Emília Medeiros

Emília Medeiros
Emília Medeiros in 2021
21st President of Quetana
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 November 2021
Preceded by	António Brafeo
Member of the National Assembly
In office 14 January 2011 – 5 December 2021
Personal details
Born	(1976-02-01) 1 February 1976 Ledua, Quetana
Political party	Socialist Party
Spouse	Gunnar Medeiros
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Vongane

Emília Medeiros (born 1 February 1976) is a Quetanan politician who is currently the President of Quetana since November 11th, 2021, having been elected on 11 October 2021. She is a member of the Socialist Party of Quetana and led the movement to the largest ever election victory by a Quetanan political party, which upended the António Brafeo administration and the SDP caucus. She is the second female head of state in Quetana after Jessica Castro (2001-06).

Before ascending to the presidency, she was a youth activist who led demonstrations for government action on climate change. First elected to political office at the age of 34 in 2011, she served as an MP in the National Assembly and quickly rose to prominence within the Socialist Party where she was notable for her demeanor and policies pursuing clean energy initiatives and anti-corruption legislation.

Medeiros is married to Gunnar Medeiros, a professor at the University of Vongane. The couple has three children; Emma, Rosaria, and Cristo.

Education and non-political career

Emília was born in Ledua. She graduated from the University of Vongane in 2000 with a bachelor's degree with a major in Qoati and a minor in English. She received her M.A. in Quetanan literature from the same university in 2004 for a thesis on the work of popular Quetanan crime writer Jermone Assaici.

Political career

MP Medeiros in 2015

Medeiros was elected to Vongane's 5th seat in the National Assembly in 2011.

Presidential Campaign

A poster for Emília Medeiros and the Socialist Party

As the leader of the Socialist Party, Medeiros announced her candidacy for the 2021 general election. The election had been delayed due to an agreement made in 2018 at the height of the economic crisis to extend debt ceilings and investment limits. Brafeo has already exceeded the constitutional limit granted for a single term without reelection, which required a controversial amendment that while passed with clarity to keep a functioning government increased his unpopularity. The inauguration for President was subsequently pushed from 14 January 2021 to 6 November.

Medeiros ran on a popular platform endorsing a levity tax; lowering taxes for middle and lower classes while giving an increase to the richest earners and corporations. She also promised to eliminate corporate and political corruption, a clear point to President Brafeo's ongoing scandal involving possible laundering. Opponents, specifically Gouveia and the Vox party, called her policies communist, although they followed in line with many of Brafeo's own social programs with the exception of corporate taxes. Medeiros also held a distinction among more liberal politicians in that she pursued stricter sanctions against Yuan, which was a hot topic in the election cycle because of tensions over the status of Gangkou. She also sought to keep closer connections with WEDA and looked to get Quetana involved in TAFCA and other trade organizations internationally.

In the two Presidential debates, she faced off against incumbent President António Brafeo, Celio Furtado, Bonifacio Gouveia, Fátima Amaral, and Diogo Andrade. It became clear quickly that polls widely considered either her of Brafeo to be the frontrunner, which essentially eliminated the other six contenders.

As polls closed across the country on October 11th, 2021, it quickly became clear that Emília Medeiros and the Socialist Party had won a sweeping and decisive victory against the incumbent President Brafeo and the SDP caucus, throwing a stunning 252-88 victory in what was expected to be a much closer race. The Socialist Party retained their control in the National Assembly by a far wider margin, nearly completely eliminating smaller party ability to form a opposition coalition and seizing a major majority for years to come. Medeiros carried the largest youth vote in the history of Quetanan elections.

President (2021–present)

Ian Abril succeeded José dos Reis as Prime Minister on October 13th, 2021, insuring the continuation of the Socialist Party control over the National Assembly. Medeiros was sworn into office by Abril on November 6th, 2021. In her inaugural address, she promised to keep her campaign promises by lowering lower and middle class taxes while raising corporate ones, removing corruption from government, and to pursue international cooperation on everything from strengthening the military to combatting climate change.

"I promise to be a President for all Quetanans, and we will commit ourselves to becoming a better nation. No longer will the sticks of corruption clog the machine of democracy. No longer will the lower and middle classes be left to scrounge while elites have their way with us. No longer will a single individual mandate our connection with other international governments. We will remove corruption - we'll dismantle the corrupt intentions of former governments and rescue the nation from the stricken recession stall of the past several years. We will increase our economy and the profit of all - corporations will no longer run away without taxation. We will work with the world, not as a drag-along but as a key leader. Our future is bright."

Emília Medeiros, Medeiros Inaugural Address, November 6th 2021

In her first act as President, Medeiros signed onto a proposal to bring Quetana into the Trans Adula Fair Commerce Accord (TAFCA), which was eventually approved by the National Assembly on December 27th, 2021. She also began meeting with MPs and senior cabinet appointees to pursue a reframing of Quetana's national healthcare system's approach to mental health and depression services. She also attended her first international conference in Charnesse, Kuresa, on November 7th as a pledge to combat climate change. Later that week on November 12th, she was present at the C21 in Freiz, Besmenia. She made headlines after she made an aggressive face-to-face interaction with Yuaneze President Xi Jingyi in which she called him a "master manipulator" and a "dangerous example of what those with no care for the world can do" Upon returning from the summit, she met with soldiers of the Quetanan Army in Albate during a training exercise on November 14th.

