Sing Antonio Montemaggiore, the 12th president of Stanier (Mostly finished)

"The pride and honor della nazione, apart from la cittadinanza, is represented in la nostra forza armata. These new armored trucks will make sure it remains that way, and that during moments of hardship our gallant Carabinieri can swiftly and skillfully arrive to their destinations unscatched" - Sing Montemaggiore, in a press conference after delivering several new anti-riot trucks to the Stanierian Carabinieri, 2015

Sing Antonio Montemaggiore (August 13th, 1971 - ?) is a Stanierian businessman, politician, philanthropist, former Divisional General of the Stanierian Carabiner Corps, and currently the 12th President of Stanier. Montemaggiore is the first president to be elected cleanly after the 2007 Stanierian coup d'ètat, an event in which he served for the rebel faction that ultimately deposed the government of Mario Stria. Despite concerns of his former allegiance with the Stanierian Carabiner Corps, he has shown to be a civilian president, having assembled a cabinet comprised of civilian figures with no military experience and refusing to wear the military uniforms that the military heads of state before him wore in order to, in his own words, avoid giving the citizens of the nation the impression that they voted for a continuation of the military junta that ruled the country after the coup. He was reelected on the 2015 General Election with 53.2% of the final tally, awarding him with a second term of two years. He has expressed his desire to earn a third term when the time comes as well.

Life prior Military service
Montemaggiore grew up in the least favored neighborhood of San Carlo in the Cittadella Brioche, San Dino on somewhat favorable conditions, being raised in a caring family by her mother Chiquinquirá, a tailor without a job due to the war, and his father Osvaldo, a FApLS sergeant. when he was a small child he never left his home due to the ongoing war, but overall he was an exemplary son, he rarely cried and learned to talk at the age of seven months, walking at nine months, learned to read at the age of one and began to learn a second (English, in order to understand the foreign soldiers) language at the same age.

His life took a turn when he was two-years-old, since his father died on the battlefront whilst defending the Plaza Brioche and his house was bombed to shreds due to carpet bombing. This caused Sing and his mother to get out of Cittadella Brioche and onto a small town on the Allied-occupied Provincia Industriale, where his mother got a job at a Steel refinery and he began to experience the rollercoaster that is life. During this (2-5 years old), he was the young darling of the neighborhood due to having gained the affection of many adults that surrounded him, these years of his childhood were surrounded by lots of hugs, cheek pinching. He also made some friends too, having met during this period his life-long partner-in-crime, Ennio Barbaro after playing football with him during one of the many ceasefires that occurred during the 70s and early 80s (Up to this day they still fight over an alleged foul committed by a member of Sing's team).

Following the end of the war, Sing attended a school for the first time where he aced linguistics and philosophy but lacked cleverness for anything that included numbers and chemical elements, also to note is that during this time he met the woman who would become his wife several years later, Valentina Pasorelli, who he sought to date despite being several years than him (And studying on the Elementary wing of the school, which was supposedly restricted to middle school students), using his cunning charms to make friends, he eventually became one of Valentina's closest pals, and after quite some time, he confessed his love for her and proposed that both of them should enter a sentimental relationship. Valentina, being a naïve youngster, accepted without thinking it twice. Supposing it was on her best interests.

During this time Sing also strengthened his bond with Ennio Barbaro, who (By some coincidence) also began to attend the same school as Sing, albeit two school years behind. According to both of them, they established a little school gang between them and others of their many school acquaintances, which made small-time things such as reselling candy, pencils, notebooks, and other school utilities. It proved profitable because they allegedly had competitive prices on a working-class province such as Industriale, with people from all parts of the school district coming to buy. Between Sing and Ennio, they called this first venture: "Our little thing" (Italian: Nostra piccola cosa), and it would be the first of many to come.




