Cassious Castovia
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Cassious Cartreau Castovia | |
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 Cassious Castovia's official Presidential photo portrait, 2010 | |
| 30th President of Zamastan | |
| In office November 16th, 1982 – September 22nd, 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Damian Lorrie |
| Succeeded by | Josiah Elliott |
| 35th President of Zamastan | |
| In office September 22nd, 2004 – December 5th, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Camren Ellison |
| Succeeded by | Zacharias Castovia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 11, 1949 Anchorhead, Alenchon, Zamastan |
| Died | December 5th, 2015 (Age: 66) Providence, Northern Isle, Zamastan |
| Cause of death | Brugada Syndrome |
| Nationality | Zamastanian |
| Political party | Blue Conservative Party (Zamastan) |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Spouse | Mara Camden Castovia |
| Children | Zacharias Castovia |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | William Castovia (Great-Grandfather), Percy Castovia (Grandfather) |
Cassious Cartreau Castovia was a Zamastanian politician who served as the 30th President of Zamastan starting in 1982 until 1986, but he served a non-consecutive term when he was elected in 2004 until his death in 2015. He initially assumed the presidency in an emergency election after the death of President Damian Lorrie. Prior to the presidency, he served as the Governor of Zian and had additionally served on one of that state's main appellate courts. He is widely considered to be one of the most consequential leaders in Zamastanian history, seen as a strategic diplomat and one of the most powerful leaders of his time. Castovia presided one of the largest economic surges in Zamastanian history, and he passed several pieces of legislation that improved basic civil rights for its citizens, such as the legalization of same-sex marriage in 1983 and the expansion of voting rights. Under his administration, Zamastan was one of the few countries relatively untouched by the 2005 Financial Crisis.
Despite his prowess as an economic stimulator and a champion of civil rights, he was notorious for the conflicts he engaged Zamastanian forces in; presiding over both the First War in Vulkaria, which he began, and the Second War in Vulkaria, which he ended. Castovia's tenure in office oversaw the nominations of 3 justices to the Supreme Court; Humphrey Bullock, Julie Beaumont, and Isaiah Mccormack.
Castovia passed away of unexpected and undetected Brugada syndrome on December 5th, 2015. His son, 25 year old real estate and tech billionare Zacharias Castovia, assumed the Presidency on January 1st, 2016.
Early Life and Career
Cassious Castovia was born on August 11th, 1949, in Anchorhead, Alenchon. He was born to Scott Castovia and Amanda Castovia, part of the illustrious Castovia Family, being the grandson of Percy Castovia and the great-grandson of William Castovia. As he was born during the World War, his father and mother were often busy performing civic duties as part of President Marvin Gaviria's stride to boost national morale. Following the war, Scott moved his family to Tregueux, Tregueux. Cassious attended primary schools in the Tregueux public school districts.
Education
In 1966, he was accepted into University of Tofino, where he studied law. Academically, he was a poor student but was considered a natural leader among the students and elected class president during his junior and senior years. He would later say he found law school "the biggest bore in the world" and that he pulled many all-nighters to get by. During his first year there, Castovia was accused of having plagiarized five of 15 pages of a law review article. He said it was inadvertent, because he did not know the proper rules of citation. He was given an F and required to retake a course. He graduated in 1971.
He had a problem with stuttering throughout his life, especially in his childhood and his early twenties, and often said he had helped reduce the problem by spending many hours reciting poetry in front of a mirror.
Family and Personal Life
On August 27, 1968, while still a law student, Castovia married Mara Camden.
During Cassious' presidential administration (and the night of his reelection to a 5th term) on September 22nd, 1990, Mara and Cassious had their first and only child, a boy named Zacharias Castovia. This marked only the second time in Zamastanian history that a President had a child while in office.
Governor of Zian
In 1974, at the age of 25, he was elected to the Governorship of the Province of Zian as the youngest ever governor elected in the nation's history. He ran as a member of the Blue Conservative Party. As Governor, he unveiled several tax cut legislation plans as well as plans for oil drilling off Zian's coast, which brought much criticism from environmental groups and many members of the Green Liberal Party. Castovia famously ran against President Elene Abotsford in 1974 as the youngest ever Presidential candidate at the time, but was crushed in the election by a wide margin. Castovia would not seek Presidential election again until the 1982 emergency election.