President Medeiros at the C21 Summit in Freiz, Besmenia on November 12th, 2021.

On November 21st, Medeiros made a second international visit to Artaska, meeting with President Emin Bisliev and vowing to back WEDA calls for mutual defense with the Sotoan Basin Union amid threats from Kyriakos Tasoulas against them. This same trip coincided with the killing of two Quetanan peacekeepers in Apatonia as the Biulundo conflict intensified, and Medeiros made a pledge with Mlamuli Ngotsha to send more Quetanan peacekeepers as part of the wider CCAMSA mission. In January of 2022, she attended the Leaders Summit in Alsace, Shoassau.

In accordance with WEDA guidelines in the wake of the 2022 West Nortua rocket attacks and fresh violence between the SBU and the Syrarantoan regime, Medeiros ordered two naval vessels to the Sotoa Sea on January 27th, 2022, to join Zamastanian and Emmirian naval forces congregating in the region. When Kyriakos Tasoulas was killed in clashes in Covijo, Medeiros approved a sweeping humanitarian aid package as Syraranto attempted to rebuild from years of conflict.

On April 7th, 2022, Medeiros' proposed tax reform program was approved and passed by National Assembly as part of her administration's budget proposal for the 2023 fiscal year 2023. The reform bill include a measure which ensured that those worth more than Q100 million pay a federal income tax rate of at least 20% on their income, including unrealized gains on assets -- which were previously not taxed. Despite hard pushback on the reform bill by the Conservative opposition in Parliament, the Socialist Party's significant majority allowed the bill to pass.

List of international trips

	Dates	Country	Locations	Details
1	November 12-14, 2021	Besmenia	Freiz	Attended the C21 Summit in Freiz to discuss economic policy. She gained notability after calling Yuaneze President Xi Jingyi a "master manipulator".
2	November 21, 2021	Artaska	Coplesti	Met with President Emin Bisliev, pledged mutual defense of the Sotoan Basin Union after threats made by the regime of Syrarantoan dictator Kyriakos Tasoulas.
3	January 10-12, 2022	Shoassau	Alsace	Attended the 2022 Leaders Summit.
4	March 10, 2022	Mulfulira	Chingola	Met with President Tayyib Hume.
5	April 22, 2022	Zamastan	Tofino, Arinals, Nanaimo	Met with President Atticus Moreau, delivered an address to Congressional Hall, participated in cultural exchange events in Arinals, and attended a ZFL game in Nanaimo.
6	April 26, 2022	Drambenburg	Essen	Attended the C21 Summit in Essen to discuss economic policy.
7	July 26, 2022	Caspiaa	Viitaniemi
8	July 28, 2022	Saint Croix and Bens	Saint Elmenau	Met with William Urskabau and Wira Santoso, and oversaw a WEDA training drill.
9	August 2, 2022	Qolaysia	Leonrau	Attended the funeral for President Nizaam bin Aayid.

Political positions

Domestic policy

Economy and taxation

Medeiros has campaigned against private finance initiative schemes, supported a higher rate of income tax for the wealthiest in society, and proposed the introduction of a higher hourly living wage. She advocates recouping losses from tax avoidance and evasion by investing in the Ministry of Tax and Finance. Medeiros sought to reduce an estimated Q93 billion that companies receive in tax relief. The amount is made up of several reliefs, including railway and energy subsidies, regional development grants, relief on investment and government procurement from the private sector.

Medeiros opposes austerity, and has advocated an economic strategy based on investing-to-grow as opposed to making spending cuts. During her first Socialist Party leadership election campaign, Medeiros proposed that the Bank of Quetana should be able to issue money for capital spending, especially housebuilding, instead of quantitative easing, which attempts to stimulate the economy by buying assets from commercial banks.

Medeiros has been a consistent supporter of renationalising public utilities, such as the now-privatised Quetana Rail and energy companies, back into public ownership. Initially, Medeiros suggested completely renationalising the entire railway network, but would now bring them under public control "line by line" as franchises expire.

Foreign policy

Medeiros's foreign policy has focused on strengthening Adulan-Euronian cooperation and international trade agreements.

Personal life

Emília is married to Gunnar Medeiros, a professor of law at the University of Vongane. The two met while they were students at the University, and married in 2001. The couple has three children; Emma (born 2002), Rosaria (born 2003), and Cristo (born 2005).

Emília's parents, named Ronaldo and Maribela, were married in 1977, four months after Emília was born. Medeiros has three younger siblings; Cecelia (born 1977), Ronaldo Jr. (born 1980, died 2002), and Aracilia (born 1983). Ronaldo Jr. served in the Quetanan Armed Forces and was killed in action in 2002 during the 1999-2005 War in Vulkaria. Emília Medeiros has stated that her brother's death impacted her greatly and contributed immensely to struggles with depression and mental health, which she has been publicly open about in the past.