Ociote Sasiambarena
Otxote Sasiambarrena Оцоте Сасіямбарена | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait of Otxote Sasiambarrena, 1996 | |
| President of Lemovicia | |
| In office 1 November, 1992 – 1 April, 2000 | |
| Premier | Fabian Duch |
| Preceded by | Saroi Garnica |
| Succeeded by | Igor Janusz, Hargin Saez, Jan Swiech, Eolo Larretche |
| 2nd Premier of Lemovicia | |
| In office 1 April, 2004 – 1 April, 2008 | |
| President | Hargin Saez Fabian Duch Eolo Larretche Weronika Mlynarska |
| Preceded by | Fabian Duch |
| Succeeded by | Jan Swiech |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ocote Lull Edurov 16 October 1934 Sechia, Narozalica (present-day Sechia, Lemovicia) |
| Died | 8 August 2012 (aged 77) Sechia, Lemovicia |
| Nationality | Narozalican (1934-1979) Lemovician (1979-2012) |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Spouse | Loxa Garnica |
| Children | 5 |
| Profession | Professor, politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Lemovician opposition |
| Years of service | 1980-1992 |
| Rank | General |
Otxote Sasiambarrena (Lemovician: Оцоте Сасіямбарена, Miersan: Oczote Szaszjambarena, Narodyn: Оцоте Сасямбарена, Ocote Sasjambarena), also known as Otxote Edurov (Lemovician and Narodyn: Оцоте Едуров, Miersan: Ocote Edurów, b. 16 October, 1934, d. 8 August, 2012) was a professor at the University of Sechia, a guerrilla leader, and a politician.
Born in Sechia to a professor at the University of Sechia, Otxote Sasiambarrena followed the career path of his father, becoming a fully-fledged professor by 1974 at the University of Sechia. In 1979, after publishing Freedom and Democracy, he was fired from his job, and he fully committed himself to politics. After Lemovicia gained independence under the National Syndicalists, Sasiambarrena opposed it, and became a key opposition leader. When the Lemovician Civil War broke out, he led the Liberal Democratic opposition forces against the Lemovician government.
Following the signing of the Alikianos Accords in 1992, he became a member of the Presidency, serving until 2000, during which time he served as Chairman of the Presidency from 1993 to 1994, and again from 1996 to 1997. Following his tenure, he entered the National Assembly, serving as Deputy Premier until 2004, when he became the second Premier, succeeding Fabian Duch. He served until he was defeated by Jan Swiech of the Socialists in 2008, after which he retired from public life.
Early life
Otxote Sasiambarrena was born in Sechia on 16 October, 1934 to University of Sechia professor Edur Astianashov and housewife Mertxe Astianashova, as the only son of Edur Astianashov and Mertxe Astianashova, and the eldest of three children. He was an excellent student in school, and sought to become a professor.
After graduating from school in 1952, he began attending the University of Sechia, with the intention of becoming a professor in the field of literature. After obtaining a specialist degree in 1958, he was recruited by the University of Sechia to be an Assistant Professor.
In 1962, Otxote Edurov successfully defended his thesis, and thus became a docent of literature. He continued serving as docent until 1974, when he became a professor of literature at the University of Sechia. In the late 1970s, as the authoritarianism of the Narozalic government under Vilem Gardos became more apparent, Edurov became more ensconced in politicis, particularly the liberal democracy being practiced in eastern Euclea.
Political career
Early political career
On 24 February, 1979, Otxote Edurov established the Liberal Democratic Association of Lemovicia, along with his colleague, Gizon Artalolea. While initially advocating for the democratisation of Narozalica, and the implementation of an eastern-style liberal democracy, Edurov was sympathetic to the separatist movements going on in the periphery of the Narozalic Empire.
In August 1979, just after the Second Narozalic Civil War began, Edurov published Freedom and Democracy, which expressed how a liberal democratic system as used in eastern Euclea would help benefit "all those striving for liberation from the Narozalic yoke," arguing that liberal democracy would help "ensure that all are represented," and promote "just economic policies" that would benefit all people, while ensuring that a new state can be built.
As a consequence of his essay, Otxote Edurov was dismissed from their position as professor at the University of Sechia. Shortly after his dismissal from his position at the University of Sechia, he legally changed his surname from Edurov to Sasiambarrena, asserting his ethnic Lemovician identity.
When Lemovicia declared its independence from Narozalica on 21 November, 1979 under the leadership of National Syndicalist leader Eztebe Tolaregain, Otxote Sasiambarrena supported the act of independence from Narozalica, although he criticised the national syndicalist ideology, calling it a form of neo-functionalism, and said that it would bring "great ruin and isolation to Lemovicia," and undermine Lemovician stability.
