Aeliana Berninu (Terra Cognita)

Aeliana Berninu (born 17 August 2715) is one of the two current Consuls of the Roman Republic and the popularly elected of the two. She is a Roman politician and was a practicing lawyer before entering politics. Berninu was born and raised in Bonoña, the daughter of former Roman Senator Albertu Berninu. She taught at the University of Bonoña, a lecturer for Internal and International Arbitration Law and alternative procedures. Since 2748 she has been a member of the Bonoña Advocate Guild and worked at the Berninu family's and associated law firm.

In 2761 she was elected to the Senate in Sañia Province for the LLN (New Latin League Party). In the regional elections in Sañia in 2763 she was nominated for governorship of the province by the center-right coalition, but obtained 36.7% of the votes and was thus defeated. Following this Berninu became a member of the senatorial Permanent Commission for Constitutional Affairs, of the Council for the Regulation.

Berninu was nominated as the principal candidate for Consulship by her party, the LLN, as well as the right-wing coalition it belonged to. The severing of ties by the center-right coalition led many to believe it to be unlikely that Berninu would be elected. The final result of the 2770 election gave Berninu 31.6% against her principal rival, sitting Consul Mogerines, who obtained 30.7% and third place at 23.8 percent came Luca Selva.

Aeliana Berninu has gained a reputation for heavy-handed rhetoric, a verbose and provocative speaker, she has had to backtrack a number of statements as a result. Roman's tend to be divided on their feelings towards this type of political dialogue, whether it is well past time or instead damaging to Romania.

Political Positions
Her political positions have been described as populist and nationalist by many. The anti-Sinti and anti-immigrant behavior of the LLN, the party which Berninu belongs to, has led many in Romania and abroad to question Berninu's intent. Berninu caused a diplomatic row after giving a speech in Milan that she would like to gather the Sinti of Romania together and, if a deal could be arranged, "return them" to India. Berninu suggested that when she is Consul she will reach out to India in hopes of getting the idea moving. Widespread protests occurred in Romania and the atmosphere in Milan, a notably left-wing city, became tense. Then Senator Berninu explained that the intended the statement to be an idea and something to consider only, "with the full support and agreement of the Indian Republic and the Sinti community here. This was a notion, not a demand, under the understanding that the Sinti people might find a better future there (in India) than facing the troubles they do here".

Berninu has also picked fights with the Council, suggesting that their power is too much of a curb on that of the Consul and therefore a censorship on the will of the Roman people as the Council is Senatorially elected. Berninu has declared her full intent to end Roman involvement in the two on-going wars (Ethiopia and Miame), which is applauded, though controversially she would do so by re-striking contracts with the Kveld Company in Scandia and other military contractors/mercenaries, extending said contracts, and allowing them to essentially fix the problem for a cost. Berninu has also renewed aggressive talk about Persia, an issue that has calmed during the last Consulship. Persian involvement abroad is ramping up, claims Berninu, and they feel increasingly emboldened to try and derail Roman plans globally in an attempt to supplant Romania as a bigger global power. This rhetoric has caused increased tension between the two world powers.

The continued support for cleaner energy by Berninu is a stance broadly held across lines in Romania and is a continuation of former policy. Claiming a counter to the accusations of bigotry, Berninu suggests her plan for quicker path to citizenship to Romanian-born children of immigrants negatives that belief. While the LLP has made broadly bigoted statements, Berninu has largely been milder on the topic. Her initial Senatorial statements of the "dangerous influx" from abroad (Hesperia and Libia) and the need to gather and remove refugees was met with hostility by many areas of Romania. Berninu has since toned down her statement by suggesting she has not altered the idea that the flow needs to be stemmed and there needs to be an "organization... of... the internal elements who have already arrived from abroad. So we, at least, know what is going on" coupled with her citizenship policy for children born in Romania. Former Consul Mogerines has echoed the feeling by many that this could be rather shallow and as long as Berninu retains her party membership it will be difficult to be assured of her statements, together with her past arguments.

Berninu, in line with the LLP, opposes drug liberalization, which she considers potentially negative for health and not useful for solving criminal matters. The LLP and Berninu intend to derail the legalization process put through by the former Consul Mogerines. Romania's policy has long held legal cannabis, hashish, psychedelic mushroom, and peyote while Mogerines program was legalizing LSD, heroin, cocaine among others by a first decriminalization process. Berninu aims to undo this step though has declared she has not intent of altering the current legality of cannabis or the other aforementioned legal substances.

Berninu considers Romania as a country with a Hellene civilization and, thus, favours displaying Hellene symbols in public place and continuing to favor that religion over "those from outside".

Berninu has pushed for more of a free-trade policy by Romania as well as a loosening of government dissuasion of companies that grow "too large", arguing that many have been chased away from Romania because of how the country deals with them.

Consulship
One year into the Consulship has witnessed Consul Berninu with mixed results. Numerous protests have occured across Romania and most see a broad division in society. Thus far no actual attempt to contact India about Sinti removal has occured. The contract issue, that of giving the Kveld Company back their contract - stripped by the last Consul Mogerines - is in debate among the Senate for confirmation since Berninu issued the declaration and made it formal and her co-Consul, Cassandra Bergamòne, agreed. Berninu has initiated a nation-wide police engagement in "security", involving internal and coastal security in order to alleviate what she claims is the immigration burden currently on-going. This too, though in action, is being debated by the Senate and decided upon. An array of new trade deals have been struck with Sina, a few of the actions by Berninu deemed more positive, as they have had the result of alleviating the formerly on-going trade issues of Romania itself and that with Sina (among others); the Sinaean government has been cordial and worked with Romania on the process. A continuation of the previous Consulship's green-projects have gone ahead as well, broadly applauded.

Berninu has involved herself in a back-and-forth with both former Consul Mogerines and Persian Chancellor Meherzad Tavasoli. The at times heated statements made, particularly by the Consul, have received mixed reactions (mostly negative), with supporters applauding the tough stance while many believe it is damaging Romania's standing globally. Persian financing of Ethiopian projects is a principal dispute by Berninu, who claims that the Persians have been a cause for the on-going conflict in east Libia and have been war-profiteering at Romania's expense. The refusal of Persian aid in that conflict, at Miame, are also issues that have been raised. Coupled with past and present Persian complaints of Roman global policing, with the wars as examples, have also been used. What Chancellor Tavasoli has called the "tired and old Roman and European trop of the evil and exotic Persian who meddles in all things as the greatest thief of all is just that. Tired and old. Persia will not come to the table with the Romans as long as Romans still assume Persia is hiding a knife behind their back."

Berninu has made a purpose of demanding Persia recognize the Armenian Holocaust and pay reparations for it. The Persian government has replied in kind that the Romanian's must first do so with the Sinti, among others.