Jean-Baptiste Calderone
Jean-Baptiste Calderone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Président of Inyursta | |
| Assumed office 1 May, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Peresque |
| Governor | |
| In office 12 January, 2014 – 30 August, 2017 (Left early for campaigning) | |
| Mayor of Cordoba | |
| In office 12 January, 2008 – 11 January, 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 18th, 1970 Fjorda De'Rivera, Inyursta |
| Nationality | Inyurstan |
| Political party | Coalition Inyursta Primiéro (CIP) (2017 - present) Unione Républicaire National (2007 - 2017) |
| Spouse | Gabriéle DuBascas Calderone |
| Children |
|
| Alma mater | Université Provençal de Victor LeBlanc |
Jean-Baptiste Julio Calderone-LeMarc is the current Président of the Inyurstan Republic. He was elected in January of 2018 and sworn in the following May. He is known for his promises to strengthen Inyurstan national defense and territorial sovereignty, and sometimes for his flamboyant rhetoric. It also known that he is a close personal friend of Cuscatlani Caudillo Carlos Silva.
He is unrelated to the famous counter-revolutionary leader Colonel Ricardo Calderone.
Early Life
Jean-Baptiste Calderone, often simply called "J.B.", was born to a lower class family in the favelas of Fjorda De'Rivera. Despite a somewhat rowdy and mischievous childhood he managed to do well enough in l'escola (high school) to receive an ROTC scholarship to attend Université Provençal de Victor LeBlanc, a local university where he studied law.
After graduation he was commissioned into the Inyurstan Army and assigned to an artillery regiment. Calderone served in the Southern Territories during the height of the Red Insurgency, and by the time he retired in 2000 he had acheived the rank of Major.
After he left the Army, Calderone worked as a state prosecutor in Cordoba. During this time he met his wife, Gabriéle DuBascas, and the two were married in a chapel overlooking the city. He was also a key prosecutor in the case against Fausto Iglesias, a lieutenant in a Cuscatlani cartel captured in Marindino. During this incident he became acquainted with a BOEP commander named Carlos Silva. In 2008 he ran for mayor of Cordoba and was elected, which began his political career. Calderone would serve as Governor of Central Marindino before running for Président.
Presidential Election
On April 21st, 2017 Calderone announced his intent to run for président of Inyursta. He sought the nomination for the URN party, and after beating out three competitors he won the party ticket. Prior to the general election he managed to earn the endorsements of the Martinezist Party and several prominent independents in the Legislative Assembly.
He campaigned on a platform of increased national security in response to several events which sources indicate the Inyurstan public found concerning, including Dorian Intervention in nearby Chuchara and the engagement of a hostile submarine off the coast of neighboring and allied Gran Cuscatlan. Among these points, he made a promise to "aggressively defend sovereign Inyurstan territory", a clause which many point to the Sea of Juarez Maritime Dispute as the prime motivation. Calderone's main supporting demographics were current and retired military and the middle class.
Calderone picked former Secretary of Monetary Policy (SMP) Alvaro Delacroiz as his running mate for Subprésident, in hopes to win over some of Peresque's economic supporters.
His main opposition was Senator J'acob de la Porçéza, running on the PCRL platform. De la Porçéza campaigned mostly on the economic sucesses of Jack Peresque, which earned him the solid support of the rural lower-class and entrepreneurs. Calderone defeated De la Porçéza by a historically low margin of less than 10,000 votes.
Internal and external observation groups have declared the election to be fair and legitimate. According to polls Inyurstan citizens feel the election was clean and overall avoided personal attacks and other dirty tactics.
Economic Policy
Calderone has announced a his plans to implement policies which will "strengthen the nation and the country". He has plans improve Inyursta's internal infrastructure to help increase the flow of goods and services throughout the country. Additionally, inside sources say that opening Inyursta to more foreign trade will be a primary goal of this administration. Jean-Baptiste Calderone has also been quoted saying: "Education is key to any nation's growth and stability, It is in the best interest of all Inyurstan's to invest in our future generations - future entrepeneurs, doctors, commanders, leaders, even if it means a tiny cost up front now."
A 1.5% increase in income tax and 10% increase in excise tariffs was discussed during his campaign trail, however it is unseen how this will turn out given the strength of his opposition in the Legislative Assembly.
His opposition has criticized his lack of attention to inflation and the associated average cost of living, as well as his (minimal) tax increases. They believe the policies of Peresque must be continued to ensure the sucess of internal growth and empowerment of the rural lower class and invigorate the economy.
Foreign Policy
A major tenet of Calderone's campaign and his subsequent administration is the strengthening of Inyursta's national defense. Since taking office he has approved the purchase of an additional Ohio Class SSGN, and the creation of an additional division of the Inyurstan Army dedicated solely to homeland defense.
Calderone's administration is also in full support of recent SACTO efforts to help create a global intelligence apparatus. Président Calderone has also signed off on plans to open a multi-national SACTO intelligence base in the highlands of central Marindino Suda.
He was also one of the major drafters and signatories of the COSTAL maritime accords which he claims will make it easier to enforce and defend Inyursta's marine territories.
Controversial Remarks
Jean-Baptiste Calderone has attracted both positive and negative attention for his often flamboyant and controversial remarks. During his tenure as Governor of Central Marindino, he is recording calling one of his opponents in the legislature "an arrogant and deluded piece of guano" in a debate about ending the state's so-called "Sniff & Search" program.
He also made a point just prior to his campaign to publicly label monarchy as "outdated elitist bull**** using tradition and blind patriotic lemmings to keep alive the world's first evil ideology". It is not known which nation or government he directed the comments at - if any - however many have their suspicions among nations hostile to Inyursta. He has been criticized by diplomatic professionals about his consistent anti-monarchy insults, many of whom claim his open and brazen remarks may strain diplomatic relations or cause some degree of untrust with some monarchist SACTO nations.