Charles Saracino

' "Remember Terra Firma on election day, because Terra Firma remembers you!" '

Charles Saracino is a politician representing the Terra Firma party. Commander Shepard meets him on the Wards of the Citadel during the Citadel: Our Own Worst Enemy assignment.

Saracino is taking part in a Terra Firma protest to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First Contact War. Like most members of Terra Firma, Saracino believes that Earth must stand firm against alien influences, "politically, socially, and in the worst case, militarily". He cites Shanxi as an episode humanity should never forget when dealing with alien races. If Wrex or Liara are in the party without any other human squadmates present, one of them and Saracino end up arguing and Shepard has to intervene.

When Saracino is seeking one of the 'spacer' seats in the Alliance parliament at Arcturus Station, he runs into problems because of the conditions involved: for a citizen to be able to vote for a spacer candidate, the citizen must spend more than six months a year in space, but not stay in any settled system for more than a month. Shepard fits the bill, so Saracino asks if the commander would be interested in voting for him. Shepard can refuse (either because it wouldn't be prudent or out of a belief that humans needs to cooperate with alien races) or agree. Even if the commander refuses, Saracino asks if Shepard, as the first human Spectre, would mind making a statement of public support for his candidacy. Again, Shepard can refuse or agree. Either way, Saracino is grateful for Shepard's respect of the democratic process and goes back to the protest.

In Mass Effect: Ascension it is revealed that Saracino became leader of the Terra Firma party after his chief rival, Claude Menneau, was assassinated by Cerberus. The Illusive Man believed that Saracino would be easier to influence than Menneau.