MAVOCKE -- In a near party-line vote, the Federal Senate has confirmed interim Foreign Affairs Secretary Dawnelle Hunter-Garrett to the post permanently, making her the first woman secretary in the nation's history.
The Senate voted 50-42 to confirm Hunter-Garrett, who has served as the interim head of the department since last year when Secretary Jim McCaren resigned.
Before working in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Hunter-Garrett worked as the chair of the International Affairs department at Kinn College in Armana.
Prior to her time in academia, she worked in Grassadellian embassies around the world, serving in Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark, Brazil, Morocco, Bangladesh and Nepal.
No Conservative senators voted in favor of Hunter-Garrett, while four centrist Nationalist senators opposed her nomination. They were: Armana Sen. Duke Castlebury, South Ceona Sen. Vic Chambers, and POG Sens. George Mercott and Max Kiesling.
All four NAT senators are foreign policy hawks.
Independent Sen. George Reedsworth of Trinton also voted against Hunter-Garrett's nomination.
But in the Senate, which is dominated by the NAT, Hunter-Garrett had strong support.
Among her most vocal advocates was Lial Sen. Henry Mickeravi, the country's first Israeli-Grassadellian senator.
"Dawnelle has the knowledge, and the diplomatic savvy, this position requires. She is tough and tenacious when needed, and she is diplomatic and compromising when needed. She's a skilled negotiator who will hold this office with dignity and distinction," said Mickeravi.
After sitting down with Hunter-Garrett, Monomi Sen. Brad Fiodora (N) found her foreign policy philosophy to be directly in line with Grassadellian interests.
"Like most Grassadellians, Ms. Hunter-Garrett believes in protecting Grassadellia's security and interests abroad with a strong foreign policy, while also avoiding war and conflict and striving for peace at all times."
Freshman Sen. Jan Van Ness (N-Wilkonshire) praised Hunter-Garrett for her commitment to multi-lateralism on the international stage.
"What I admire most about Dawnelle is her spirit of collaboration. She doesn't believe in the go-it-alone doctrine. She believes in consulting with the international community, consulting with Grassadellia's allies, consulting with all involved parties, and trying to collaborate together to come up with policy and negotiations that benefit all sides. That's what diplomacy is all about," said Van Ness.
President Menuhaeo congratulated Hunter-Garrett on her confirmation, and said he looked forward to working with her to "promote peace in a troubled world."
"This is a dangerous time right now, that we are living in. And the world is looking to Grassadellia to be a beacon of hope, and a trailblazer of peace. Our allies are looking to us, and our enemies are looking to us, wondering, 'will Grassadellia stand for peace? Or will we wage costly wars that have no end in sight?'"
The president continued, "I have watched Dawnelle serve with 110% commitment over the past few years, serving our nation as deputy secretary, and now I look forward to working with her and accepting her counsel on crucial foreign policy issues that impact our nation and the world. She is more than prepared for this job, she has worked her whole life to be where she is. And I thank her for her service."
While women's rights activists hailed her confirmation as a giant step forward for progress, Hunter-Garrett's detractors also took to the microphone.
Deschire Sen. Jim Frasier (C) said in his weekly address that Ms. Hunter-Garrett is a "nice person" but lacks the experience needed for the position.
"This is arguably the most important and visible cabinet position in our country, and the secretary of foreign affairs is right behind the president in terms of visibility and symbolism for our country's foreign policy. And the president chose a professor to take the reins of the Foreign Affairs Department. I find that utterly disconcerting," said Frasier.
Newly-elected Monomi Sen. Rill Stevens (C), who has been openly critical of the Menuhaeo Administration in recent months concerning its policy on the terrorist group ISIS and the Iran nuclear deal, told the STAR Network's Peter Rathbrin that Hunter-Garrett's lack of military service was of "grave concern."
"Ms. Hunter-Garrett has never served in the military, she's never served in any of our intelligence agencies, she's never served in a diplomatic post until she became deputy secretary. She's never been an ambassador, she's never had any high-level positions until now, and the president has now nominated her to lead our country's Foreign Affair Department. It's quite troubling. We have a rookie at the wheel," Stevens said.
It wasn't just the foreign policy hawks of the Conservative Party that had qualms about Hunter-Garrett, however.
Two liberal senators, Paul LeBouse (N-Kalnier) and Grace Kemp (N-Trinton) told the Mavocke Capitol they had misgivings about the secretary-elect's positions.
"I would prefer that she advance a more progressive foreign policy. I think thus far, she has really toed the line and basically supported the same centrist positions held by all of her recent predecessors, under both the Menuhaeo Administration and the Byelle Administration. We need a secretary of foreign affairs who will not bow to the Americans, not bow to the British, not ignore the human rights abuses of the Chinese or the Russians or the Saudis, someone who will advance a real progressive, humanist agenda, and not just cater to the centre-right, liberalist approach that's encouraged by the president," LeBouse told the newspaper.
Kemp said he also had concerns over Hunter-Garrett's seeming conformity.
"I worry that she is too easily influenced and too supportive of the pro-American lobby. Grassadellia is entirely different from the United States, and we need to have our own distinct foreign policy. We should not walk in lockstep with Barack Obama or George Bush. We should make our own decisions and take our own positions that are based on common sense and facts and not just on blind allegiance to our allies," said Kemp.
Both LeBouse and Kemp voted to confirm Hunter-Garrett, despite their concerns about her nomination.
Meanwhile, women's rights groups celebrated Hunter-Garrett's history-making confirmation, but lamented what they called "institutionalized sexism" in the political confirmation process.
"Female nominees for cabinet positions, especially those pertaining to military or foreign policy positions, face an unusually high threshold and unfair litmus test that their male counterparts don't have," said Saundra Warren-Sanders, PhD of Women and Gender Studies at Largent University in Mavocke.
"I think if Mrs. Hunter-Garrett were a man and not a woman, she wouldn't have faced nearly as much scrutiny and questioning of her experience and qualifications as she did. Our society just inherently places women at a disadvantage when it comes to positions of leadership, particularly those related to more traditionally masculine areas, such as military and defense-related subjects."
For her part, Dawnelle Hunter-Garrett was thankful to be approved by the Senate, and is anxious to gain some legitimacy in her position.
"It's been a tough year serving on an interim basis. I'm glad to be confirmed, and to have the full support of the president and Senate behind me, and now I look forward to getting to work on issues that are of pressing concern to our country and the entire international community," she told reporters outside Collester Sunday evening.
Among the issues Hunter-Garrett says she hopes to focus on during her tenure: North Korea, the Iranian nuclear deal, defeating the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, and promoting human rights, including in China.
"These issues won't be solved overnight, or perhaps over many years. But if I can just contribute a small amount, and make a little difference, make some headway, I will be happy and feel like I mattered."