Michael Solomon
| Michael Solomon Mikko Sol'omon | |
|---|---|
| |
| High President of the Twelve Commonwealths | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2nd January 2010 | |
| Vice President | Julia MacKinnon (Unionist and Conservative) |
| Preceded by | Darius Steward (SDP) |
| Constituency | Agruis Tir, Haligovina |
| Parliamentary Councillor for Agruis Tir | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 6th December 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Lucius Bennett |
| Constituency | Agruis Tir, Haligovina |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 2, 1942 Haligovina, Halsberg |
| Nationality | Citizen of Halsberg |
| Political party | Unionist and Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Marie Solomon |
| Children | None |
| Alma mater | Thurston Imperial University |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | Mikko |
| Allegiance | The Twelve Commonwealths of Halsberg |
| Service/branch | Halsberg Imperial Army |
| Years of service | 1971-1986 |
| Rank | Unknown, presumably one of leadership |
| Unit | Unknown |
| Commands | Unknown |
| Battles/wars | Battle of the Lien Colony, Battle of the Hinga Ruins, Clearance of the Oynenya Expanse, presumably others |
| Awards | High President's Personal Commendation of Bravery |
Michael Solomon is the current High President of Halsberg, having been elected to the post in early 2010. This followed a reasonably lengthy political career, along with an extensive background in business and the military. He is the first High President in several generations not to hail from the Social Democrats or Libertarian Coalition, and was one of the driving forces behind the modernisation of the Unionist and Conservative Party. Solomon is known for his no-nonsense and straight demeanor, along with a certain eccentricity. A warm and pleasant man to his friends, Solomon is often bad tempered and brutal with his opponents, according to those close to him.
Contents
Childhood and Education
Solomon was born in 1942, a year after Golgosa has entered World War Two. He was born in an underground train station as his family took shelter from enemy bombing. When he was a few months old, the infant Solomon was evacuated with his mother to the countryside, where he spent most of his early life. Following Golgosa's defeat in 1946, the Solomons returned to the capital of Haligovina and attempted to rebuild their family business; a small greengrocers. The young Michael attended the local Catholic school for several years, before being asked to leave, apparently because he was not religious enough. He was enrolled in one of the first secular schools in Golgosa, where he remained for the rest of his school career. When he was 17, the newly formed Confederacy of Halsberg declared war on Golgosa, quickly occupying the country. As such, the conflict failed to impact Solomon as much as it would affect others, with the fighting concentrated in the east of the region. A gifted student, Solomon was keen to enroll in the prestigious Thurston Imperial University, which he did following the war's end in 1962. Golgosa was incorporated into the Confederacy of Halsberg, as a confederate commonwealth, and, under the programme of reconciliation, Solomon was accepted into the Imperial University.
Military Career
After graduating from the Imperial University with a degree in history, the young Solomon sought a future with the military. He joined the Officer's Academy in Hellenburg, graduating in late 1975. Little is known of the years Solomon spent with the military. There is surprisingly little mention of the man in declassified army records, while Solomon himself has declined to elaborate on several occasions. What little is known is derived from Solomon's autobiography, "Michael Solomon: I Hardly Knew Me", where a small chapter is devoted to the decade spent with the military. It is known that he served during the Battle of the Lien Colony, where he played a key role in driving back the rebelling native barbarians. The Battle of the Hinga Ruins is also mentioned in Solomon's book. He claims he played a large role in the operation, where over 3,000 rebel Mormons had taken over the ruins of the Hinga Cathedral as part of their wider insurrection. Solomon went into no detail as to his rank, unit or role in these two events, and these details remain unknown. The future High President was photographed by a journalist during the Clearance of the Oynenya Expanse. The figure in the picture was identified as Solomon during his campaign for the High Presidency in 2009. It shows Solomon, in what appears to be a hitherto unseen variation of the special forces uniform, leading a small group of similarly dressed personnel into the headquarters of the Oynenya Horde. Moments later, the building was destroyed, officially by artillery fire. Unofficially, many have speculated that the High President planted an explosive device in the building, and was part of a secret special forces branch. The military, and Solomon himself, have refused to comment on the picture.