Entrance to Carabiner School, Military service, and role in Coup
Following his exit from middle school and a lack of pleasing job opportunities, Sing enlisted himself in the Carabiner School in order to serve his nation, should the need arise. After getting clearance from the psychological ward, he immediately commenced his military instruction, which lasted a total of three years before finally entering formal service as a low ranking Carabineer in the north-east division of the Carabiner Corps, however, due to developed leadership skills he quickly rose the non-commissioned officer ranks, earning the rank of Vice Brigadier as early as four years into his military career, Sing's former superiors have described him as "An exceptional serviceman and potential leader, however with temperament problems", due to these alleged temperament problems and an incident where he sent a Senior Carabineer into a trauma-induced coma because of an alleged resistance towards obeying an order after being promoted to a Chief Brigadier in 2000, he was suspended and subsequently given a promotion freeze when the suspension expired, a freeze he was unable to appeal at the moment and persisted indefinitely, leaving him as a Chief Brigadier until the 2007 Military Uprising, when he was given a promotion to Divisional General as a way to reward his actions during the aforementioned uprising.

Also to note is that Montemaggiore, due to his way of getting people on his side, was highly influent within his Carabineer division despite his rank. Being able to command entire operations when the Divisional General simply thought it would be a great way to see if the promotion freeze he was given was actually deserved. Montemaggiore has completely directed counter-terrorism, anti-Organized Crime, and high-profile first response operations within the north-east area of Stanier and has at times represented his division on debriefings to the central command despite being only a Chief Brigadier at the time. By the time of the 2007 Coup d'ètat, his influences were working great, as he was about to be given a small but well-deserved promotion to Captain after all his years under a promotion freeze, according to leaked documents from a loyalist Colonel that had managed to successfully work on an appeal of his long-lasting promotion freeze.

After regretfully and forcefully participating in crowd control operations in Baia Imperiale on the heat of the 2006-07 Pro-transparency protests due to the north-east division being directly managed from the Cittadella, Montemaggiore was contacted by the Stanierian Intelligence Agency in order to coordinate a military rebellion in the north-east of Stanier, Sing didn't think about it twice and accepted the offer, preparing the operations that would happen under wraps and discreetly preparing the troops that were ready to rebel, and on April of 2007, after executing the new Divisional General sent by the central command to keep the north-east under control, the rebellion commenced in Baia Imperiale, which gave the order to garrisons stationed in other cities to rebel and storm the city halls. Whilst the small town mayors heeded the call to sum themselves to the uprising, the governors of the Colonia Churchill and Auditore, alongside the city halls of Baia Imperiale, Buona Città, and Porto Romano opposed major resistance that was subsequently squashed, with Montemaggiore personally ordering the execution of the Governor of the Colonia Churchill and personally executing the mayor of Baia Imperiale, and taking a bullet in his right leg from loyalist Polizia officers. With the north-east of Stanier under rebel control, the rest of the Carabiner Corps also heeded the call for rebellion, deposing the government of Mario Stria and placing Stanier under a government led by a military junta. Despite his role and direction on the uprising, Montemaggiore was never given a commendation or decoration for his actions and simply given a promotion to Divisional General. However, he was very content with his reward.




Retirement from service, undertaking his investments, and entrance to the world of politics
During his 21 years of service, Montemaggiore took it upon himself to ensure that he would have a nice and comfortable retirement, investing nearly 70% of his income in various business ventures that Ennio Barbaro, his childhood friend, also had stakes on. This meant that throughout his life Sing had made investments in restaurants, department stores, warehouses, food packing factories, and even car factories. With such a hefty and massive investment portfolio, Montemaggiore proceeded to reap the benefits by actively participating in them, giving out ideas and guiding their executions.

Slowly overtime, Montemaggiore had become a capable businessman and manager with the discipline of a military man, his net worth eventually reached (at its peak point) 2 Trillion Aseas (About 750 million US Dollars give or take), and he wisely proceeded to invest the money in even more business ventures, as well in becoming a philanthropist. Contributing to the expansion of Cittadella Brioche and with the founding of multiple colleges across the nation destined for people with low resources, his philanthropic efforts earned him a place in the heart of the Stanierian collective, eventually earning him an award from the Military Government for his efforts in the reconstruction of Stanierian values after the 2007 crisis in 2012.

