Status of Caldari Prime in Election Spotlight as Shaileen Ramnev Speaks
LUMINAIRE – In interviews yesterday, former Mayor of Arcurio Shaileen Ramnev once more placed the issue of Caldari Prime at the center of her campaign to become the next President of the Gallente Federation.
Speaking to the Scope, Ramnev said, "These elections are the perfect platform to bring the voice and needs of Caldari Prime’s people to a wider spectrum of attention. The empires turned our home into a theater for war and conflict, resulting in millions of casualties and incalculable damage to our world and society. We won't allow this anymore, and the cluster must heed our arguments and hear our voices."
Shaileen Ramnev, a Gallente citizen born on Caldari Prime, is notably of both Gallente and Caldari origins, and a former member of the Joint Resistance Movement on Caldari Prime during the Provist occupation. Prior to the occupation, she was Mayor of Arcurio, resigning from that office after the declaration of martial law by Provist forces. Ramnev subsequently escaped the city to join the resistance.
Ramnev is well known for her defense of the interests and rights of the general population of Caldari Prime over the will of the empires, taking a line of promoting peace among citizens of both the State and Federation. She is considered the main advocate for the early resistance movements switching their focus from mounting general counter-offensives to defending people from reprisals during the occupation period. This shift of emphasis evolved the early Gallente resistance movements into the Joint Resistance Movement, composed of both Gallente and Caldari dissidents that opposed the Provist paramilitary government's conduct of the occupation.
Political commentators agree that her rise to popularity has enough momentum beyond Caldari Prime that she may have a strong impact on the Federation-wide election.
The Scope's election analyst, Renyart Colsten says, "Shaileen Ramnev has been a strong, initially unforeseen candidate. Caldari Prime is playing an important role in this election campaign and she has grounds to claim both political and moral superiority in any argument involving the planet. This is a strong asset for any candidate and may give her significant presence. That said, history tells us that the personalities with the most momentum, particularly on a single issue, are often those that falter and quickly ebb away in the final phase."
Some far-right and nationalist interests have expressed concern about Ramnev's close relationships with various Caldari figures, her origins as the daughter of a registered Ishukone citizen, and her involvement in the Joint Resistance Movement. Speaking yesterday, Ramnev dismissed such concerns as “racist babble”. She further declared that, “Anyone looking at my history will notice that I never let my relationships with Caldari or Gallente citizens, officers or institutions affect me when making the right choices for the community or my people”.