Solomon quietly left the military in late 1986, the circumstances of which remain unknown.
Post-Military Career
After leaving the military, Solomon returned to Haligovina. The first few years after leaving the armed forces were blighted by serious problems with alcohol, which, according to Solomon himself, stemmed from the culture shock of leaving the military. "Military service always kills you. Always. If its not the enemy's bullet, its the culture shock you get when you leave. Its reentering a world where there's no order, no structure. Where you don't have sleep with one eye open. Where you can make friends and they don't die the next day. It always gets you. Even when you think you've left it behind, you've never truly escaped from the military mentality." Solomon eventually found a job with the newly created BanKing Group, headed by the late Gordon King. Initially working in the office mail room, he quickly rose through the company, until eventually he was Vice President of the entire Group. Under his stewardship, the Genesys Banking Group, as it was renamed, became the second largest financial services provider in Halsberg. Concerned with the direction of economic policy the government of the day was taking, Solomon began to become more vocal in his criticism of the Social Democratic administration.
Political Career
Feeling increasingly dissatisfied by the policies of the Social Democrat administration, Solomon began to become involved in the political world. First becoming an influential lobbyist, he quickly realised that the political world was where he belonged. In 2002 he resigned as Vice President of the Genesys Banking Group and stood as a candidate in the Agruis Tir by-election to the Parliamentary Council. He stood under the banner of the Unionist and Conservative Party, which had won only one seat in the previous election. Despite this, Solomon won, and was elected as the UCP Parliamentary Councillor for Agruis Tir, a constituency in his home city of Haligovina. He fought the seat in several elections since, and remains the incumbent Councillor. It was during this time that he began to gain more and more influence within the UCP. Though change towards more socially liberal policies had already begun by this point, Solomon was determined to accelerate the process. Though his plans seemed to be working, with the UCP picking up a good deal more seats in subsequent elections, he made many enemies, particularly in his home Commonwealth of Golgosa and the within the catholic church. Many were unconvinced by his more progressive changes to the party, and numerous attempts were made to expel him from the party. Solomon's political opponents were, however, in the minority. Michael Solomon was elected leader of the UCP in 2008, and led the party to victory in the Parliamentary Council and Senate elections in 2009. He stood as a candidate for the High Presidency in December 2009, against Social Democrat incumbent Darius Steward. Solomon was declared the victor of the election, pushing High President Steward into third place behind the Libertarian Coalition candidate Kennith Madigan.
As High President, and with a Commonwealth Congress on his side, he passed sweeping reforms of the country with the intention of making it more "business friendly". He aggressively pursued economic deals with Halsberg's neighbours, and opened negotiations in late 2011 for Halsberg to join the European Union, which were completed in February 2012. As a member state of the EU, Halsberg has grown to become one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the region. High President Solomon has been keen to foster good relations with Halsberg's friends and allies, particularly in the neigbouring area. Poland-Lithuania, a trading partner for centuries, has become one of Halsberg's most important allies under High President Solomon. It is said that his close friendship with Polish President Karolina Kligenberg is partly to thank for this. Nearing the end of his four year term of office, Solomon shows no sign of slowing down, despite his relatively advanced age. He is one of the most well-traveled High Presidents in history, and looks set to continue this trend. It is as yet unknown if he will be contesting the next High Presidential election, due in December 2014.
Personal Life
The High President has been married to Marie Solomon since 2008. They met whilst Solomon was campaigning in St. Phillips and "...just instantly hit it off. We were inseparable for that whole campaign...", according to his autobiography. The two were wed later that year, in a private ceremony. Marie is Solomon's third wife; the first being well-known socialite Diane Rezal, the second being fashion designer Lise Emard. He has no children. Solomon is also fluent in the three main languages of Halsberg: English, Golgosan and German.
