Business Secretary (Libirachi Empire)

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The **Secretary of State for Business, Investment, and Trade** of the Libirachi Empire, frequently known simply as the **Business Secretary**, is the head of the Imperial Ministry of Business and is a cabinet level position within the Fox Dynasty, as well as being 5th in the *de-facto* order of presidential succession. The office was initially formed on November 11, 2019 as the *Minister for Business*, before becoming the *Secretary of State for Business* on February 20, 2023, and on July 27 2033 as it's current title of *Secretary of State for Business, Investment, and Trade*.

As the leader of the Ministry of Business, the Libirachi business secretary is a senior level member of the cabinet and is responsible for overseeing the Fox Dynasty's international trade agreements, foreign investment schemes, as well as overseeing the many levels of bureaucracy and regulations that domestic firms need to follow in order to operate within the nation. Due to the nature of the Libirachi mixed economy, the office of business secretary is the sole or majority shareholder in thousands of companies within the nation and is entitled to a seat on the board of directors of hundreds of other corporations, making the officeholder one of the most economically powerful figures in the Libirachi Empire; however, the business secretary themselves rarely exercises the shareholding powers of their office, and instead the day-to-day decisions are made by the large bureaucracy of the Imperial Ministry of Business, which is one of the largest government departments in number of employees.

Like all other cabinet roles, the secretary of state for business, investment and trade is appointed upon the president's request after receiving assent from the emperor; as such, the business secretary serves purely at the pleasure of the president and thus can be removed from office in a reshuffle or altogether sacked mid-term. To date, there have only been 4 individuals to hold the office of business secretary; from the office's inception in 2019 until the formation of the Rivera I Cabinet in 2040, the office was only occupied by members of the Libirachi nobility. During the presidency of Karyn Voor, the office acted as a de-facto major political political force for Damien Rightly, who used it to wield significantly more power than the relatively junior position would normally allow.

Following the 2019 Libirachi Coup d'état and the establishment of the Imperial State Council, influential businesswoman Eleija Longwood was invited to become the business commissar within the state council as part of a drive to make sure that the coup didn't drive away international business investment. Following the coronation of President Laura Fox as empress on November 11, 2019, the role of a cabinet-level Minister for Business was established and granted to Longwood, who remained in office for 6 years until April 10, 2025. On February 20, 2023, the office was renamed as the Secretary of State for Business and established within the ministerial order of precedence as a high ranking figure. Following the 2033 Libirachi Coup d'état and the election of Karyn Voor as president, the office was renamed as the Secretary of State for Business, Investment and Trade as part of a drive to establish a modern face of government for the new regime.

## See Also

* Emperor of the Libirachi Empire
* President of the Libirachi Empire
* Imperial Cabinet