Damien Rightly

Dr **Damien Eskabar Zhou-Rightly, 18th Duke Rightly**, more commonly known as **Damien Rightly**, (February 16, 1980 -) was a senior Libirachi politician, academic and member of the nobility who served in several positions during his career, including as vice president of the Imperial Cabinet from 2040 to 2042 and as leader of the opposition from September 2042 onwards. Rightly also served as Business Secretary on two non-consecutive occasions, with a tenure of more than 14 years across the two terms. From 2020 until 2033, Rightly was chair of the Court of the High Families. From May 1, 2020, Damien Rightly was the patriarch of the Rightly family and ranked fourth in the Libirachi order of precedence.

Born in 1980 as a member of the powerful Rightly family, Damien Rightly attended the University of Beijing and graduated with a PhD in 2012. In September 2019, Rightly was appointed as the CEO of the medical company Sinopharm after it's previous executive was removed by the Imperial State Council in the 2019 coup, but was forced to relinquish his role in January 2020 after the company was nationalised. In May 2020, Rightly was selected to become the 18th patriarch for the Rightly family after the title's 140 year vacancy, raising him to a high status within the Libirachi nobility. During the Libirachi Civil War, Rightly served as a political advisor to regent Fox and other members of the government, before being appointed as business secretary in 2025. In September 14, 2032, Damien Rightly resigned from the Salamander administration in response to an ongoing power struggle between Salamander and the Empress Fox, becoming the first Libirachi minister to ever willing resign from government. Following a self-coup by the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order in July 2033, Damien Rightly was reinstated as business secretary by newly appointed president Karyn Voor.

On October 7, 2040, Damien Rightly was elected as the vice president of the Imperial Cabinet during the first session of the thirty second Libirachi National Congress, alongside Angelica Rivera as president. Despite being de-jure one of the most senior members of government, Rightly was effectively side-lined within government as President Rivera sought to implement a reform agenda, and many politicians allied with Rightly were removed from office or weakened following a cabinet reshuffle in August 2041, prompting Rightly to threaten resignation. As vice president, Damien Rightly was staunchly opposed to electoral reform and the implementation of proportional representation being advocated by the administration, and resigned from all cabinet positions on February 21, 2042 after the passing of the Electoral Renewal Act of 2042.

## History

Born in 1980 as a member of the powerful Rightly family, Damien Zhou-Rightly attended prestigious private education centres in the city of Shanghai between 1986 and 1998. Between 1998 and 2012, Zhou-Rightly attended the University of Beijing as a student in pharmaceutical chemistry; in January 2010, Damien Zhou-Rightly was arrested for leading a student protest against President Jacob Zuma, but was pardoned by President Nathan Jackson in April 2010 after the start of the transition to democracy. Following his PhD graduation from university, Zhou-Rightly joined the pharmaceutical company Sinopharm in 2018 as a director and dropped the patronymic Zhou from his name to better benefit from family connections. During the September 2019 coup d'état, Rightly published an open letter to international businesses urging them to remain within the Libirachi economy and was appointed as the CEO of Sinopharm after it's previous executive was removed by the Imperial State Council. In November 2019, Damien Rightly was in attendance for the coronation of Laura Fox as she became the first Libirachi monarch for 167 years. In January 2020, Business Secretary Eleija Longwood passed the Business Regulations, Ownership and Practices Act 2020, effectively forcing Rightly to relinquish his position of CEO to make way for direct government control of the company.

On May 1, 2020, Empress Laura Fox selected Damien Rightly to become the 18th patriarch for the Rightly family after the title's 140 year vacancy, raising him to a high status within the Libirachi nobility. Alongside this appointment, Rightly became the chair of the Court of the High Families, a forum for the patriarchs of former royal families and houses of the Libirachi state. During the Has Wars, Patriarch Damien Rightly led a select committee of peers in attempting to publish a report on future forums and organisations that the new Fox Dynasty would require to function as a stable state, but the taskforce had it's funding cut in November 2021, effectively shutting it down. In May 2022, following the assassination of Empress Laura Fox, Damien Rightly and other members of the high families publicly swore allegiance to regent Penny Fox in a televised session. During the Libirachi Civil War, Rightly served as a political advisor to regent Fox and other members of the government. In November 2024, following the deaths of major civil war opposition leaders, Penny Fox was crowned as empress in an elaborate coronation ceremony in Beijing. As part of the new reforms instigated by the Empress Fox, a new Imperial Privy Council was formed, comprised of members of the nobility and senior government ministers; despite technically not being a member, Rightly wielded significant influence within the body thanks to his close ties to leading members.

## Political Career

In March 2025, Damien Rightly was elected to the Libirachi National Congress as an independent member allied with the Libirachi Revolutionary Party; following the election, Business Secretary Eleija Longwood announced her departure from the government, and Rightly was appointed as business secretary in her position by President Damien Salamander. Following the civil war, Rightly became tasked with restoring the Libirachi economy and aiding reconstruction; as part of the plan, Rightly introduced the Regulation of Business Act 2025 into law as a way to decrease bureaucratic barriers to internal trade and entrepreneurial activity, with government grants being offered to start-up firms. Following the Wahngso Crisis, Rightly was forced to make further concessions to international markets as the Libirachi economy grew increasingly unstable. In the wake of the 2027 Global Banking Crisis, Rightly and Finance Secretary Li Keqiang were forced to abandon elements of the government's subsidy programme, as well as introducing funding cuts to state owned businesses and military expenditure. In September 14, 2032, Damien Rightly resigned from the Salamander administration in response to an ongoing power struggle between Salamander and the Empress Fox, becoming the first Libirachi minister to ever willing resign from government.

Following a self-coup by the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order in July 2033, Damien Rightly was reinstated as business secretary by newly appointed president Karyn Voor. Within days of his reappointment, Rightly stood down as chairman of the Court of the High Families. Though de-jure occupying a fairly junior role within government, Rightly has been widely regarded as one of the most senior members of government during the Voor presidency, and a cornerstone in maintaining the stability of the government. Following the creation of the Central Military Commission and the implementation of a purge of the armed forces in May 2034, Rightly used his influence to see Angelica Rivera appointed as minister of war, as part of a broader move to position political allies of the High Families across government.

## Vice Presidency

 Empress

On October 7, 2040, Damien Rightly was elected as the vice president of the Imperial Cabinet during the first session of the thirty second Libirachi National Congress, alongside President Angelica Rivera, though he was not appointed to any individual ministerial position in the new Rivera government. As vice president, Rightly brought key allies such as Lee Jae-myung into government, whilst also advocating for Avar Kriss to retain her position as finance secretary. Despite being a long-term ally of President Rivera, Rightly became side-lined in government as Rivera increasingly relied upon former president Karyn Voor for advice and guidance in office; further tensions in government emerged in early 2041, when the Rivera administration began passing through reformist legislation without informing Rightly.

Following the passing of the Administrative Zone Dissolution Act of 2041, and the independence of Japan and Malaya in August 2041, President Angelica Rivera conducted a reshuffle of government which effectively removed power from foreign secretary Lee Jae-myung by creating new ministerial positions, whilst Rightly's ally Avar Kriss was removed from government altogether. The dismissal of key allies prompted Damien Rightly to threaten to resign from government, though Rightly ultimately chose to remain in office after the incident, despite lingering tensions between Rightly's more conservative faction and Rivera's reformist faction.