Erik Hughmann

Erik Hughmann is the eleventh and current president of the domain Conquista. He is a member of the Casian tribe, and came into power in late 751 BC following on the murder of Justin Crowblack and the judicial killing of Forton Builterman. He published his autobiography, Siervo de la Nación, in 755 BC.

Rule

As a ruler, Hughmann initially proved retiring but efficient. The people of Conquista see him as a "good" president because he does not personally make waves and is hesitant to pass laws. He saw to it that trade continues to flow between Conquista and its neighbours, and improved government efficiency by allowing local authorities to pass laws and directive provisionally; if the central government later decides not to ratify these laws, they can be scrapped with "minimal damage". In contrast, he proved more active when it came to preserving domestic law and order; he reacted to the Butterfly Murders of 752 BC and 753 BC by improving Hombre Valiente patrols, and refused to hush up the killings. Instead, he let the press - especially la Presse Libre - free reign, and appointed Francisco Hareleg to investigate the fire-bombing of the press agency's office in Alsem in the summer of 753 BC.

A Retirement Delayed

Although he was initially a member of the political party Prosperidad, Hughmann was 'persuaded' (read: blackmailed) - and given the funds - by his own political party to run as an independent candidate in 755 BC instead of retiring. In spite of holding a lackluster campaign, he won by a landslide and was reinstated for a second term. He tried to retire again in 759 BC, only for the government offices to present (read: fabricate) a slew of minor issues and requesting he stay on 'until the crisis was resolved'. When he declared the 'crisis' well and duly resolved in 761 BC and once again announced his intention to retire, his palatial residence was destroyed by an explosion, obliging Hughmann to stay on until he had amassed enough funds to build himself a new place to live after his retirement.

The Man Who Would Be Redundant

The scholar Ciska theorizes that the Conquistan government is forcing Hughmann to stay on because he is 'a convenient weak man in a position of power'. As he has no political party backing him, he must struggle to keep all the parties and power blocs happy. This has backfired somewhat, as President Hughmann has taken steps to make himself unneeded, ceding authority to government offices and regional government that should be tightly controlled by the President, and giving los Hombres Valientes even more freedom than they already had. As a Dread Possibility, Hughmann might sponsor and railroad Conquistan adventurers so they become more appealing candidates for the presidency, allowing him to finally quit.

Statistics

True Neutral middle-aged male human Aristocrat 2 / Expert 3