Lionel Sarko

Lionel Sarko (born 2 March 1968 in Rimouski, Vale) is a Valois politician and the current President of Vale since 12 April 1712.

Early life and education
Sarko was born in Rimouski, Vale, to István Ernő Sárkö (of Transylvanian origin; died 1696) and Hariet Søborg (of Faroese origin), and his family moved three weeks after he was born to Tórshavn, capital of the Faroe Islands. He attended Tórshavngrunnskóli and Tórshavnframhaldsskóli, a compulsory and upper secondary school in Tórshavn, and graduated from the Université de l'Est in 1700 with a double major in Russian and Economics. He moved back to Vale in September 1700.

Early political career
Sarko entered politics in late 1700, becoming a member of the Left Party political party. He vowed to bring the Valois economic model to the rest of Kobol. He especially focused his thoughts on Vale's autonomous territories economies and its fisheries and agriculture sectors and on globalization. After a year and a half of hard activism inside the Left Party, he was eventually elected in the party list as number 14 in January 1702, before the election in March. After the 1702 election, the Senate debated on the appointment of ministers, and Sarko was appointed Minister of Agriculture, due to his university background.

1712 presidential campaign
In the primary campaign for presidential candidacy for the Left Front, a presidential coalition between the Left Party and the New Anticapitalist Party, Sarko secured his position as candidate in the first round of votes at the March 1711 party congress with the primary vote conducted online. The campaign was characterized by the aim for Valois neutrality in Kobol and pacifism.

Sarko campaigned with a foreign policy agenda of Kobol wide co-operation and the rule of international law. Surprisingly, Sarko and his communication team toured the Faroe Islands during the final days of the campaign, shoring up support and pledging a "new beginning" for the autonomous territories of Vale.

Sarko won the 1712 presidential election, leading the first round and winning on the second round against the Conservative Party candidate on a platform focusing on the rule of international law and improving European ties; a significant part of Sarko's success was Mélenchon's endorsement and popularity at the time while leaving office and Sarko's youth and dedication. His election as the 40th President of the Republic of Vale marked an openness of the Valois population, with Sarko becoming the first president from an autonomous territory.

Inauguration and staff
The Presidential Office appointed, or allowed to remain in office, 2,152 ambassadors. Most were career diplomats. He reappointed Benoit Jokela as Hand, he who was already Hand during the last mandate of former President Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He appointed François Molé as Secretary of Defence, a personal friend of Council of Ten member Pierre Viger. To the position of Secretary of Foreign Affairs, he appointed Ina Vang, the youngest nominated secretary at 26 years old and 363 days at the time.

Guiana, South Aegea and the Pope
South Aegea's Franco Clemente invited Pope Francis to visit South Aegea in 1713. Clemente extended the invitation when he visited the Vatican before the pope's inauguration, asking for his help in terms of "smoothing tensions with Vale over Guiana". President Sarko, in a visit in Guiana, stated that "[Francis] must be seen as Pope first and where he comes from should not figure in the equation. But I would also like to think he would have a beneficial impact and perhaps be able to express some soothing words that would help the situation here." As of June 1714, Francis himself has not made any comment over the sovereignty dispute since becoming pope.

Style
Sarko is distinguished by his way of life, looks and ideals. He is a vegetarian. He has been declared one of the most attractive politician in the world by various European and North Aegean magazines. Sarko does not own any car, and he lives with his wife and children in the Presidential Palace in Baie-Saint-Paul, despite owning a house in Tadoussac. Sarko travels with his blue bicycle all year long, despite rain and snow.

Speech
Sarko has an eastern Vale accent when speaking Valois, and a Torshavn accent when speaking Faroese. He speaks both languages perfectly, while his Aegean accent remains with notes of Valois and sometimes Faroese pronunciation.

Faith
Sarko describes himself as a practising Manitist and an active member of the Church of Vale. On religious faith in general he has said: "I do think that organised religion can get things wrong but the Church of Vale and the other churches do play a very important role in society." He views Vale as a predominantly "Manitist country".

Personal life
He lives in Baie-Saint-Paul, in the Presidential Palace. Apart from his native Faroese, he speaks Aegean, Hungarian, Russian and Valois.

He is married to Marianna Bajusz, a naturalised Valois citizen from Transylvania whom he met while visiting his father's family in the country in the early 1690s. They were wed on 5 March 1699 in an undisclosed forest in the commune of Cassis, a little bit more than a year before he became a Senator. They have two daughters, Pipa (12 year old; born 1702) and Liesel (8 year old; born 1706).

Sarko supports Rimouski Diables football club. Sarko is also a keen hockey fan and a fan of the Baie-Saint-Paul Royals.