Early in 1975, the national debate on abortion was starting to gain traction. In the early stages of the debate, GLP Zian provincial senator Anthony Cilenson introduced the Therapeutic Eased Abortion Act in an effort to reduce the number of "back-room abortions" performed in Zian. The provincial legislature sent the bill to Castovia's desk where, after many days of indecision, he reluctantly signed it on June 14, 1975. About one million abortions would be performed as a result, mostly because of a provision in the bill allowing abortions for the well-being of the mother. Castovia had been in office for only five months when he signed the bill and later stated that had he been more experienced as governor, he would not have signed it. After he recognized what he called the "consequences" of the bill, he announced that he was anti-abortion. He maintained that position later in his political career, writing extensively about abortion.
In 1978, Castovia abolished the death penalty in Zian, making it the second province in the country after Cayenne to do so. This angered a significant amount of Castovia's conservative base, which was already largely upset about his decision surrounding the 1975 abortion bill. In 1979, during a reelection cycle, Castovia signed the Dinnean Act, which passed a law allowing the public carrying of loaded firearms. This, in addition to his public comments about his personal convictions about abortion, was able to secure his conservative base once again and win him reelection.
In addition to being Governor of Zian, Castovia served on many Congressional Hall committies, such as the Committee on the Judiciary, Committee on Renewable Energy, Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on International Peace. Castovia was an instrumental figure in President Quinn Werner's strive for peace between Emmiria and Mulfulira, brought to a conclusion through the Emmiria–Mulfulira Peace Treaty in 1979. Under President Aiden Avery, he assisted in negotiations between South Sotoa and Constantio to ease tensions surrounding international fishing in the Sotoa Sea in 1981.
Rise of the Conservative Party
The Blue Conservative Party expanded its base throughout the country, especially in more rural areas and french-speaking provinces after 1976 (with the election of Aiden Avery, largely due to its strength among socially conservative white Evangelical Protestants and traditionalist Verdusan Catholics, added to its traditional strength in the business community and suburbs. As white and Christian liberals in the rural areas lost dominance of the Green Liberal Party in the 1990s, the region took on the two-party (sometimes three or four) apparatus which characterized most of the nation. The Conservative Party's central leader by 1980 was Cassious Castovia, and the party's conservative policies called for reduced government spending and regulation, lower taxes, and a strong anti-Beleroskov, Drambenburgian, and Yuaneze foreign policy.
First Presidency (1982-86)
Following the death of Damian Lorrie in the crash of the Presidential plane, an emergency election was held in which Cassious announced his candidacy. He ran along his affiliated Conservative party roots and won in a large margin of victory.
Domestic Policy
Castovia’s first act in office was the renewal of public transport systems and safety in personalized vehicles following the Zian Prime 0 crash. The laws he passed set in motion the safety registrations for vehicles including seat belt laws that insured greater protection on the road. Included in this new system of safer roads was a complete overhaul of the current road system, including the installation of nationwide roundabouts as opposed to intersections, wider two lane roads with divergent exits, and more moderate speed limits. Castovia, depite initially being disregarded by many liberal lawmakers, promised to sign all the legislation Lorrie was not able to. Castovia signed the Lorrie Economic Plan, which was passed by Congressional Hall three weeks after Lorrie's death.
Economics
Cassious Castovia produced a major realignment towards conservatism in his 1984 landslide election, a significant achievement considering Zamastan was embroiled in the First War in Vulkaria. Castovia's economic policies and the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Stimulus Act of 1984 lowered the top marginal tax rate from 50% to 23% over the course of seven years. Castovia continued to downsize government taxation and regulation. Zamastan experienced a recession in 1992, but the negative indicators reversed, with the inflation rate decreasing from 11% to 2%, the unemployment rate decreasing from 10.8% in December 1992 to 7.5% in November 1994, and the economic growth rate increasing from 4.5% to 7.2%.
In 1995, Zamastan began importing oil, but as consumption kept rising and the nation's oil fields became less productive. Throughout the 1990s the world price of crude oil ranged between $10 and $40, and the average price at the pump did not exceed $1.40. Oil prices tripled after 2002, peaking at $147 in July 2001, about $4 a gallon; the price has continued to fluctuate widely. The theme of "energy independence" led to legislation mandating more fuel-efficient autos—even electric vehicles—and more efficient use of energy, ranging from insulation to new light bulbs. Even worse than the high price, was the fear of shortages. Many proposals and pilot projects for replacement energy sources, from ethanol to wind power and solar power were discussed and, indeed, funded by Congressional Hall after 2000. In the economic stimulus package signed by President Castovia in early 2002, billions of dollars were allocated for research and development of new energy sources.
