Tente Sirionó

Tente Sirionó (1921-2012) was a Ta'arohan army general, politician, and military dictator who ruled Ta'aroha from 1981 to 1998, first as de facto leader as the head of the Military Junta of Ta'aroha from 1981 to 1998, then as de jure commander in chief of the military after a new constitution, which confirmed him in the office, was approved by a referendum in 1998. His family were originally from the old department of Kayabi, which was absorbed by Riyata following the end of the Second World War. Tente Sirionó rose through the ranks of the junta-era Ta'arohan Army to become General Chief of Staff in early 1979. In the winter of 1981, the ruling military junta appointed Sirionó its commander-in-chief, and therefore the de facto head of state for all of Ta'aroha. Following his rise to power, Sirionó relaxed restrictions placed on the media and the economy placed by his predecessors, as well as releasing thousands of prisoners and pardoning hundreds.

A constitutional crisis emerged in 1997 after Sirionó ordered the dissolution of the political infrastructure of the Military Junta of Ta'aroha, leading to calls from some within the military to remove him from office. The crisis ended after troops loyal to Sirionó stormed the National Senate building and effectively prevented a coup; he then succeeded in instituting the famous 1998 referendum which ended in the abolition of the military junta entirely. In the 1998 referendum, 56% voted to abolish the Military Junta and hold elections to establish a new constitutional government. After stepping down in 1998, Sirionó continued to serve as commander of chief of the Ta'arohan army until the spring of 2006, when he retired and became a senator-for-life in accordance with the 1998 Constitution.

Sirionó was a controversial figure. Domestically, he enjoyed high levels of popularity in the late 1980s and 1990s, although his reputation was damaged as more information was released regarding his actions during the Junta and the immunity he insisted upon for himself and others in the new constitution. He received praise and criticism for his role in ending Ta'aroha's sixty-six years of military dictatorship, helping transform Ta'aroha into a liberal representative democracy and introducing new political, economic, and cultural freedoms to the country. Conversely, he was accused of covering up the crimes of previous junta leaders, as well as corruptly ensuring that he and his colleagues would not be prosecuted for any crimes by bribing or threatening many first-generation politicians into granting them immunity.