Pierre Phocas

Sir Pierre Phocas is the Governor of Pantocratorian Ambara, a former Pantocratorian Foreign Minister, a former leader of the United Christian Front, and a former Special Ambassador to Aelosia. He was a member of the Pantocratorian Imperial Parliament for the seat of St Martin (New Rome) from 1959 to 2004. He left the parliament in the first 2004 election, choosing not to recontest his seat. After briefly serving as a special ambassador on the issue of human/elf relations, he was made Governor of Pantocratoria's new colony in Ambara, essentially serving as the representative of Emperor Andreus in Pantocratorian Ambara. He is a near-universally respected elder statesman.

Early Life

Pierre Phocas was born the eldest of two children to Sir Spiro and Anna Phocas. He has one sister, Jacqueline Phocas, Duchess Dowager of Montmanuel and mother of the present Duke of Montmanuel. His paternal grandfather was Lord First Admiral Michael I Phocas of the Bosphorus. After finishing school, he worked for his father, Sir Spiro, who in 1948 founded the United Christian Front. Sir Spiro's social standing and wealth meant that the United Christian Front did well in its early elections despite its youth as a political party. In 1957 he married Louise de la Forte. He worked first as a staffer in Sir Spiro's electoral office and then as a party official, until he ran for parliament in the 1959 elections.

Parliamentary Career

Backbencher

Pierre Phocas was elected the Member for St Martin (New Rome) in the 1959 election. In his early days as a backbencher, he came under sustained criticism from Pantocratorian National Democratic Party MPs for being the Leader of the Opposition's son. His eloquent performances in parliamentary debates soon put an end to such criticism, however, as it became clear that his position was well deserved, despite accusations of nepotism. After his father's resignation from politics in 1962, Pierre Phocas was admitted into the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Public Safety.

Cardinal Neville's Shadow Ministry

Under the leadership of Cardinal Neville, the United Christian Front's primary policy focus became more religious and less military in nature. Pierre Phocas was generally critical of this shift, but this was generally perceived as a defence of his father's failed policy direction, and his criticisms were largely ignored. The same cannot be said of his eloquence in the parliament and competency as a shadow minister, which earned him the admiration of his colleagues. In 1963, whether through the influence of his sister's sister-in-law, Empress Isabelle de Montmanuel, as a recognition of the public services of his (now retired) father, or as a result of his admiration for Phocas, Emperor Isaac V made Pierre Phocas a Knight of the Order of the Pantocrator.

Opposition Leader

When Cardinal Neville unexpectedly died in 1965, Sir Pierre was immediately looked upon by many in the parliamentary United Christian Front as a natural leader. His name, knighthood, and eloquence gave him a narrow lead over leadership rival, Jean-Pierre d'Adrienople, and Sir Pierre was elected the party's parliamentary leader, and therefore the Leader of the Opposition in the Imperial Parliament. The brief moment in his father's chair was not to last, however, as Jean-Pierre d'Adrienople continued to campaign amongst the United Christian Front MPs, until he eventually overthrew Sir Pierre in an impromptu leadership ballot later in the year.

Shadow Foreign Minister

Sir Pierre agreed not to challenge Jean-Pierre d'Adrienople for the leadership on the condition that he was given the Foreign Affairs portfolio, placing the interests of the party above his own leadership aspirations. Sir Pierre proved to be the Opposition's primary weapon in the parliament, while the charismatic Jean-Pierre d'Adrienople was far more effective in his dealings with the media and general public. The two were a combination deadly to the increasingly dreary incumbent National Democratic Government, which lost office in a landslide in 1970.

Foreign Minister

Adrienople Government

If Jean-Pierre d'Adrienople was an excellent Opposition Leader, he was a terrible Imperial Chancellor. From almost the first minute in office, the charismatic Chancellor lead the Government from one political disaster to the next. Sir Pierre remained one of the few cabinet ministers not smeared by scandal and accusations of incompetence. After a public dispute with Emperor Isaac V, much of the Adrienople Cabinet was prepared to abandon its Chancellor. They looked to Sir Pierre to challenge Jean-Pierre d'Adrienople for the leadership, but the Foreign Minister stayed true to his word, and refused to force a leadership ballot.

The Emperor's Cabinet

In the 1974 election, the United Christian Front decisively lost its parliamentary majority to the Pantocratorian National Democratic Party under the leadership of Sir Thierry Romain. The new Emperor, however, was no figurehead monarch. Young and headstrong, he appointed a ministry of his own choosing from the Parliament, rather than accepting Sir Thierry's recommendations. Sir Thierry became the Imperial Chancellor, although the cabinet he led was an uncomfortable mix of PNDP and UCF ministers. Sir Pierre retained the Foreign Ministry - the very reasonable and well-respected Sir Pierre proved to be one of the only agreeable UCF-appointments for Sir Thierry. Sir Pierre loyally served as Foreign Minister throughout the seventies and eighties in Sir Thierry's cabinet.

Within the United Christian Front, Sir Pierre was extremely supportive of the leadership of Monsignor Hugh de la Morée, who succeeded Jean-Pierre d'Adrienople in 1979. He was also extremely supportive of the entry of the charismatic young Prince Basil into the parliament in 1981. He was less enthusiastic about Monsieur's accelerated rise through the party ranks, and less enthusiastic still about the entry into the parliament of Monsieur's sister, Princess Irene. His lack of enthusiasm was not, however, accompanied by significant criticism of the pair. Sir Pierre's critics point out that he remained silent throughout the allegedly "rigged" 1992 election - his defenders point out that so were his critics.

Basil Government

Sir Pierre remained Foreign Minister throughout the second United Christian Front Government, a period of time which saw, perhaps, more diplomatic energy expended on renewing, rebuilding and strengthening Pantocratoria's ties with the outside world than had ever been seen from any previous government. The party which had looked to him for leadership over twenty years ago now looked exclusively to Prince Basil and Princess Irene, and Sir Pierre had long abandoned his leadership ambitions. He was generally supportive of Prince Basil in any struggles with Princess Irene, opting to stand by Basil in the Loyal Christian Front when the Pantocratoria First Party broke away in early 2004, ending his long ministerial career.

Loyal Christian Front

Sir Pierre was largely a political spent force by early 2004. At 73, he felt it was time for him to retire from the Imperial Parliament, and announced that he wouldn't be seeking re-election as Member for St Martin (New Rome). He focussed the last months of his political career on encouraging and reinvigorating the moderate faction within the party, convinced that the extremism of Irene's grouping had led the Basil Government astray.

Elder Statesman

Sir Pierre left the parliament almost universally respected, with the notable exception of the new Imperial Chancellor, Princess Irene, of whom Sir Pierre was admittedly rather scathing at times himself. When a series of incidents between Pantocratoria and Aelosia threatened to lead to each country introducing laws discriminating against humans or elves (in the case of Aelosia and Pantocratoria, respectively), the Emperor sent Sir Pierre to Aelosia to ease tensions. The diplomatic mission was relatively successful.

Governor

In 2005, Pantocratoria estalished a colony on the continent of Ambara. Socialist Chancellor Thibault Drapeur provided the Emperor with a list of five names of candidates whom he thought would make good Governors of Pantocratorian Ambara. Of the names, the Emperor felt Sir Pierre's to be the most appropriate - it says a lot about the regard in which Sir Pierre is held that Drapeur would include the name of a former United Christian Front leader on the list at all. Sir Pierre was installed as the representative of the Crown in the colony.