The Huenyan government today confirmed who will be nominated as the secretaries in the incoming cabinet of Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli. Most of the members of the interim government’s cabinet will be retained, although there are some new faces taking up positions as well. The secretaries must also be approved by a majority of the Chamber of Deputies, the elected house of the Huenyan Federal Legislature; this is widely seen as a formality, however.
The members of the new cabinet are:
Secretary of State: Huitzilhuani
Huitzilhuani is a longtime diplomat, having previously served as the Secretary of State under then-Emperor Topilpopoca in Xiomera and continuing in the role under his successor, Yauhmi. Huitzilhuani was one of the members of the Xiomeran government who remained loyal to Yauhmi during the Xiomeran Civil War, and is considered to be one of the more progressive members of the government. She is a member of the Green Party.
Secretary of the Federal Treasury and Huenyan National Bank: Quauhxochuepo
The runner-up in the Vice-Speaker election, Quauhxochuepo is an economist by training and a strong proponent of moderate fiscal policy. She brings decades of experience from the Xiomeran national bank, prior to the civil war, to her new role. A member of the Huenyan Centrist Coalition, her appointment to Treasury should reassure international observers hoping to see a steady and experienced hand at the helm of Huenyan fiscal policy.
Secretary of Trade: Yaochtzin
Yaochtzin brings both educational and business experience to his role as Trade Secretary. Prior to government service, he was the dean of the International Business and Trade College at the Imperial University of Ixtenco (now the Huenyan National University at Ixtenco). Yaochtzin was also the owner of a major import-export firm in Ixtenco, prior to divesting his interests in that firm to enter the government. He is a strong proponent of free trade and of multilateral trade agreements. His appointment is also expected to please international observers hoping to invest in Huenya. He is a member of the Unification Party.
Secretary of Defense: Acxopotl
Acxopotl, at first glance, seems like an odd choice for Defense Secretary. Prior to entering the government, he was a professor of indigenous religious studies at the University of the Four Directions, a private university run by the Teotzin, the Huenyan indigenous church. Despite his lack of formal grounding in military matters, he is seen as a hawk on defense issues, and is popular with the Huenyan military. His appointment is seen as a compromise to get the support of his party, the Party of Huītzilōpōchtli, for the agenda of the Vice-Speaker. His appointment may raise concerns among both international observers and Huenyan moderates for his tough-on-Xiomera stance and his outspoken condemnation of undemocratic states in general.
Secretary of the Civil Service: Araucuy
A longtime member of the Xiomeran, and now Huenyan, national bureaucracy, Araucuy is seen as an apolitical figure more concerned with making sure the Huenyan government is constructed well, and works, as the nation moves forward after elections and figures out exactly how the government is going to take shape. Araucuy has refused to claim a specific political party, with her explicit goal being to ensure that the Huenyan civil service remains both non-partisan and non-nationalist. Her framework for the construction of the new government has won widespread approval from all sectors of the Huenyan populace, with its mission of ensuring that all political parties, socioeconomic sectors, ethnic and religious groups have equal access to the jobs within the Civil Service, and the services provided by it. She is seen as another steady and experienced hand who should help Huenya build a stable government.
Secretary of Justice: Xochica
Xochica is a former attorney and a close friend of the Vice-Speaker, Tiacihitli. The two of them worked together as part of a legal service that sought to defend people accused of crimes by the Xiomeran government before the civil war. That nonprofit service, Western Huenyan Legal Aid, often earned the ire of the Xiomeran government (and also earned both Tiacihitli and Xochica more than one stay in Xiomeran jails). Xochica’s plan for the Justice Department involves a mix of measures to rehabilitate and reconcile the various groups of Huenyan society, and tougher measures to go after terrorist groups such as the Golden Blade that have emerged since Huenyan independence. A member of the Unification Party, Xochica is a highly popular member of the Cabinet among most sectors of Huenyan society.
Secretary of the Environment: Cuyuchi
A member of the Green Party, Cuyuchi is one of the most well-known environmentalists in Huenya. He is the founder of the environmental activist group Huenya Our Motherland, which was banned by the Xiomeran government after it staged nonviolent protests blocking construction at several sensitive ecological sites. He is also the second-in-command of the Green Party, just below party founder Yucuyche. He is expected to push hard to ensure that Huenya, in its rush to rebuild after the destruction of the civil war, doesn’t sell out the environment to make it happen. He is also expected to push strongly to ensure that any foreign investments in Huenya meet strict environmental criteria.
