Maleatu Shakor elected Prime Minister of Minmatar Republic
At his inaugural speech this afternoon, Prime Minister Shakor said:
"Sons and daughters of Matar, make no mistake about it. Now is a moment that tomorrow's people will look back on for inspiration. Now is a moment where we do what should have been done long ago. The tone of the future will be set by our actions today. We will submit no more, to neither despot nor nation. Let it be known from this day forth that we are a race of warriors, not slaves, and that we will fight to the last drop of blood for what we hold dear."
Shakor also stressed the importance of clan unity. Flanked by the Chiefs of the Minmatar tribes as he spoke, he made repeated mention of the tribes' diverse cultures and capabilities coming together under the umbrella of a unified Minmatar nation. He finished his speech to thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the thousands in attendance.
The reasons for the voter turnout - the lowest recorded in the Republic in thirty years - are widely disputed. Some sources claim it is due to a grassroots movement of democracy advocates who disapprove of Shakor's methods in coming to power, but others dismiss such notions, explaining the numbers by saying that in a one-candidate race there is simply little incentive to vote.
Regardless of the turnout and what it may mean, social elements within the Republic appear to widely favor Shakor. Several of the largest organizations and special interests groups in the nation have been quick to declare their support of him.
Maleatu Shakor, 62, steps up as Prime Minister of the Minmatar Republic after nine years of service as the head of the Republic Parliament. Prior to that, he spent fourteen years serving various administrative posts within the Parliament, the Republic Justice Department and the Brutor Tribe. In his younger years Shakor was a revolutionary of some note, rumored to have been responsible for a number of coups against regional holders in several areas of Ammatar space. He is unmarried and has no children.