Following the creation of the Consiglio Nazionale Elettorale in mid 2013, Montemaggiore was convinced by his long-time friend Ennio Barbaro to open up a presidential run for the upcoming election, and began to half-ass it in the start, thinking that nobody would show up at his rallies, but when he gathered a crowd of 50,000 in Baia Imperiale's Lincoln Park on his second rally, he realized he was a very powerful and influential person in Stanier, taking the campaign seriously from then on out.

Plastering billboards, TV, radio, and social media adverts, interviews, and his most powerful weapon of them all: Populist speeches that reached far and wide during rallies all over the nation. Subsequent polls showed that Montemaggiore's approval ratings were in the double percentage digits whilst the majority of his opponents could barely make it to five percent. However, three opponents hailing from the Japanese Province proved worthy competitors on the presidential run, with rallies that attracted numbers of people that could rival his own rallies.

Despite the fierce competition, on election night Montemaggiore won the presidential seat with 47.4% of the votes, securing two years as president of Stanier. His Japanese rivals secured, however, four year terms as Commissioners for the municipalities of Porto Nippòn, Annis, and Karin in bids they had running simultaneously. Despite controversy about his past as a military strongman, Montemaggiore was sworn in as president of Stanier in January 16, 2014. A day after the series of swearing-ins had begun, as the abnormality of the universal elections required the president to be sworn in last, after being sworn in, Montemaggiore proceeded to also swear his own cabinet (Or rather, the bare minimum of one to get out of the parliament building and get to work as soon as possible), and so, his first term began.




Government and style of politics
The government of Mr. Montemaggiore has been characterized for a constant contact with the citizenship, a balance between devolution and centralism, various reforms, privatization of some enterprises which caused a burden on the budget, weren't turning a profit, or weren't working efficiently, and increases in certain personal freedoms whilst retaining some statist policies from the military era. Alongside with an opening to engaging in diplomatic relationships with foreign countries.

The way of making policies of Mr. Montemaggiore is, as summed up by political experts, "If the Legislature don't want to, then let the populism do it". This is engaging in the practice of skipping the legislature by the use of referendums in case the legislature defeats a proposal by a slight margin or, in rare cases, by a major margin. This has helped him to go forwards with the privatization of several formerly government-run companies which weren't turning a profit, alongside fiscal reforms which the legislature vehemently opposed. Montemaggiore has been engaging in this practice ever since the sixth month of his first term, where a minor fiscal reform which benefited individual citizens by capping the maximum percentage of the income tax to 30% for all citizens was defeated by majority.

Another thing which stands out is the philosophy which the administration maintains - particularly its motto which is: "Se la pace, la prosperità, la stabilità e la sicurezza non sono presenti, allora anche la libertà deve essere sacrificata", which translates to: "If peace, prosperity, stability and security are not present, then even liberty has to be sacrificed". This particularly stands out, given it is a radical change from all previous Stanierian executives which prioritized freedom and liberty above it all, even if it was only in paper in some cases (e.g: The short-lived Stria government and Military eras). Montemaggiore prides himself in being honest and upfront with his intentions for his tenure, as he has clarified that in no circumstance, he has promised total liberty, only prosperity, stability, and security. This particularly worries Stanierian conservatives, whom are afraid that Montemaggiore could revoke the freedoms of many Stanierians in a whim, much like Mario Stria. In response, he has repeatedly stated that he is in full awareness of his powers and boundaries, and has promised that he will never overstep them, since the well-being of every citizen must be a priority for every fair ruler - a thing he fancies himself as.




