Živorad Vasiljević

Živorad Vasiljević (born 6 July 1986) is a Balkani politician and military official who has been the first and only president of Balkani, Kranija, and Scorgena since the establishment of the office on May 7, 2031, June 29, 2053, and May 7, 2055, making him the longest-sitting President in the world.

Vasiljević was a well-known figure in the Slavonian Armed Forces, having risen to the rank of commander of the Slavonian Polongia 8th Infantry, his family background as the son of the former President and grandson of the former Prime Minister of Slavonia helped him to gain popularity among the military ranks. He received several medals for his role in crushing several rebellions, and his role in the military continued to increase, eventually rising to the position of Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Slavonia.

However, in 2030, Vasiljević was fired from the Slavonian Armed Forces due to, according to official records, "laziness and loyalty to rebels by failure to crush the rebellions." His father was also executed without trial for several charges, including treason. This led Vasiljević to form the National Balkani Party, which had its own militia.

The National Balkani Party declared independence on May 7, 2031, with Vasiljević as the interim President of the Balkani Federation. He led the National Balkani Party Militia to victory in the Battle of Ulyamas, resulting in the creation of the Balkani government on June 16, 2031, when Vasiljević officially became the President of the Balkani Federation.

As President, Vasiljević focused on the reconstruction and development of Balkani, but also implemented strict measures to control the media and suppress opposition. His leadership style has been criticized by the international community for its lack of democracy and free speech. However, there is also recognition for the improvements in Balkani's military strength, infrastructure, and overall economic development during his presidency. Despite the criticism, it is also acknowledged that the opposition and democracy slowly started to grow in Balkani during his presidency.

Early life, family and education
Vasiljević was born on July 6, 1986 in Montagu, Slavonia, as Živorad Vasiljević III. He came from a politically and economically influential family, with his father, Živorad Vasiljević II, serving as the President of Slavonia from 1984 to 2015, and his mother, Violeta Pejakovski, being the Chairwoman of the Pejakovski Group, a wealthy and powerful business conglomerate in Slavonia.

Not much is known about Vasiljević's early life, but official records indicate that he attended the Montagu Military Academy, likely due to his father's recommendation. He then worked his way up the ranks, eventually becoming the Captain of the Slavonian Polongia 8th Infantry in 2012.

It is likely that his upbringing and family connections gave him a strong sense of nationalism and political ambition. He probably also had a strong background in military training, as well as access to resources and connections through his mother's business. He probably showed a natural talent for command and strategy, which helped him rise through the ranks quickly. He also likely had an early exposure to politics and political maneuvering, which helped him build the National Balkani Party and its militia, and effectively use it to achieve his goal of creating the Federation of Balkani.

Military career (2012–2030)
In 2012, Vasiljević was appointed as the commander of the Slavonian Polongia 8th Infantry, a unit tasked with quelling the rebellions that were taking place across the modern-day Balkani region. Over the next 18 years, Vasiljević and his unit were successful in suppressing these rebellions, which helped to increase his political power and influence in the region.

In 2014, Vasiljević was assigned to put down a rebellion in Polongia. Despite successfully completing his mission, he refused to detain, execute, or punish any of the rebels who were not killed in battle. This decision was met with criticism from some experts and members of the Slavonian Armed Forces, but it also earned him a great deal of respect and support among the people of Polongia. The then-Vice President of Slavonia criticized Vasiljević and called for his removal from office. Shortly after this, the Polog People's Republic declared independence from Slavonia, leading to Vasiljević's removal from the area and the deployment of his unit to his birthplace, Montagu.

In 2024, at the conclusion of the Polog Liberty War, Vasiljević was present at the signing of the Treaty of Brinta, which resulted in the immediate and unconditional surrender of Polog. As a result of his role in negotiating the end of the conflict, Vasiljević was appointed as a member of the General Staff of the Slavonian Armed Forces and later promoted to the position of Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

However, in 2029, reports emerged of the Polog Genocide, which caused the death of up to 3,000,000 innocent civilians. Vasiljević responded with anger and led his units to attack the Slavonian units that were involved in the genocide, briefly causing a civil conflict.

Balkani nationalism (2030–2031)
Following his dismissal from the Slavonian Armed Forces, Vasiljević formed the National Balkani Party, which aimed to unite the different ethnic groups in the region and establish an independent Balkani Federation. The party quickly gained support among the population, who were disillusioned with the corrupt and oppressive Slavonian government.The political party had a strong nationalist agenda, and a militia.