After 2003, new methods of extraction opened up vast new deposits of oil in the Labret Formation in Pahl and the Northern Isle. As much as two trillion dollars’ worth of natural gas is potentially available in the Ziapet Formation deposits located in the historic 19th-century oil fields in Zian, stretching from Tofino through Jade into western Horseshoe Region. However, there is sharp debate underway regarding the environmental impact on the region's fresh water supply. The question of drilling in the Northern Islands National Wildlife Refuge (NINWR) was highly controversial, but the 2004 Tarin Gulf Oil Spill put all new drilling on hold.
Military Buildup
Castovia ordered a buildup of the Zamastanian Armed Forces, incurring additional budget deficits, which continued under his predecessors. Beyond the military operations in Vulkaria, Zamastanian troops also interfered in the Verdusa Civil War (1987-89), as well as in the Chezian War (1992-95), conducting operations alongside C.C.A. peacekeepers in Constantio, Cechena, Syraranto, and Achijan. Zamastanian Intellience Service operatives also embeded alongside rebel forces in Jaginistan during the Jaginistan Civil War which saw operations against Beleroskov-backed government forces.
LGBT Rights
Though most of his first official duties as President for the first quarter of his first term (6 months) were merely social issues, the Supreme Court and the Congressional members of the government discussed a growing trend in the global community – that of legalizing gay marriage. The LGBT community around the world had started gaining momentum, specifically in the fact that laws outlawing homosexuality were being abolished in many Euronian and Adulan nations such as Rio Palito, Quetana, and Austrolis around the 1980s. On June 4th, 1983, Castovia signed a bill that allowed for individual counties to allow their own passage of same-sex marriage. This was a hotly disputed act, but it progressed Zamastan’s social climate further towards the adapting world.
Voting Reform
Castovia also made a point to reform voting rights for minorities and immigrants who were granted citizenship following several decades of legislation that hindered voting opportunities and allowances.
Judicial appointments
Castovia's long tenure in office, specifically his second administration, ensured that he nominated 3 of the current 9 justices to the Supreme Court, packing the court with Conservative justices for generations. The justices are;
- Humphrey Bullock; Joined April 3rd, 1984 (40 years, 228 days)
- Julie Beaumont; Joined February 5th, 2007 (17 years, 286 days)
- Isaiah Mccormack; Joined October 2nd, 2015 (9 years, 46 days)
Foriegn Relations
Coalition of Crown Albatross
Castovia was sharply critical of the Coalition of Crown Albatross, once the darling of liberals. He repudiated what he felt was its corruption, inefficiency and failure to assist in the Vulkarian crisis. However, despite his own notions towards the organization, his administration often undertook responsibilities for the C.C.A., such as intervening in the Jaginistan Civil War following the 1982 invasion by Beleroskov and in the Verdusa Civil War.
Cadair Intervention
The Prydainian Conflict began on 9 December, 1983. The Republic of Prydania moved soldiers into Ruthin, a city clearly given to Cadair in the Rhyddid Treaty. This was seen as an act of war and Mab Darogan Gerallt Morgan met the challenge by taking military bases in Carmarthen and Pontypridd, which the Republic of Prydania controlled. On 4 January, 1984, Prydainian militants launched mortars into Cardiff and Machynlleth, causing twelve civilian deaths, four military deaths and ninety-seven injuries. On 18 January, 1984, President Castovia threatened to declare war on the Republic of Prydania if they didn't honor the Rhyddid Treaty. Thus the Prydainian Conflict ended.
Vulkaria
Alanis Pride Parade Bombing
On June 18th, 1983, a bomb detonated at a packed LGBT celebration rally in Alanis, killing 106 people and injuring over 400. This attack was originally thought to be perpetrated by a radical hate group, which was condemned by President Castovia and the leaders of nearly every allied nation of Zamastan’s. However, it was soon discovered that the attack was carried out by a terror group operating out of the newly founded nation of Vulkaria. Throughout the rest of the week, many more attacks took place against other targets. Most were small attacks that failed to kill people, however, two attacks of significance did occur that pressed Zamastan’s interest beyond domestic policy for the first time since the second world war. The first of these occurred on June 20th, where a bomb detonated outside of the Presidential Mansion in Tofino, killing seven security guards and four tourists. President Castovia wasn’t injured, but the glass windows of the Gaviria Room in which he was sitting did shatter and injure some of his aids. The second attack was a mass stabbing at the Tofino Airport which resulted in the deaths of three people and the injuries of nearly forty more. Zamastan demanded action, and Castovia started working on a military plan to put Zamastan back into the global schedule.