Policies (Under construction)
Since stepping on power Mr. Montemaggiore has enacted a large series of policies, although the most important ones are by matter are:

Social: On the few social reforms Mr. Montemaggiore's administration has conducted, have been the revocation of the mandatory dress code for tourists outside of designated areas. Montemaggiore himself called this policy, leftover from the few laws Mario Stria made before being deposed, as: "Archaic, backwards, and overall idiotic". Also to note is authorization for public hospitals and clinics to conduct abortions, however, in cases where the mother's life is in danger, or the fetus is a product of rape. As a plus, the mother must also agree with the procedure being conducted.

Another noteworthy policy is the creation of a pension fund for elders who have either worked with the government in any shape or form until their retirement (Including those who retired from now privatized companies), as well as existing retirees without pensions from the companies they worked with, this policy is supposed to also benefit housewives who have never worked before, as well as people over the age of 18 with certain disabilities at some point in the future.

The most progressive policy has been the recognition of same-gender marriages under the concubinage law, entitling such couples with the same legal and fiscal benefits as married heterosexual couples, in addition to mandating state-run entities and enterprises to seek for the eradication of discrimination in basis of sexual orientation, and offering tax breaks to private entities who engage in similar or the same practices.

Economic and fiscal: The economic policy of the Montemaggiore administration has been, much like the ones of its predecessors, one of mostly complete protectionism towards the Stanierian industry, whilst also conducting a slow but steady transition from a mostly state-controlled economy to one where the private sector is dominant. Subsidizing local production whilst tariffing most foreign-made goods (Excepting supplies necessary to keep the industry going, and the recent addition of electronics. Cancelling a failed, long-running policy of his predecessors to attempt to jump-start the IT industry of the nation via making foreign-made electronics expensive, which in turn delayed greatly the technological development of Stanier), also to note is that during Mr. Montemaggiore's tenure, Stanier has taken part on its first trade treaty, this time with Italy, in order to further extend the ties between Stanier and its motherland.

Also to note is the privatization of many state-owned companies, such as:

• Stanierese di Televisione (Stanierian of Television).

• Stanierese di Aviazione (Stanierian of Aviation, national airline).

• Elettrificazione Di Lavarca (Electric company, owns the Di Lavarca Dam. Provides about 57 % of the nation's electricity).

• Eventi Crocetti (Event organizing company, the most prominent in Stanier).

• SaS Armi e Munizioni (Gun manufacturer, mostly produces 12-gauge shotguns and weapons chambered for .45).

• Stanierese di Corriere (Postal service).
  

The funds originated from these privatizations have been directed at either paying off debts, funding welfare programs, maintenance and development of the nation's infrastructure, and improvement of the remaining state-run industries, such as Petrolio Stanierese (Oil Company), Ferro e Acciaio di Stanier (Iron, Steel, and Aluminum company), and a few others.

On the fiscal side, Montemaggiore has taken the lead in efforts to reduce the outrageous deficit that plagued the nation when he took power. Via selling off state-owned companies, revamping the tax collection service, and imposing total repossessions of assets and severe jail time for those who attempt to commit tax fraud. It is noteworthy as well a significant amount of tax reforms which reduce the maximum amount an individual or a company can be taxed (As of July 2016 it is 27% for an individual and 34% for companies). Mr. Montemaggiore's hopes are, and we quote: "If the state-owned companies' revenue could both cover maintenance of their infrastructure AND reduced tax revenue, then they shall do it. Because those companies aren't for profit, they're there for providing funds should the treasury need them".

Infrastructure: Thanks to the revamped tax collection agency, the privatization of non-effective state-owned companies, and the increase in efficiency due to increased investment on the remaining state-owned companies, a part of the money in the treasury (Estimated to be of 26%) got redirected towards redeveloping the most decayed of the infrastructure of Stanier, using the muscle of the private sector (Acquired via subsidies and a few tax breaks) for some tasks as well as working in conjunction with provincial and local governments to achieve the goals. The sectors which benefited the most from this strategy were, as follows:

• Transportation and roadways: The benefits of the work with provincial and local governments are reaped via the reconditioning of terrestrial passenger terminals, train stations, Urban mass transport, installation of tollbooths on main inter-provincial highways alongside repaving the asphalt, and restoration or overhauling of roads in densely inhabited population centers as well as a few countryside locations which work as tourist spots, stopping points, or are conveniently located in the way. Montemaggiore said he expects that the project will also include a renovation of the nation's airports as well as a revamping of the railway system, which should be finished by the end of his second term in 2018.

