pro-Grand Alliance National Liberation Council in 1934 where he served as a close ally to both Pellegrini and general Antonio Michelozzi. He was dismissed from the NLC in 1937 alongside Michelozzi and removed from the military by NLC chairman Edoardo Braghetto but was reinstated by Pellegrini after the latter was elected president in 1940. He played an important role in the creation of the Mariranan air force from being its own entity rather than a branch of the navy.
Galimberti maintained influence under Jordi i Teixidor thanks to his political neutrality and commitment to republican institutions. When i Teixidor fled Marirana after widespread dissatisfaction with his governance Galimberti was installed as president thanks to his existing clout within the military alongside his connections with the political opposition. As president Galimberti's main focus was on political liberalisation after the authoritarianism of the i Teixidor years although he maintained the legal status of the Mariranan Section of the Workers' International as a terrorist organisation. He also launched the beginning of import-substitution industrialisation policies. Galimberti presided over democratic elections in 1953 which saw his old colleague Michelozzi become president with Galimberti being a key figure in the creation of the Pact of Democracy that allowed for a peaceful transition of power.
Early life
Galimberti was born in 1908 in the small town of Ayotoxco, an isolated town in the rural highlands of Catacosi. His parents were of partial indigenous descent with Galimberti having several brothers and sisters. His family suffered during the Great Hardship with Galimberti later recounting how his family trekked across the country to the city of Aquinas. Galimberti received religious education in Aquinas learning to read at the age of 6 leaving school at the age of 16 to work as an apprentice to a shoe maker.
In 1928 he married Maria Cantone whom he met as a typewriter employed by the government whilst studying at the Sant'Agata Aviation Academy. They would go on to have five children, 4 girls and a boy.
Military career
In 1926 at the start of the Great War Galimberti was conscripted into the Mariranan army, electing to join the navy as an ensign. In 1927 he was transferred to the Naval Aviation Corps, which served as the de facto airforce of Marirana in both a ground support and interception roles serving as a flight cadet training at the Sant'Agata Aviation Academy that was founded in 1926. At the academy he met fellow naval aviator Niccolò Pellegrini who would become his commanding officer in 1929. Galimberti was assigned to a combat squadron in 1929 where he recorded 7 victories in combat mainly against the Asterian airforce. In 1932 he was severely injured in the hip after aerial combat, becoming out of action for a year.
In 1934 he alongside his commanding officer Pellegrini defected from the Sotirian State of Marirana to the Provisional Government of Marirana, a collection of anti-Castello generals including Pellegrini, Antonio Michelozzi, Jordi i Teixidor and Edoardo Braghetto. Pellegrini was soon appointed as the chief of staff to Michelozzi with Galimberti serving under as his assistant. Galimberti was in October 1934 appointed as the military governor of the Umbertide region where he served alongside Asterian general Jean Espery. As military governor he ordered units within the free Mariranan army to forcibly dissolve Guardia Rurale units. He was promoted to a wing commander in 1935 at the end of the war.
After the war Galimberti was appointed as a member of the National Liberation Council, showing his increasing clout within military circles. He alongside Pellegrini and Michelozzi supported the Asterian occupation forces suppression of the Lanzstra rebellion whilst still acting as the governor of Umbertide. In this role he approved of Asterian tactics of bombing raids and summary executions against Lanzstra rebels which attracted controversy.
In 1937 the head of the NLC, Michelozzi, was forced to resign by the head of the Asterian Civil Administration of Marirana Steven Watters for his nationalist and perceived anti-Asterian attitude. His replacement, Edoardo Braghetto, dismissed members of the NLC deemed to be anti-Asterian as part of a wider purge of the free Mariranan forces. Galimberti due to his proximity to Pellegrini was dismissed from the NLC and as Umbertide governor, being additionally barred from rejoining the military. His service in the war however meant that his dismissal was accompanied by financial compensation that enabled him to buy a property near Monticello where he subsequently worked as a coffee farmer. He was invited by both Michelozzi and Pellegrini to join their Rally for the Republic party but declined out of his distaste for politics.
In 1940 Pellegrini was elected to the presidency over the Asterian-favoured candidate i Teixidor. Pellegrini repealed much of the military purges performed by Watters and Braghetto resulting in Galimberti to be reinstated to the military, receiving a promotion to the rank of air commodore within the newly created Mariranan air force. As one of the most senior officers within the new air force Galimberti focused on carving a distinct role for the air force, decoupling it from its links with the navy and promoting a modernisation of air models from piston aircraft to jet aircraft. In 1944 Galimberti was promoted to the position of air marshal by president Emilio Štromajer, effectively making Galimberti the head of the airforce as a whole.
In 1945 Jordi i Teixidor, Pellegrini's rival, was elected to the presidency. Although Galimberti was personally close to several figures from the Rally for the Republic party he was politically considered neutral supporting republican institutions, a secular state and a civilian controlled military. As such he was not considered to be a political threat by i Teixidor and retained his position as air marshal where he continued to advocate for a modernisation of the air force. A cable from the Asterian embassy in 1950 identified Galimberti as a "hardworking, professional military man" but that he was politically closer to anti-Asterian politicians.
