Roden Family Kickstarts Road to Gallente Election

Roden Shipyards Manufacturing Center celebrates announcement of Soraya Roden Presidential Campaign

Soraya Roden Announces Presidential Campaign

Roden Shipyards executive Soraya Roden has announced her candidacy for the Presidency alongside her Grandfather, Former President Jacus Roden, during a rally held on Gallente Prime. The event was conducted from the legendary Crystal Boulevard in Caille, where the Rodens put on an hour-long show filled with performances and speeches.

Soraya Roden is the first candidate to officially announce their intention to run. Much like her grandfather when he ran, she does not currently hold any political office. In addition to her work as a Senior executive, Soraya Roden is the acting head of the family’s charitable foundation. Within these roles, she has often lobbied the Gallente Senate for business-friendly changes and is a well-known figure around the halls of power.

Jacus Roden himself took to the stage, introducing his granddaughter as “a born leader, one of my closest advisors, and a great source of pride for all our family”. Holding Office from YC112 to YC122, the extremely wealthy eccentric Jacus came to power after leading the charge against Executive Order 81042, which required private companies to give control over their manufacturing to the Federation war effort. Speaking today, Jacus also took the opportunity to attack some of the recent rhetoric surrounding welfare proposals, such as those backed by rising Senate star Lucas Tenzin. According to the Former President, “people need someone like Soraya who can see a path to the light ahead, not a hand to hold while they cower in the darkness.”

Soraya arrived on stage to chants of “Gallente Strength”, a reference to her campaign slogan “A Return to Strength.” Her speech focused on an appeal to individual freedom and corporate prosperity. Roden criticized a recent “backlash against corporate excellence, in favor of promoting weakness.” While Roden was quick to condemn the Former President Aguard, she called it a “problem of Federal interference, not industrial ingenuity. Private innovations are the key to our dominance over the Caldari threat.”

Trillions are believed to have tuned in to watch the live holocast which was sponsored by Quafe. Soraya was also joined on stage by her cousin and current CEO of Roden Shipyards, Miloise Roden. Miloise said of her cousin, “No one cares more deeply about the future of this great nation. She has always been able to stoke the fires of ambition in everyone she speaks with, and I cannot wait to see her do the same for all Gallente.”

The Progressive party, which has plummeted in the polls since Aguard’s impeachment, is believed to have reached out to Soraya Roden. Jacus Roden defeated the Progressives as an independent when he claimed election victory in YC112, but with the party keen to find a new direction, they may just be ready to throw their support behind the latest scion of his legacy.

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