• Telecommunications and Information Technologies: Using the help and interest of certain mobility companies such as Ciro Mobile (Subsidiary of Spanish multinational "Tele"), Tirro, Samurillo GSM, and MKJ Mobile. As well as fixed broadband providers such as ComStar, InterHiroka (A start-up from Annis with exceptional customer allegiance), and SACS (Società Anonima di Comunicazioni di Stanier). A complete revamp of Stanier's Telecom industry as well as infrastructure commenced following the lift of tariffs in consumer and industrial electronics. With installation or updating of towers alongside wiring starting on the most important economic centers, then trickling down to the countryside. As of July 2016, Stanier enjoys full 4G (Including Voice Over LTE) and 3G connectivity on all mass population centers alongside full availability of optic fiber fixed broadband, as well as intermittent 4G data (Calls will fall back to either 3G or 2G networks depending on availability) and full 3G connectivity on several parts of the countryside. Areas served by neither 4G or 3G are served by 2G wireless technologies paired to ADSL2 networks running on the "Annex M" modality. Mr. Montemaggiore expects to have at least 75% of the countryside having the same connectivity as the major cities by the end of his second term in 2018.

Education: Adding to the work already done by Montemaggiore as a philanthropist, when he opened up several affordable universities along the nation, more funds were injected into Elementary and Middle public schools across the nation in order to expand them and increase their capacity, alongside the opening of the first (optional as of July 2016, and maintained solely by students' monthly payments) High Schools of the nation, which he has described as, and we quote: "Think of them as 'Lite' universities". It had also mandated the creation of a joint student loan fund meant for the least favored but more talented that is maintained by all educative institutions of a Stanierian province via donations, and parts of the revenue caused by extracurricular activities such as cultural festivals, art galleries, and such. Montemaggiore promoted a reform in the national scholar curriculum in September 2016 that made High Schooling mandatory for anyone under the age of 20, and tightened requirements to enter Stanierian Universities by requiring a High School diploma. The law at the end passed through The Commission after three weeks of legislative limbo in November of the same year. And is expected to enter in vigor on January 2017, when the next legislative period opens.

Energy: The electric energy policy of the Montemaggiore administration so far has been relying on hydroelectric power from existing sources such as Di Lavarca Dam, as well as betting for maintenance and upgrades to the capacity of power plants which generate reliable energy from non-renewable sources such as thermoelectricity (Along with creating more of them), to act as a failsafe in case of a drought, alongside upgrades to substations and distribution centers nation-wide. Also to note is that despite betting for non-renewable sources, power plants based on coal have dismantled, and proposals for nuclear power plants have been rejected due to being "Too volatile". Although on his second term, proposals for nuclear power have been looked at more seriously, to the point insiders rumor that a nuclear energy plant might be commissioned soon for slated completion during a supposed third term.

Also of note is the increased control of the state-owned oil company, Petrolio Stanierese, of the nation's oil reserves. With PTSPA (Acronym used widely on corporate image), handling about 67% of Stanier's oil fields and circa 43% of its filling stations, total control over the oil refineries of Stanier, plus the slow but noticeable reduction of the subsidies given to the prices of fuels when filling on a PTSTA gas station. Experts deduct that the fuel subsidies will be completely eliminated by 2017.

Defense and security: The defense policy of Mr. Montemaggiore, as expected from a former Carabiner General, is of a state of complete preparedness in case of conflict, and with Stanier having a more than capable and well-equipped armed forces left over from the Military Government, he has directed quite a few resources to ensure the Stanierian Carabinieri are well trained for both combat in times of war, and order-keeping during times of peace, in addition to keep the existing equipment and weaponry well maintained, alongside a few additions such as new armored and aerial vehicles to keep up with the times.