Secretary of Education: Yaguan
Yaguan is a member of the Unification Party. He is the oldest member of the Cabinet at age 76, and has a very long background in higher education. His last formal position was as Rector of the Imperial University of Acalan (now the Huenyan National University at Acalan). He was forced out of that role in 2018 by Xiomeran authorities after he allowed courses in pan-Huenyanism, which was banned, to be taught on campus. He also spent six months in an Imperial prison before being released. Yaguan’s arrest and removal from his job caused widespread protests on the campus, which were forcibly put down by the Imperial Police. Yaguan is widely respected as an educator and is expected to work to build a more inclusive and historically accurate educational program for Huenyan schools than that previously mandated by the Xiomeran government.
Secretary of Interior Affairs: Ahuatzi
Ahuatzi is a member of the Huenyan Conservative Party. She is a cousin of Huacue, the former Necatli tribal ruler who was recently removed for power for alleged war crimes. While her appointment to a Cabinet role has alarmed some due to her connection to her cousin, she has disavowed his alleged crimes and publicly called for him to face severe punishment for “dishonorable acts.” Her appointment is seen as a way of winning over Macochu, the new Necatli tribal leader and son of Huacue. Ahuatzi has long experience in security matters as a member of the Necatli Civil Guard, prior to its forcible dissolution by Xiomeran forces at the beginning of the civil war. She is highly popular among the Necatli, and is expected to bring a tough stance to everything from election security to countering terrorism and crime moving forward.
Secretary of Scientific Advancement: Huaypa
Huaypa is a member of the Huenyan Womens’ Party. Like Yaguan, she is also an academic. Her most recent role prior to entering government service was as Chair of the Department of Physics at the Imperial University of Chuzatlapoc (now the Huenyan National University at Chuaztlapoc). She was mostly unknown outside of academic circles prior to the civil war, and is seen as relatively apolitical. She was personally asked by Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli to take charge of Huenya’s scientific development during the forming of the Cabinet, due to her strong scientific credentials. She is seen as an expert who will wisely advise Huenyan officials on how to leverage the country’s scientific prowess moving forward. Prior to the civil war, Huenya had some of the finest universities and research centers in the world; the country still possesses impressive scientific knowledge and many top-flight researchers. Huaypa’s mission will be twofold: to leverage that knowledge base to help Huenya accelerate its postwar recovery, and to make sure that other countries don’t poach Huenyan researchers and knowledge as the country rebuilds.
Secretary of Labor and Social Security: Ngaio Maata Tama
A Huenyan of Milintican descent and Paora heritage, Ngaio Maata Tama is a member of the Huenyan Peoples’ Party. Possibly the furthest-left member of the Cabinet, she is also only the second person in the history of the Huenyan subcontinent to serve in a high government role who was not ethnic Huenyan in heritage. (The first, Kaarel Sepp, is a Huenyan Supreme Court justice of Eirian heritage.) She is expected to push strongly to ensure workers’ rights are protected, and that Huenya develops a social safety net equal to that of leading nations.
Secretary of Health: Inguill
A member of the Unification Party and a medical doctor by training, Inguill brings a history of previous government service with him. He was previously a director within the Xiomeran national health service, having as part of his job the management of all national health service functions and activities within the Itotemoc region. A strong proponent of prevention as a way to avoid health costs, he is expected to widely promote healthy living as a way to reduce the cost burden on the Huenyans’ own national health service.
Secretary of Infrastructure and Development: Talcueitlaco
Talcueitlaco is a member of the Unification Party. She entered government service from the private sector, as an urban planner by training. She eventually became the owner of one of the largest urban develoment and construction firms in what is now Huenya, and has extensive experience managing huge projects. Her task now will be the biggest yet – managing the rebuilding of an entire country shattered by war and the Xiomeran “scorched earth” withdrawal at that war’s conclusion. She is a proponent of leveraging both Huenyan and international firms, governments and resources to help with that task, and was one of the biggest proponents of the Laeral-Huenya Economic Corridor plan.
New legislative house gets right to work
In news related to the new government, the Chamber of Deputies has approved a series of measures initiated by the interim government, making them official. The Chamber of Deputies approved a previously established research and trade agreement with Eiria by a vote of 219 to 21. The Chamber also approved the previously established Laeral-Huenya Economic Corridor plan by a vote of 227 to 13. Huenya’s participation in the ongoing naval blockade and no-fly zone in Auria was the most controversial measure, with 155 voting in favor and 85 against. The Chamber was most enthusiastic about the vote to ratify Huenya’s membership in the Caxcanan Union, with 233 voting in favor and only seven voting against. The Chamber of Executives, the noble house of the Huenyan legislature, had already voted in favor of all four measures during the interim government.