First War in Vulkaria
The 1982 Vulkaria Coup D'etat was the attempted militaristic overthrow by the far-left marxist of Vulkaria of the right-wing capitalist New Vulkarian People's Army government under the command of Bernard Coard. On April 2nd, 1982, Coard's forces were attacked at the Ministry in the capital city of Vulkar, which led to intense street fighting. Several executions and massacres were taken by both sides of the conflict, but eventually, the politics of the time won over for Coard's forces, when they were given supplies by several capitalistic nations - most notably Zamastan. On April 31st, Prime Minister Yaan'a Tillman was killed by the NVPA, along with many members of his cabinet. In May, the government was officially re-established when the NVPA took control of the capital, and Eugenia Charles was instated as the new Prime Minister. Resistance by the former-government forces and the new rebel-terror group, the Malvarian Liberation Front, continued to fight for control of the last urban centers. Fighting came to a stand still on June 23rd when NVPA forces took the last major city in Vulkaria, Amstelveen. However, sporadic fighting and isolated attacks from the M.L.F. would continue well into 1983.
The Castovia administration began supplying funds and weapons to heavily militarily-influenced government factions in Vulkaria beginning in 1983. In that year, with assistance from the Vulkarian national intelligence agency, the Zamastanian military organized and financed right-wing paramilitaries in the rural villages of Vulkaria, known as the Bungle-Bara. The tracing of secret funds for this scheme led to the revelations of the Zamastan–Bungle affair. In 1988 Castovia authorized the sale of arms in Vulkaria in an unsuccessful effort to free Zamastan hostages in the province of Mulwa; he later professed ignorance that subordinates were illegally diverting the proceeds to the Bungle’s. Castovia's approval ratings plummeted in 1988 as a result of the scandal, and though he won his 4th election, many Zamastanians began to seriously question his judgement. While the president's popularity improved in his final two years, he would never again enjoy the support he had had in 1983-4. The War in Vulkaria, though supported by most Zamastan’s in its reasonings, became a stalemate for the rest of the Castovia administration. The war officially ended on April 28th, 1991, after nearly 8 years of fighting, when Cassious Castovia announced the end to battle-operations within the region. Though the M.L.F. was not completely destroyed, their ability to wage war was significantly diminished. In the course of the war, 8,738 Zamastanian troops were killed, 23,393 Vulkarian troops were killed, and over 109,000 M.L.F. fighters were estimated to have died. Zamastan to this day is one of Vulkaria’s strongest allies and even has a military base within the region which serves as an air force stationing position.
Inter-Presidential Years (1986-2004)
Treviso Nuclear Crisis
The Treviso Nuclear Crisis was a disasterous nuclear meltdown which registers as one of the worst man-made disasters in world history, as well as the worst nuclear accident in world history. On January 26th, 1992, a nuclear reactor near Treviso, West Chanchajilla, shut down unexpectedly. The workers at the facility had little training, and the strain of continuous small errors led to the overheat and shutdown of one of the seven reactors. For roughly three days, the station was simply abandoned and closed, but the building heat (unknown to the facilities employees) resulted in a combustion explosion, destroying the reactor’s core, outer walls, and damaging the two reactors next to it. The damage then increased drastically as low-pressure systems caused cold air to vent into the heated cores, causing sparks that ignited a slimmed nuclear explosion. The reactor was located adjacent to the city of Treviso, and the explosion allowed radiation to escape that devastated the outskirts of the city, killing an estimated 5,600 people over the following three years. The West Chanchajillan government under President Parish White tried to cover up the incident, however when scientists detected the radiation plume in the atmosphere directly above Zamastan airspace, President Castovia called the Chanchajillan President as a show of force to block the contamination. Facing possible armed conflict over the crisis, the nation of Cadair used their pacifist stance to broker a peace treaty between the two nations, allowing for scientists to eradicate the contamination zone, evacuate citizens, and overhaul many nations' energy programs.
Second Presidency (2004-2015)
Second War in Vulkaria
In 1999, a new administration in Vulkaria was elected that was lenient towards more radical political thoughts. However, this unintentionally led to a revitalization of the M.L.F. and many other embattled groups wanting to take over power. A civil war erupted in 2000 once again, and the nation was embroiled with Zamastanian interests once again being threatened. President Camren Ellison announced a “red-line” against the rebels in 2003, and after his reelection, he decided to send aid to the Vulkarian government in the form of soldiers on October 4th, 2003. On October 15th, the full scope of the civil war’s brutality was realized by the Zamastan military when rebel forces stormed the city of Amstelveen and swiftly captured Vulkarian positions.