As for Intelligence operations, he has kept what he has been doing with the Stanierian Intelligence Agency under wraps. What is known however, is that the Intelligence Agency is ready and willing to provide unknown information to both the National Police (Polizia Stradale Stanierese) and the Carabinieri corps in case it's pertinent to the national security. Via a law approved by The Commission for the National Well-Being. Though noticeably, he ordered the scaling back of the national surveillance system known as "SMCTD", converting it to national network of security cameras which are constantly reviewed by human operators - citing an overwhelming number of false positives which he had allegedly personally witnessed, along with latent privacy concerns posed by privacy advocates and activists.

As for the security policy, the Montemaggiore administration has given boosts in funding, new technologies to intelligently patrol based in previous statistics and data, and changed the whole structure of the existing National Police (Polizia Stradale Stanierese), alongside lightening their load by separating the investigative wing of it and creating a whole new agency destined to investigate and close cases across the whole Stanierian territory, the Technical and Judicial Police (Polizia Tecnica Giudiziaria Stanieresa).




Political Opinions from an expert's viewpoint

Personality
Mr. Montemaggiore is a man calmed and relaxed most of the time with a high level of patience for his job, as when an issue shows up in front of him, he changes quickly into a focused and smart man, that is looking for the best options for his country, his family or himself. He displays a public persona of a polite, calm, charismatic, humorous man which wouldn't dare to tell a joke in an inappropriate moment, however, when met afar from prying eyes and cameras, he is prone to making sarcastic and humorous remarks no matter the situation alongside throwing every known cuss word around the air as if it didn't carry any meaning, and it goes without mentioning his tendency to drop into Italian at soon as his mind allows it while speaking - though he is looking to control it as of late. He is described as being the most charitable person in Stanier to the point of, in one occasion, simply gifting a meal and an expensive tailored suit to a homeless man alongside offering him a job as bartender and housing in Baia Imperiale on one of the many bars he has a stake in, however, such benevolence has its limits, and very few people can tell what happens when he feels he has been wronged or failed.




Personal Life
Mr. Montemaggiore is a prominent businessman, owning several bars and restaurants across the country (Such as Vito's Ristorante in Nuova Bordò or Freddy's Bar in Baia Imperiale), he is normally seen in one of these establishments during his days off, running the day-to-day business and getting a feel of the community. On Sundays, however, he can either hang out with his family and many of his friends and former fellow servicemen to have a peaceful lunch or dinner party. Or simply disappear to have fun on his own, only to be seen again when necessary.

Sing lives a pretty much stable life, with a marriage that has lasted twenty-four years. But this is not without its bumps, as Sing and his wife tend to argue pretty often. But a problem has never been strong enough to push one of them to fill a divorce. His relationship with his only daughter is abnormally distant, as he rarely gets calls from her, though he usually justifies this because of her daughter's undisclosed profession.

Sing is pretty much a simple man with somewhat cheap tastes despite his fortune, as shown by the rather small variety of clothing (OOC: Look for 'Clothing in Mafia II' to get a feel of what's what) he wears in public, the cheap and battered phones he is usually seen with, and the things he tends to order when at an eatery or bar.




Trivia

• He is a die-hard fan of Dean Martin, knowing most of his songs by heart. Added to the fact he is a decent enough singer with plenty of charisma, he could launch an album covering Dino's songs and make it a hit locally.

• His favorite firearm is the Colt M1911A1, which was the standard handgun of the Stanierian Carabinieri before being replaced by a locally manufactured clone. He even conserves the one issued to him during his military service on his persona at all times.

• He tends to get past his security detail during rallies in order to get more people on the stage, even if means the collapse of said stage (Happened during one of his campaign rallies for his first reelection).

• He believes that ever since he got shot during the 2007 coup, his right leg is cursed, as almost every time he gets hurt, be it a stubbed toe, being accidentally stepped on, or outright getting shot at, it's always the right leg that gets the pain and damage.