Bertrand Rivière

The Baron Rivière of Caenia
5th Prime Minister of Sabia and Verona
In office 1 October 2014 – 25 August 2015
Monarch	Isadora Tarik
Predecessor	Léon Galieri
Successor	Léon Galieri
Leader of the Unity Party
In office 23 June 2014 – 26 August 2015
Predecessor	Graham Müntz
Successor	Andrew Blackhorse
Personal information
Birth name	Bertrand Guillaume Rivière
Citizenship	Sabioveronese
Political party	Liberal (since 2014)
Cabinet	6th ministry
Religion	Pahunist

Bertrand Rivière, Baron Rivière of Caenia is a Sabioveronese conservative politician and businessman, who was Prime Minister from 2014 to 2015, as leader of the Unity Party. He was elected member of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Courts, at the September 2014 election. As leader of the largest bloc (the Unity Party had forged an alliance with Initiative for Democracy before the election) he was able to form the 6th government of Sabia and Verona.

During his term in power, Sabia and Verona experienced a number of political, social and economical reforms, such as the "Sabiafication" of the country by renaming places and governmental institutions to befit the Sabian language and the Sabian traditions and culture. In July 2015 he dissolved the Courts of Sabia and Verona, in a move that has subsequently been widely considered unconstitutional, and finally resigned from his position on 25 August 2015, to be succeeded by Léon Galieri as interim Prime Minister until the 2015 election could be held.

Early life

Rivière was born in the Venezuelan Capital District. He has a twin brother, Raphaël, who is a military officer and has also been involved in politics. The Rivières are one of the most senior families in Sabia and Verona, and is registered as the 7th citizen of Sabia and Verona (SVLNN7). When he first arrived to Sabia and Verona he was registered as a citizen of Salisse, but in 2013 he moved to Caenia to work in the Starlynn family's Starlynn & Co. Enterprises and in the January 2014 census he was registered as a citizen of the Caenian Municipality.

Politics

Early premiership

Rivière has been a member of the Unity Party since the party's creation in November 2012. In 2014 when party leader Graham Müntz expressed his desires to retire, Rivière was proposed as one of the candidates to assume Unity's leadership. In the June 2014 Unity Congress Rivière was elected to lead the party while Müntz became Honorary Chairman. In August 2014 he was selected to represent the party in the September 2014 general election. Rivière became the party's first leader to become candidate in an election. His sharp and innovative ideas quickly allowed him to gain popularity even in majorly left-wing sectors like Salisse and Bal. In the election, Rivière gained the majority of the votes at 34%, with the same amount of votes (29) that elected former Unity Party PM Osez Kóvérsz.

Rivière took office on 1 October 2014, alongside a new cabinet and a new set of provincial legislators. That same day, following his opening ceremony, the new Chamber of Deputies met for the first time at the Lirvetta Enâ in Salisse. The meeting has been dubbed as the "Aishayerovê" ("Great Assembly"), as during its duration of three hours a large number of laws and reforms were passed and discussed among the new legislators, and the discussions held there would change the shape of Sabia and Verona. Several amendments were made to the Constitution, which required the approval of the Senate and the Queen herself.

Some of the reforms implemented during the Aishayerovê were the introduction of a new peerage system, the division of the Senate into the Eidêvân and the Naídêvân, the adoption of Sabian names for most governmental institutions (which would be reflected in the English language also), the reclamation of the Sournêliádin Gardens and the Eastern Lands into the TANSUX, the adoption of new national symbols (a new anthem and the dogashemon), the nationaliation of the Church of the Pahun and the disestablishment of the Royal Navy.

Late premiership and resignation

Rivière, center of the photograph. Congress in Salisse, 16 August 2015.

But by mid-2015 the legislative power of Sabia and Verona was completely inactive. By June 2015 the Ayerovê had met three times, Council of Elders had met once and the Council of Nobles had not met once. Since the judicial power in Sabia and Verona was directly dependent to the Legislative Courts, two of Sabia and Verona's three political powers had been frozen for months. On 12 July 2015 Rivière met with the Lt. Secretaries of the Sabioveronese prefectures and after obtaining approval from the Queen, effectively dissolved the Sabioveronese legislature. Although the move was not precisely constitutional, Rivière defended the decision by saying the 2014 constitution had not foreseen a scenario in which the legislature could render itself deedless. A popular referendum to elect a new leader in the nation was organized, and though the turnout was considerably low (at 64%), it was recognized as legitimate by the Crown. Rivière was elected to become High Commissioner of Sabia and Verona as an interim head of state. Rivière's cabinet became a transitional council in the meantime. Sabioveronese authorities called the act the "official fall into inactivity", admitting the problem had been a reality for months.

On 16 August 2015, Bleuberrie participated in the Congress of Salisse, and co-wrote alongside nine other fellow politicians the new Constitution of Sabia and Verona. The new constitution was written in view of the impeding Haronos Plan, which was finally executed on 25 August 2015. That day, Rivière stepped down and his cabinet was dissolved, and Léon Galieri assumed interim premiership.

Personal life

He is a member of the Church of the Pahun and formerly belonged to the Nikolaeist denomination of the Church before the unification of the schools by High Priest Noaeryk I. His wife and current First Spouse is poetess Rosalind "Rosie" Levine de Rivière. Although Levine was raised Christian she converted to Pahunism upon marrying Rivière. His twin brother Raphaël Rivière has also been invested in politics, as well as the Sabioveronese Military.

The Rivière Family is one of the wealthiest and oldest families in Sabia and Verona. Though not originally counting with his brother's popularity, it is theorized Rivière has acquired popularity in such a short notice due to his name and social position.

Political offices
Preceded by Léon Galieri	Prime Minister of Sabia and Verona 1 October 2014 – 25 August 2015	Succeeded by Léon Galieri (acting)
Parliament of Sabia and Verona
Preceded by Boris Tovinski	MC for Caenia III Santa Marta 1 October 2014 – 12 July 2015	Succeeded by Legislature dissolved
Party political offices
Preceded by Graham Müntz	Leader of the Unity Party 23 June 2014 – 26 August 2015	Succeeded by Andrew Blackhorse