Cairo Raijar

Cairo Abdul Ameen Raijar (Vizhutuoq: ; ; April 2, 1892 - May 29, 1972) was a Vizhutuan lawyer, academic, journalist, and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Vizhutuan Federation from 1944 to his death in 1972. With a total of 27 years, 11 months, 3 days, Raijar is the longest serving prime minister in Vizhutuan history.

Respected and loved by the Vizhutuan people, Raijar's premiership was marked by political stability and economic growth. He championed the Vizhutuan economic miracle of the 1950s and 1960s, released political prisoners from the Widodo regime, helped create the Federation of Nesiondalsan States (FNOS), supported Vizhutua's entry into the, and regularly criticized both capitalism and communism.

Early life
Cairo Raijar was born in his home in the Bandres district of Visaha, Vizhutua, on 2 April 1892, the second son of M. Khan Raijar (1877-1948), an general in the Vizhutuan Army and Inaya Raijar Badir (1881-1967), a socialite and activist. The Raijars were a wealthy family, and in 1914 he moved to Visaha to master in law at the prestigious Visaha National University. He graduated in 1920.

Career
In 1922, Raijar joined the Vizhutuan Army, and served there until 1925. Raijar was radicalized there and joined the Vizhutuan Socialist Workers' Party (VSWP), becoming a journalist for the party's newspaper, before leaving the party for the Vizhutuan People's Party (VPP) in 1934.

In 1939, he was elected to the Parliament of the Vizhutuan Federation for Visaha North. He was Minister of Justice from 1940 to 1942. In 1943, he was elected the leader of the Vizhutuan People's Party.

Prime Minister of the Vizhutuan Federation (1944-1972)
The 1944 Vizhutuan federal election was held on June 4, 1944. Raijar and the VPP won and formed a minority government, with 339 seats won. Raijar's term started on July 7 and immediately he worked to rebuild Vizhutu and fend off the last remaining Cadasan/Japanese invaders. He expanded to a majority government in 1946.

After the war, Raijar started to make Vizhutu developed, modeled after the US post-war boom. In 1946, Raijar helped to return Bur and Nyidush  to Vizhutu. In the 1950s, Vizhutuan population grew fivefold, and the capital city Visaha became a modern city with office buildings and skyscrapers. He visited Moscow in 1956, followed by Washington DC in 1961. and, leaders of the USSR and US respectively at the time, both said that Raijar was a kind and humorous man.

In the 1960s, Raijar started to cut down corruption in the Vizhutuan government, and in 1970 delievered the first opening speech to FNOS.

Death and state funeral
In 1968, Raijar was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and started to experience symptoms of dementia in late 1969. His health started to deteriorate, and despite calls for him to resign due to health, Raijar was determined to serve Vizhutua “until his very last day”.

In March 1972, Raijar was admitted to the Visaha National University Hospital due to the cancer spreading to the rest of his body. He died on May 29, 1972. A state funeral was held on June 10, 1972.

Legacy
Raijar is considered to be one of the greatest Vizhutuan prime ministers. He improved Vizhutu's economy and by 1965 corruption was virtually nonexistant in the Vizhutuan government. Raijar was also known for radically changing Vizhutua's foreign policy, from one pro-colonialism to one pro-neutrality, and for peacefully putting down separatist movements by giving some rights to the states of Vizhutua.

Except for a brief period from 1972 to 1973, following his death, the Raijar family continued to rule Vizhutu. Raijar’s son Rafiq Raijar served as prime minister from 1973 to 1986 and grandson Bhaswar served from 1986 to 2000.