BINYAMIN ELWESBorn:- May 12, 1959
Place of Birth:- Entalia
Tribe:- Berko
Short Title:- President Binyamin Elwes
Official Title:- His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal, Head Physician and Doctor Binyamin Elwes Hero of the People, Lord of All the Beasts of Mundus and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the unjust and protector of the people
[big]Biography[/big]
[/color]
Growing up Binyamin was the eldest son in a family of six childen (4 boys, 2 girls). He was born in a small farming community in which his parents owned a small farm which was lucky enough to have its own mill, as such the family received a steady income from members of the local community for the use of the mill. Binyamin had a close bond with his mother who sadly died while giving birth to her sixth child, a daughter called Adjoa, when Binyamin was ten year old, even to this day he has a very poor relationship with Adjoa.
Binyamin attended very little school but was considered to be quiet intelligent by the staff at a local missionary school he attended three days a week from the age of six to ten.
In 1975 Binyamin was recruited into the Berko 3rd Infantry and as he had the basic ability to read and write soon found himself assigned to be a battlefield medic. He saw action in various tribal uprising earning the Silver Star, the nations 2nd highest medal for bravery ,for recovering injured comrades in the middle of a fire fight. In 1980 he was assigned to the 1st Zimalian Field Hospital where he was trained to be an Army Doctor, he completed his training in 1985 and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Zimalian Pathfinder, an elite regiment. He then saw service in some of the most fierce tribal uprisings quickly winning a 2nd Silver Star and earning a reputation as being an outstanding soldier, however a less outstanding doctor.
By 1990 he was a Major and had proved himself to be a very efficient administrator as well as effective soldier. In addition to his military duties he had become an advisor to the Minister of Defence at the time. While visiting the Senate for meetings he became disgusted with how prejudice the Afolayan dominated government was, the turning point in his life coming at a planning meeting in 1991. During a meeting to discuss the government response to a series of attacks by a well co-ordinated Lekan Militia he noticed how regiments made up of Afolayan soldiers were not used while regiments from the other tribal groups were given dangerous operations yet given inferior equipment compared to their Afolayan comrades. Determined to end such discrimination Binyamin began forming a plan.
By 1993 he had formed a network known as the Unity and Freedom Movement (UFM), this organisation was made up of army officers loyal to Binyamin and drawn from each tribe. With former President Blessings Umbecki out of the nation the UFM launched their coup, key military installations and government facilities were seized in a well co-ordinated series of morning raids. There was little bloodshed and on 6th June 1993, just 48 hours after Umbecki had left the country the head of the armed forces, Vice-President and Speaker of the Senate made an announcement stating Elwes was the new President.
SINCE BECOMING PRESIDENT
In the first few years following his coup Elwes kept up a facade of democracy and radically changed the nations political make up. Many Zimalian's saw immediate change as tax rates, social welfare, job opportunities and education all improved as Elwes tapped into the funds that the Afolayan tribe had squirrelled away for decades. However as the money ran out he found it harder to appease the population. Since around 1999 the nation has become more oppressive and the economy has remained stagnant, meanwhile Elwes and his family and friends appear to live in apparent luxury. By keeping the military staffed by members of his UFM and ensuring that the military are well looked after he has managed to keep the population in order. Remarkably he is seen as a hero by his people for ending the centuries of inter tribal warfare between private militia's , he achieved this by a series of mass arrests and executions and by harshly punishing any tribe which steps out of line, including his own.