Castovia won his campaign for President against Ellison in 2004, and called for an end to the fighting. The war started to deescalate in late 2004 as rebels began to flee the region in shipping vessels for Teresta, Rumaztria, and Salubar. By February 6th, 2005, the remaining rebels surrendered. Costs of the Second Vulkarian War were staggering; 3,246 Zamastanian troops killed, 103,500 Vulkarian troops killed, over 720,000 rebels killed, and roughly 1.2 million citizens died amidst the brutal fighting.
The Castovia administration was praised for ending the war but extensively blamed for the immense loss of life, both from the allied military coalition and the Vulkarian populace. Including the citizens, soldiers, and rebels, roughly 1 in every 80 Vulkarians died in the war. The final death toll with all combined sides in the five years of fighting was 2.1 million people. Former President Ellison, seeking to re-win the presidency from Castovia in 2006, faced brutal drops in his approval ratings when, on April 21st, 2006, a leaked document showed that Zamastan bombers had been the cause of thousands of civilian deaths during the battles, specifically at Amstelveen and Barneveld. As this became further clear, Castovia was reelected to his 11th term as President in 2006 amid mild but still above average approval ratings. Among the prime debate topics during his run was the violent end to the conflict in Vulkaria and a percieved sense from many as Ellison being likened to a warmonger.
Death and funeral
President Cassious Castovia suddenly became ill in 2015. Perhaps the most consequential President up to that moment in history, Cassious Castovia passed away on December 5th, 2015, from diagnosed Brugada syndrome. He was 66 years old.
The State Funeral for President Cassious Castovia on December 15th in Tofino. The funeral saw the likes of family, members of his father’s cabinet, and world leaders; including Farhen Brooks of Vulkaria, Seswitch LaFlaunce of Gladysynthia, Nikolai Ubotrov of Beleroskov, Talaal al-Ayub of Jaginistan, Maurice Bousieras of Rio Palito, António Brafeo of Quetana, and Khayahad al-Azari of Emmiria. Cassious' son, Zacharias Castovia, gave the final speech in the eulogy for his father.
Though he had never discussed publically or with family an intention to run for President, Zacharias was approached by his father’s advisors who wanted him to run in the emergency election. He reluctantly accepted, but began campaigning more aggressively when he realized that he was running against Precilon Waltim, a man who had ties to populist socialism. Castovia, known for his vast enterprise, was a staunch fiscal capitalist and grew concerned about what a Waltim presidency could hold. In the week of elections, Castovia upped his political game of strong talk, financial workings, and promises for a revitalization of the economy. When the emergency election was held, even with low voter turnout, he won with 78% of the vote. Zacharias Castovia assumed the position of the 12th President of Zamastan on January 1st, 2016.
Legacy
Castovia's legacy became one of both honor and high regard as well as a steampot for controversy. The lasting effects of his aggressive foreign policy led to the collapse of the large communist powers of Beleroskov and Yuan, although the almost uncompromising use of military force led to a high disregard towards Zamastan across the world. Castovia's exact role is debated, with many believing that Castovia's defense policies, economic policies, military policies and hard-line rhetoric against the Beleroskov Union and Communism—together with his summits with General Secretary Nikolai Ubotrov—played a significant part in ending the Cold War.
Critics point to the use of the Zamastanian Armed Forces around the world during the 80s and early 2000s as a catalyst for the growth of terrorism seen through the Malvarian Liberation Front and Al-Fijar, although supporters point to a more secure world with few examples of conventianal warfare to point to. Castovia's economic policies no doubt strengthened and boosted the Zamastanian economy, although it had the inverse effect of making it unstable to change and adaptibility.
The 16 years from 2004-2020 have been dubbed by many as the Castovia Era, because it saw a near political monopoly by Castovia's constituents in the Blue Conservative Party. The administration of his son, Zacharias Castovia, followed by the turmoiled political years of Anya Bishop and Foley Sakzi's administrations are considered to be the winding down years, and the innauguration of Atticus Moreau is deemed the end of the Era. Castovia reshaped the Conservative party, led the modern conservative movement, and altered the political dynamic of Zamastan. More men voted Conservative under Castovia, and Castovia tapped into religious voters. The so-called "Castovia Liberals", liberal individuals voting with concerns along economic standing, were a result of his presidency.
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