Carter Morris

Carter Morris
Official Portrait, 2022
13th President of Gjorka
Incumbent
Assumed office September 30, 2021
Vice President	John Burreaux
Preceded by	Roman Vanderburg
President of the Ostlandet Union
In office June 23, 2022 – June 18, 2022
Preceded by	Position Established
Succeeded by	James Fulkerson
Assembly Member from Baltimore
In office September 30, 2006 – September 29, 2021
Preceded by	Melissa Turnip
Succeeded by	Meyer Landon
Personal details
Born	Carter Degroose Walker (1976-05-01) May 1, 1976 Baltimore, Gjorka
Political party	Gjorka United
Spouse(s)	David Morris (m. 2004)
Children	Anna Morris
Residence	Palace of Gjorka
Alma mater	University of Baltimore (BA) Ezarton University (JD)
Signature

Carter Degroose Morris (born May 1, 1976) is a Gjorkan politician who is currently serving as the 13th President of Gjorka since 2021. A member of Gjorka United, Morris previously served as a member of the National Assembly from Baltimore from 2006 to 2021 when she resigned to take the presidency.

Born in Baltimore, Morris's family moved to Gjorka City when her father had been appointed Deputy Secretary of Global Relations under President Wilson Aldrich. Morris would return to Baltimore and graduate from the University of Baltimore before earning her a law degree from Ezarton University. Her entry into politics would start working for the presidential campaign of Holly Forde in 2001. In 2006, Morris ran for the National Assembly seat of Melissa Turnip, upsetting the incumbent in the Gjorka United primary and later winning in the general election. Morris's tenure in the National Assembly was marked by her leadership of the right wing faction of Gjorka United, who would later be known as the Wolf Caucus. Morris rose to national popularity as a fierce critic of President Roman Vanderburg and later would be appointed as Deputy Minority Leader under Ava Ross. Morris was elected the first female president of Gjorka in 2021, but would win with the lowest percentage of the vote of any successful president in Gjorkan history.

Morris's presidency has seen a strong foreign policy focus in her first years. In 2022, Gjorka hosted the 2022 Gjorka City summit to promote cooperation between the countries of Ostlandet. The summit led to the creation of the Ostlandet Union (OU), a continental union of Ostlandet nations, and Morris would be elected the first President of the Ostlandet Union. Morris would also sign the Mutual Defense of Democracy Treaty with New Gandor, Gjorka's first bilateral defense treaty, and sign a Non-Aggression pact with Zloveshchiy. Under Morris's presidency of the OU, tensions with Ajakanistan would escalate drastically, with the OU suspending the membership of the communist government of Ajakanistan, arresting Ajaki Supreme Leader Vladimir Kareiv during an OU council meeting and recognizing the Free Council of Ajakanistan as the legitimate government of the country. In response, Ajakanistan would strike the border town of Castlederg, where the OU had called for a meeting between the two sides to be held. This strike would lead to the OU intervening in Ajakanistan and installing the Free Council as the government of the country. Gjorka would participate in the rebuilding of the country as one of the three countries administering the OU occupation of the country. The occupation ended prematurely as tensions with Zloveshchiy escalated in response to the revelation of the Akvatika Island genocide. Morris recognized the Monsilvan island name of Shaoyu, and moved the Gjorkan military to the border with Zloveshchiy. Gjorkan troops would participate in the OU's intervention in the island, with the Gjorkan Aerial Forces striking southern Zloveshchiy in Operation Javelin.

Domestically, Morris's presidency has been criticized for a lack of action. In response to the Broadford bombing carried out by Khoroshiyan separatists, Morris announced an investigation in the Khoroshiyan Civic Initiative and the Khoroshiyan Anti-Fascist Assembly as well as a renewed campaign against the Front for the Liberation of Khoroshiya. Morris's presidency has been marred by large scale protests, often anti-war due to Gjorka's involvement in the interventions in Ajakanistan and Akvatika. In the 2023 district senate elections, Gjorka United would lose it's majority in several district senates, forcing the party to re-negotiate the National Coalition (which de facto collapsed as a result of the OU's founding) with the National Social Party (PSN). As part of United's negotiations with PSN, Morris announced that Gjorka would hold a referendum on Gjorka's OU membership. In 2024, a report in the Baltimore Sun alleged Morris's involvement in a quid pro quo scheme with six Gjorkan companies that raised significant backlash against her administration and stirred calls for her to resign as a result.