After Lemovicia gained its de-facto independence in December 1979, and instituted a new constitution which made Lemovicia into a single-party state governed by the National Syndicalist Union, Sasiambarrena said that the constitution would lead Lemovicia to a fate "much like Gaullica or Etruria: utter ruin."
Thus, in early 1980, as Tolaregain and Saroi Garnica's policies started to cause Lemovicia's economy to deteriorate, Sasiambarrena became a staunch critic, urging the National Syndicalists to "step aside and resign." On 5 March, 1980, he organized a rally at the Syndicates' Square (present-day Martyrs' Square) demanding the resignation of newly-elected leader Saroi Garnica. While the rally was initially peaceful, after the Lemovician Police Force and the Lemovician Armed Forces arrived at the square, they brutally suppressed the rally, with Sasiambarrena barely escaping death by spiriting away into a cafe.
Leader of the opposition forces
As March progressed, peaceful protests which sprung up across Lemovicia in imitation of the rally at Sechia kept being suppressed, leading to more protests and more suppression, Otxote Sasiambarrena gained increased prominence as the leader of an opposition faction which supported the reformation of Lemovicia into a democratic state, as opposed to the separatists who were led by Izydor Domzalski and Jan Swiech.
On 21 March, 1980, at the Syndicates' Square (present-day Martyrs' Square), Sasiambarrena declared himself President, saying that "as the current National Syndicalist regime has demonstrated time and time again that they do not care about the people of our country, the current regime is inherently null and void." This act would lead to the outbreak of the Lemovician Civil War.
With the help of a battalion, he was able to quickly secure control of the Lemovician-majority areas of Sechia, making it his base for the Liberal Democratic opposition forces in their fight against the Lemovician government. As the commander-in-chief, he proved to be an inept commander, as he much preferred to focus on the administration of the territories under the control of the opposition forces, while his lack of military skill greatly hampered his effectiveness. As well, he came into conflict with the Miersan separatists, as although Sasiambarrena proposed a military alliance with the separatists, the separatists refused the offer.
Over the next two years, while the opposition initially secured control over much of Lemovicia, their control was quickly squandered due to infighting between the opposition and the separatists, and Sasiambarrena's poor military leadership. Thus, by March 1982, after a pyrrhic victory in the second battle of Sechia, he was only in control over eastern Sechia, with western Sechia being under the control of Miersan separatists.
While there were discussions to remove Sasiambarrena from his role as commander-in-chief, Sasimabarrena ultimately maintained the position, partially due to his skill at diplomacy and administration. In June 1985, he was finally able to negotiate an alliance with the separatists to fight the Lemovician government, although the separatists were in a leading position in the alliance. At the same time, Sasiambarrena delegated his command authority to his generals, which although it was seen as "too little, too late" by many of his critics, helped bolster its position.
Otxote Sasiambarrena represented the Liberal Democratic opposition in the Alikianos Accords, and negotiated with Izydor Domzalski and Saroi Garnica to hammer a deal to end the Lemovician Civil War: when the agreement was signed on 22 June, 1992, the Lemovician Civil War officially ended. For the next few months, Sasiambarrena served with Domzalski and Garnica in a caretaker government while a new constitution was being drafted.
Presidency
After the new constitution was promulgated on 1 October, 1992, and the election called, Otxote Sasiambarrena declared his intention to run for a seat in the newly-established collective head of state on behalf of the Liberal Democrats.
He was part of the Liberal Democratic list, together with Izydor Domzalski, Gizon Artalolea, and Igor Janusz. Over the following month, Sasiambarrena campaigned throughout Lemovicia, urging voters to vote for the Liberal Democrats.
When the results came in on 1 November, Otxote Sasiambarrena was sworn in alongside Domzalski, Artalolea, and Jan Swiech, as the first members of the collective head of state under the new constitution. As Domzalski headed the list, Domzalski served as the first Chairman of the Presidency until 1 April, 1993, when Sasiambarrena became Chairman of the Presidency.
During his first tenure as Chairman of the Presidency, he oversaw the introduction of the second denar, and began advocating for increased ties with the Euclean Community. He was succeeded in 1994 as Chairman of the Presidency by Jan Swiech.
In 1996, he was re-elected to the Presidency, along with all the incumbents excluding Jan Swiech, who was defeated by Igor Janusz. This allowed him to serve as Chairman of the Presidency, as he had received the highest number of votes in the 1996 presidential election, which during this period, focused more on strengthening ties to the Euclean Community: when Fabian Duch attempted to bring Lemovicia closer to Samorspi in 1996, Sasiambarrena rebuked him, and the measure died on the floor. In 1997, he was succeeded as Chairman of the Presidency by Domzalski.
Deputy Premier
In 2000, as Otxote Sasiambarrena reached his maximum term under the 1992 constitution for the Presidency, he decided to run for a seat in the National Assembly of Lemovicia on the Liberal Democratic ticket.