Presidency
In June 1952 i Teixidor attempted to change the constitution in order to eliminate presidential term limits. By this point his presidency was widely seen as authoritarian with rampant electoral fraud and the use of the National Guard to suppress political opponents. Protests broke out at the news of i Teixidor's attempt to amend the constitution that were exacerbated when a group of intellectuals co-signed a letter urging i Teixidor to resign. As protests in Aquinas and Santa Maria worsened Galimberti alongside other members of the military liaisoned with the Asterian ambassador, Frederick Rosen, who attempted to secure assurances that the military would remain loyal to the government. The military refused this guarantee considering the i Teixidor government to be to compromised to continue and instead urged Rosen to lobby Asteria to withdraw their support for i Teixidor so a cross party government could be formed that would reliably maintain Marirana's Asterian alignment.
On the 2nd July Rosen confirmed to the generals that Asterian would not oppose a "resumption of democratic order" to Marirana if opposition figures such as Michelozzi were not appointed president. On the 3rd July the military gave i Teixidor an ultimatum to either resign from the presidency or face an armed insurrection. His support base having collapsed i Teixidor chose to flee the country on the 4th July, but did not submit a formal letter of resignation as demanded by the generals. The military formed an ad hoc junta to govern the country but did not appoint a leader, reaching out to opposition leader Silvano Brazzi on who would constitute an acceptable interim president. The opposition parties (Brazzi's RPR and Michelozzi's Anti-Revolutionary Party) unanimously agreed Galimberti with his links to Michelozzi and late president Pellegrini was their choice for an interim president. Sensitive to the deteriorating situation in the country the military agreed and on the 8th July declared i Teixidor was unfit to carry out the duties of the presidency and that Galimberti would function as interim president.
Democratisation
The most pressing issue of Galimberti's presidency was on the future of the country. Although the military had promised to eventually oversee democratic elections there were many in the high command that wished to highly control this process by creating a pro-military party that would be rigged to win any upcoming elections. As well as this the National Guard continued to be regarded as close to i Teixidor and his Republican Democratic Concentration party.
Galimberti soon allied with liberals in the military who wished to democratise the country whilst keeping the military under civilian control. One of the first acts of Galimberti was to formally dissolve the National Guard and the CDR party which were portrayed as enemies of democracy, eliminating a key source of pro-i Teixidor support. Galimberti subsequently held a conference between members of the RPR and PAR parties to schedule a timetable for elections that would produce a democratic government for Marirana.
Meetings between military and political figures lasted for several months deciding the future of the country. It was decided that the Asterian-imposed 1939 constitution would be maintained with an amendment that the presidency be restricted to a single five year term. Numerous conventions however also were decided. The winner of every election would not be contested by the loser, who would be appointed vice-president by the victorious candidate. National unity governments would de facto be in force with the PAR and RPR sharing common principles on a liberal democracy, developmental policies within a market economy and a balanced foreign policy with positive relations with Asteria. The parties would also continue partial conscription, improved salaries and grants for housing and social programmes. The military was able to be assured modern equipment and most importantly amnesty from any crimes committed under i Teixidor. Elections were to be held in 1952 for the houses of congress and 1953 for the presidency.
The agreement became known as the Pact of Democracy and was credited for bringing stability to Marirana's institutions. However Galimberti was criticised from the left for maintaining the legal status of the Mariranan Section of the Workers' International as a terrorist organisation whilst more general criticism stated that the pact would result in a "party cartel" between the RPR and the PAR with no real change in government policy.
Economy
Galimberti's government inherited an economy that had dipped in a slight recession due to a global fall in food prices. Galimberti largely left economic policy to his adviser general Sergio Albano who promoted a policy of import substitution industrialisation which had previously been in place from 1908-1945 before being abandoned by i Teixidor. Under Galimberti there was greater investment in industry resulting in a small economic upturn. The government under Galimberti also instituted measures to contain credit and cut public expenditure on non-infrastructure projects. These policies were unpopular with the public when coupled with Galimberti's stringent enforcement of i Teixidor's anti-trade union policies.
Elections
In November 1952 Galimberti presided over congressional elections for the House of Senators and the House of Councillors as per agreements with opposition parties. In the November elections the Partito Anti-Rivoluzionario won a supermajority in the House of Senators and a majority in the Councillors, results seen as an endorsement of exiled war hero Antonio Michelozzi. The excellent results of the PAR persuaded Galimberti to lift Michelozzi's ban of public office in the country leading to Michelozzi to return from exile in Estmere.
The PAR largely worked with the RPR in Congress which frustrated Galimberti's government agenda. Notably an attempt to appoint judges to the supreme court from seats vacated following the fall of i Teixidor was voted down by Congress on the grounds that the president to be elected in 1953 should decide on the composition of the supreme court.
The 1953 elections, originally scheduled for February, were delayed to June in December 1952. The military were accused of delaying elections so they could attempt to form their own political and nominate their own candidate due to the perceived dissatisfaction within the military regarding the Pact of Democracy. This resulted in congress to formally consider impeachment against the president for obstructing democracy leading to Galimberti to deny plans to create a military backed party and to support the pact to its fullest, dismissing military members of his cabinet and appointing opposition politicians.
The presidential election of 1953 saw the PAR candidate Michelozzi win a decisive victory over Silvano Brazzi, the RPR candidate. Michelozzi immediately pledged to uphold the pact of democracy and maintain alignment with Asteria, quelling fears of a radical new direction. In October 1953 Galimberti formally stepped down as president after Michelozzi was inaugurated.
Retirement and death
Following the end of his presidency Galimberti retired from both the military and public life, continuing to work on his coffee farm in southwest Marirana. He refused to be involved further in politics but upon his retirement urged the military to continue to refrain from intervening politics.
Galimberti died after a stomach ulcer burst in 1967 at the age of 59 in his home in Monticello. He was survived by his wife Maria Catone who would later pass away in 1974.