The National Balkani Party had a strong presence throughout the Balkani region, with its most prominent headquarters located in the city of Montagu. Vasiljević met Demyan Rizgodev, who at the time was the Undersecretary of the National Balkani Party and would later become the president of Chernoslavia.

On October 17, 2030, Vasiljević led the National Balkani Party militia in the Battle of Ulyamas against the Slavonian troops. Despite being outnumbered by close to six to one, Vasiljević's 15,000 troops were well armed and had a tactical advantage due to the connections of Vasiljević's mother's business in international commerce. In the middle of the battle, Vasiljević ordered his men to retreat, which caused confusion among his troops. However, this was part of a larger strategy, as Vasiljević then ordered his troops to encircle the Slavonian troops and attack from all sides. This strategy proved successful, and the city of Ulyamas fell to the National Balkani Party militia. The Slavonian troops suffered heavy losses, with approximately 90,000 being killed, executed, or arrested, with only one returning home. The President of Slavonia, who was present in the battle, was captured and forced to sign an instrument of surrender. As a result, on May 7, 2031, Slavonia recognized the creation of the Federation of Balkani, a new state comprising of the Balkan region.

First term (May 2031–June 2031)
Vasiljević's first term as President of the Balkani Federation was marked by a focus on construction and rebuilding in the wake of Slavonia's exit. He worked to establish relations with other countries, particularly the Wessian Federation and Vanfontein Islands, in order to secure allies and support for the newly-formed Balkani government. In addition, he established the Council on General Staff of the Balkani Federation, which had complete governing authority over the country without any form of election or democratic oversight.

During this time, Balkani was entirely under military rule, with Vasiljević using his position as the leader of the National Balkani Party Militia to maintain control over the country. Despite this, he did take steps to begin the process of creating a constitution, which would establish a judicial and legislative branch in the country for his second term.

However, his rule was criticized for lack of democracy and free speech. Despite this, there was recognition of the country's military strength, infrastructure and overall improvement under his rule. He was also known for his oppressive attitude towards the media and opposition. Despite this, as time progressed, there was a slow growth of democracy and opposition.

Second Term (June 2031–2036)
Vasiljević was elected in 2031 in a landslide, winning 100% of the vote. This election, according to international observers, was not democratic at all, and was completely fraudulent. This election was rated the least democratic election since the dissolution of the United World.

In his victory speech, Vasiljević said:

"Well, we got democracy done! [APPLAUSE] Next is a judiciary! A constitution! Nukes! [LAUGHTER] No, we won't be making nukes, but we will change this nation and bring it into prosperity! [APPLAUSE] 100% of the people support us, no one even wanted to run! If they did, they would've been on the ballot. Would've lost anyways!"

In his second term, Vasiljević's primary focus continued on Balkani's domestic affairs. The Council on General Staff was dissolved, replaced by the new National Council of Balkani and the Federal Balkani Superior Court.

Vasiljević divorced his Vice President, Stanislava Vukomanović, and forced her into detainment. She was arrested for treason, and was forced to stay inside Balkani.

The National Council voted 54-1 to grant Vasiljević extra powers, which would allow him the ability to arrest anybody, suspend media and television, shutdown the country without the National Council's permission, remove members of the National Council, and more, despite already having these powers. This vote was later edited by officials to be 55-0, following the arrest of a member of the National Council. Balkani, under Vasiljević's command, claimed that the member had died due to natural causes, though he was later seen in public following release.

Vasiljević threatened to invade Plateus, readying the Balkani Armed Forces for the war. Vasiljević ordered the assassination of about twelve Plateus officials, with eleven assassinations being successful. However, following meetings with Wessian diplomats, Vasiljević immediately withdrew all command and troops from the special military operation, effectively ending the mission.

Before the 2036 elections, Vasiljević ordered an immediate public execution of ~67% of the National Council, all members of the Superior Court, and five members of his Cabinet, including the Minister of Elections for refusing to suspend the elections and qualifying seven opposition parties. Later, the Minister of Media would become the sixth cabinet member to be ordered for execution due to not banning independent media companies. The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs would become the seventh cabinet member to be ordered for execution for sending an official letter which reversed the President's message on an international scale.

The military and Vasiljević had several disputes, despite this, they both cooperated in seizing full control of the National Elections Board of Commissioners for Balkani, supposedly in defense of the Constitution.

2056 Balkani legislative election
The 2056 Balkani legislative election was cancelled, or suspended indefinitely, due to electoral concerns. The nation was in a major lockdown from 2056 to 2059.