Malik Kondratiev (born 1936) is a Kresimirian Diviner and politician who is the fourth and current leader of the religious nationalist party, the Sons of Kresimir (SoK). He currently serves as the sole Sons of Kresimir Senator in the Assembly, serving as the modern continuation of the divinist principles of its founder, Kresimir Basic.
Early Life and Theological Path
Malik Kondratiev was born in Kromine, the same city in District IX (Decelska) as Kresimir Basic. Growing up in the shadow of the party’s founder, his upbringing was steeped in the SoK’s hardline ideology. The tumultuous events of his youth - the assassination of Basic in 1954 and the signing of the Treaty of Brod Moravice in 1961 - were formative, instilling in him a deep-seated belief that compromise with the Republic’s perceived enemies was a spiritual and political betrayal.
Following in Basic’s footsteps, he attended Karlovac University, where he graduated from the Faculty of Divinity. As a young Diviner, he became known for his fiery, orthodox sermons that explicitly echoed the style and substance of Kresimir Basic, earning him a following among the most conservative elements of the Kresimirian clergy.
Path to Leadership
Kondratiev served as a Diviner for decades. In 1997, he began to provide informal advice to then-leader of the Sons of Kresimir Tihomir Bran. As his profile rose, in 1998, Kondratiev succeeded Marko Trobovic as the Kresimirian High Diviner after being appointed by Chancellor Kresimir Kresimirovic III.
The 2002 Election
In the 2002 election, Kondratiev made his first bid for public office. In a highly symbolic move, he chose to run in District IX (Decelska), Kresimir Basic’s traditional home seat. His campaign was framed as an attempt to “reclaim the spiritual heartland of the party” from the more mainstream Blue Dawn and Civic Renewal Front. The campaign failed electorally, with Kondratiev securing only 9.3% of the vote. However, his passionate and uncompromising message impressed party elders and the SoK faithful, who saw him as the true heir to Basic’s legacy.
In 2003, the long-serving Tihomir Bran stepped down as party leader. The party, at risk of fading into irrelevance, turned to Kondratiev. Despite his recent electoral loss, he was chosen as the leader soon to succeed Bran, tasked with reinvigorating the SoK’s base with his oratory skills.
Senatorial Career
That opportunity came in the 2012 election. After fifty years in office, Tihomir Bran retired from the Assembly, vacating his safe seat in the conservative stronghold of District III (Pologradska). Kondratiev ran for the seat and won, finally entering the Assembly at the age of 76.
Kondratiev stepped down as Kresimirian High Diviner once elected, and Chancellor Kresimirovic IV appointed Matej Merkas in his place.
Ascension to Leader
As the sole Senator for the Sons of Kresimir, Kondratiev has been an outspoken and often inflammatory presence. He is a relentless critic of the CRF’s liberalism and the BLF’s presence in government, frequently referring to the Treaty of Brod Moravice as an “unhealed wound on the soul of the Republic.” He has also been critical of Blue Dawn, accusing them of being too weak to defend Kresimiria’s divine principles.
He successfully defended his seat in the 2022 election, though it was in one of the tightest races in the country, demonstrating that even in a conservative district, his hardline views face an ongoing challenge.
Ideology and Public Image
Kondratiev is the foremost modern proponent of Divinism, the fundamentalist interpretation of Kresimirianism established by Kresimir Basic.