Valruzia

[Aethan]

Who is Robert Sobieraj, Nowik's everpresent second in command?

The government's spokesperson has been next to Nowik since his very first cabinet

February 5645

Nowik (left) and Sobieraj (right) during a meeting

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With the announcement of the new ministers that will seat along with Szymon Nowik in his fourth cabinet, there are two names that are still strong: Robert Sobieraj and Judyta Supko, reappointed as ministers of Foreign Affairs and Economy and Finance, respectively. And these two ministers have something in common: they both have been serving along with Nowik since his very first cabinet in February 5630. 

With the coalition with the KPW now in full speed, Nowik has said goodbye to others that had been with him since that very first moment, such as the ministers of Science, Education or Industry, plus those who left the Cabinet in order to make space for the new KPW ministers, who have been granted the positions of Labor, Housing, Agriculture, Territorial Administration, Environment, Migration and Transport along with the Deputy Chancellery. Thus, this has been the biggest cabinet reshuffle since Nowik first took his oath. Yet, both Sobieraj and Supko have resisted and remained in their seats. 

Judyta Subko is well-known around the Valruzian general population since despite she prefers working behind close doors, she has been, along with Nowik himself, the creator of the two successfully implemented Valruzian economic plans: the Valruzia 5700 and the AgroSo initiative.  

Robert Sobieraj, on the other hand, is know because of the different roles he has played in the Nowik administrations. First starting as Minister of Foreign Affairs - a role he has not abandoned since then - he has also been spokesperson of the government and Deputy Chancellor at different cabinets, and he is widely regarded as Nowik's "Praetorian Guard" and close aidee. But who is Robert Sobieraj, and why is he so close to Nowik?

Robert Sobieraj, 54, first started as only the SW minister of Foreign Affairs under the first Nowik cabinet, the coalition government between Sovereign Valruzia and Dignity and Progress. During that first tenure, he was in charge of rebuilding bridges with allied nations all around Terra just after the end of the Morawski regime, and the consolidation of the international image of Valruzia as a fully democratic state. Following his performance, Nowik trusted him to continue in his post for his second cabinet, this time in coalition with National Renewal, but this time he also made him the new spokesperson of the Government. This tenure was marked by the Velvet revolution in Tukarali that overthrew its dictatorial regime, and Sobieraj was, along with Chancellor Nowik and President Pietrzyk, one of the key Valruzian figures involved in the negotiations with the Tukarese regime over how they could hand over power. 

Consolidating his position as Nowik's "de facto" second in command, he was made Deputy Chancellor following the government agreement with the KPW after the 5640 elections, which ended in a Sovereign Valruzia minority government supported externally by the KPW. And now, although he is no longer Deputy Chancellor as this position has gone to the KPW leader, he has remained as Minister of Foreign Affairs and has also returned to be the spokesperson of the government, showing just how much Chancellor Nowik trusts him.

"It is mostly a matter of confidence"

says political analyst Tomasz Rubs

"We have seen that [Szymon] Nowik can be an extremely rancorous person with those that wish him ill, but at the same time he's very generous with those who he thinks are willing to work with him. And Robert Sobieraj is the perfect encarnation of that figure. Despite the age difference between both politicians, he has been a kind of "older brother" figure to Chancellor Nowik, and that includes having heated disagreements over international or domestic policy. However, the quiet temperament of Sobieraj fits perfectly against the more easy-going and calculated figure Szymon Nowik tends to show."

Although still 46, many people are increasingly worried about the perspective of Nowik leaving politics altogether with an heir in Sovereign Valruzia yet decided.

"When the time comes for Nowik to say goodbye, I think we will know pretty in advance. He is not the kind of person to decide such things in a whim, especially when it concerns the very main party he has basically turned into an election-winning power machine."

But could Sobieraj be this mysterious heir?

"I do not think Nowik sees Sobieraj as anything more than his closest ally in the government and the party. From what we know, Nowik does not even think yet about the possibility of retiring, but when he does, I firmly believe he will not endorse Sobieraj to succeed him. Frankly, while Sobieraj's performance in government is what has made him one of Nowik's closest politicians, his figure is completely the opposite of what Nowik represents. For Sovereign Valruzia to succeed, a charismatic figure is desperately needed, and Robert Sobieraj is simply not that man. Plus, he is eight years older than Nowik, and the Chancellor has already said that he would plan on continue in government "as long as the citizens want him to", so being older than him is another backlash for his future successor".

For the moment, Robert Sobieraj remains as one of the last remnants of Szymon Nowik's first steps into launching Valruzia atop of Seleya's powerhouses. Whether he will have a more decisive role in that future is yet to be decided.