Following his election, he was sworn in on 1 April, 2000, and was quickly appointed to Premier Fabian Duch's cabinet, succeeding Hargin Saez as Duch's deputy, thereby cementing himself as a successor to Fabian Duch.
During his tenure as Deputy Premier of Lemovicia, Otxote Sasiambarrena focused extensively on advocating for Lemovician membership in the newly-established Association of South Euclean States, viewing it as a "stepping stone" to future membership in the Euclean Community, as well as the economic development of Lemovicia.
Premier
By late 2003, as Fabian Duch announced his intention to run for the Lemovician Presidency, Otxote Sasiambarrena was quickly nominated by the Liberal Democratic Party apparatus to run for the position of Premier. With this, Otxote Sasiambarrena spent much of early 2004 campaigning for election, travelling across Lemovicia.
After securing forty seats in March 2004, he negotiated an agreement with the Northern Alliance, allowing the existing coalition to remain intact, and thus allowing Otxote Sasiambarrena to become the second Premier of Lemovicia, succeeding Fabian Duch.
Initially, Otxote Sasiambarrena was seen as an effective leader, but after the 2005 recession hit Lemovicia harder than the rest of the world, his popularity declined, particularly as the response by the Lemovician government failed to improve the Lemovician economy, despite giving tax cuts to corporations based in Lemovicia, and implementing some austerity measures. This meant that by the time the 2008 election was held, Sasiambarrena lagged behind Jan Swiech in the polls.
Despite Sasimabarrena's efforts to promote himself as the candidate who would save the Lemovician economy, when the results arrived, the coalition between the Liberal Democrats and Northern Alliance failed to reach the 56-seat threshold to govern with a majority, while the Socialists were able to form a coalition with the Miersan People's Union, the Lemovician Section of the Workers' International, and Aurrera. In addition, Sasiambarrena lost his own seat.
In response, Sasiambarrena resigned his leadership of the Liberal Democrats, and announced his retirement from politics, although he would remain a member of the Liberal Democrats until his death in 2012.
Personal life
Family
Otxote Sasiambarrena first met the 20-year old Gaxux Mimnermova in 1960. After a three-year period, they married in 1963, and they remained married until Otxote Sasiambarrena's death in 2012. They had two sons, Telmo Sasiambarrena, born in 1965, and Isaak Sasiambarrena, born in 1967, and a daughter, Ostatxu Kostrzewska, born in 1969.
At the time of Otxote Sasiambarrena's death in 2012, he was survived by all three of his children, and five grandchildren.
Political views
Politically, Otxote Sasiambarrena supported an eastern-style liberal democracy, saying in the 1979 essay Freedom and Democracy that liberal democracy would help "ensure that all are represented," and promote "just economic policies" that would benefit all people, while ensuring that a new state can be built. Under his tenure as Premier and as part of the Presidency, Sasiambarrena sought to build up Lemovicia's democratic institutions, and to develop a liberal democratic model "in a state torn by ethnic hatred." He supported official bilingualism, and "full equality for all citizens."
He was a strong supporter of Lemovicia to join the Euclean Community, arguing that it would help secure Lemovician independence from the Narozalics, and criticised Samorspi for its "role in bringing back the Narozalic Empire together."
Economically, Otxote Sasiambarrena was a supporter of neoliberalism, saying in 1989 that "when the war ends, it is important for Lemovicia to adopt a new economic model based on what the east has, in order to kickstart the reconstruction of our country." Under his tenure as part of the Presidency, and later as Premier, he oversaw the implementation of neoliberal economic policies.
Socially, he was relatively liberal, believing that homosexuality should be decriminalised, and supported legalising abortion in case of rape, incest, or if the woman's life is at risk.
Religion
Otxote Sasiambarrena was born on the feast day of Saint Lullus, and was thus given the baptismal name of Lull (Лулл).
Although he was baptised in the Episemialist faith, he stopped practicing the faith in the 1970s, believing the faith was "irrational," and that its continued influence in western Euclea "retarded the development of liberal democracy" in western Euclea. However, in 2003, he said that he was "culturally Episemialist," but described his religious beliefs as being agnostic.
Health and death
In his final years, Otxote Sasiambarrena suffered from deteriorating health: in 2009, he was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack, and following his hospitalization withdrew from public life.
On 8 August, 2012, Sasiambarrena suffered a heart attack in his own home in Sechia, and by the time an ambulance arrived, Sasiambarrena died at the scene at the age of 77. After an autopsy was taken, he was transported to the Town Hall, where he laid in repose, as per his final wishes.
On 12 August, a funeral was held at the town hall, before he was taken to his family grave in Babicz, where his ahaida originally came from.
Legacy
Honors
Domestic
TBC