An Endorsement for a Final Song

Istillian

Little by little, one travels far.
Deputy Minister
Citizen
Discord Moderator
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At every layer of leadership, there are burdens to bear on your shoulders, and out of anyone that I have seen wear these burdens, UPC carries them better than most. When UPC announced his candidacy for a fourth term, I will admit, I was surprised. After so long as President, how could you not feel burnt out or tired? But UPC is no ordinary leader.

His resume, which he recently listed quite well in his platform, speaks for itself, though it barely scratches the surface of his contributions. When we look at our greatest leaders, we often turn to our Honoured Citizens. The Panda’s Pen has very well classified them into categories like Advisors, Ministers, Delegates, and Admirals. Of course, some standouts defy these labels—Darcness, for instance, earned Honoured Citizenship for his monumental technical work, and Aexnidaral as World Assembly Delegate, his work in foreign affairs, and as President. And in the company of many of these giants, UPC stands tall.

This is a man who designed and implemented an entire recruitment tool during one of Europeia’s most challenging times (and is now strategically assisting other regions to implement these recruitment systems), and is continuing this work with Eurocore. His work as Delegate, particularly in strengthening the Regional Security Council during the Frontier era, has helped Europeia seamlessly stay safe in a time of war, a time when our region is open to more attacks now more than ever. So whether serving as Speaker, Grand Admiral, or Minister of Foreign Affairs, UPC has shown time and time again his willingness to get into the trenches with the rest of us. But as President, more than in any other role, UPC has brought his energy, his invigoration, and a raw passion to the job in a way that I have never seen a President do before - this is a once in a generation leader whose institutional knowledge of Europeia is constantly being shared with our citizens in so many ways.

Working alongside UPC and Grea Kriopia this past term has been an enlightening experience, mostly. They’ve trusted me fully, and have been deliberate with their conversations across Foreign Affairs - their communication on both their domestic goals, and interregional ones, has been constant, and managed well. UPC and GK'S focus to improvement in the region is more refined than ever with their latest platform, and in terms of policy, their goals are certainly lofty, but for them, not unachievable. Mostly though, I can attest to UPC and GK having been so damned adaptable to the ever-changing relationships in our politics across the game, and yet the trust and confidence they have given me to do my job is the same as the trust they have for every citizen who cares deeply for Europeia, and I know this will continue. They are leaders who love this region—and their love shows in everything they do.

There has been a lot said this election cycle about mentorship, guidance, and the need for fresh leadership though. But, it’s important to remember that UPC, too, was once just a new citizen climbing the ladder. He’s faced personal challenges and setbacks that have at times taken him away from the region (and then brought him back to conquer the world of Cards), but he has always come back stronger - and I see this knowledge of defeat being passed to others in conversations when they feel it too. I have never said this to him, but I appreciate that he has felt this failure, and he's also reached out to me when I have gone through it too. He’s faced defeat in elections, defeat from burnout, and defeat from the raw emotional pain of feeling like he’s let the region down (though he never truly has). These experiences have made him succeed through struggles, and they have made him resilient, and that attitude and resilience is why I stand firmly behind him now.

There’s no one I’d rather endorse than someone who knows the sting of a battle not yet won, and yet still burns with the desire to keep pushing forward to see success. And there’s no better partner by his side than Grea Kriopia — someone who can temper and direct UPC’s fighting spirit while helping all of us to reach for more than what we have.

This moment, this election, this is their final crescendo, and an opportunity to make a legacy that our history will look back on, and this is why I will be voting for UPC/GK.
 
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Thank you so much, Isty, this really means a lot.
 
A compelling case and very interesting article! Would love to see more op-ed endorsements like these.
 
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