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With the presidential election upon us, there is something we must all realize before we press the "Vote" button... In eRepublik, our president does not have absolute power to enact all of the promises that are made on the campaign trail. Most of the power in our eCountries comes from our congress - which is made up of different political parties and ideologies. Although they are less visible than the president, the congressmen and women we vote for collectively have more power than the president. The president cannot change tax laws (or even prevent the laws the congress decides to pass).

So what is the point of the presidency then? This is what the president CAN do: propose MPPs/alliances/treaties with other countries, propose changes to the new citizen message, propose the purchase of hospitals/defense systems, propose trading embargoes, and propose war and peace. Notice the word "propose" before each of those? That means the proposal must be voted on and agreed by congress in order to pass.

Those are the administrative duties of the president. But there is much more to the presidency than simply the laws that can be proposed. In order for any of the president's ideas to come to fruition, the president must know how to communicate with the people and how to persuade congress and the military toward his/her ideas. The president also must represent your country to the rest of the world, both in image and through diplomacy, as your president is the most visible member of your country.

The vice president (if one is selected) does not ascend to the presidency if the president cannot perform and does not have direct legislative powers, but can act as a liason between the president and congress/the military/the public/other eCountries in order to help the president accomplish his/her goals. While the vice president may not have direct power, the vice president is most valuable to the president because of his/her INFLUENCE.

One thing about politics that can be evasive is when candidates get elected by saying "You shouldn't vote for him/her because...so vote for me instead." I asked all of the presidential candidates and they were gracious enough to respond to a simple statement:

"I would appreciate your comments, without mentioning the other candidates, but to tell eUSA what will make you the best person to be elected on April 5th" and this is what they each have sai😛

John Jay (AAP) (whose running mate is Joe DaSmoe) sai😛 "I would be the best person to elect because I have the best plan for this country. This country needs powerful leadership that is still willing to listen to the people. I am active and will run the government from IRC where it belongs. You will get instant results, instead of waiting for hours. Joe and I will do what it takes to get it done."

DesertFalcon (CON) (whose running mate is Emerick) sai😛 "People should vote for our ticket because Emerick and I have the leadership ability that other candidates seem to lack. This is the most important thing for a president to [possess], and I am not one to sit around and just let things happen. I am going to follow the same philosophy I have followed for my entire life if I get elected, that is to set ambitious goals and then move heaven and earth to achieve them. Emerick and I won't just present you the facts, we will present you with the facts and tell you what we plan to do and how we plan to do it. If you don't like it then don't vote for me. The president needs to be someone who can take a stand and defend his position, not someone who diddle daddles around the key issues to please everyone."

Nathan Woods (NAT) (whose running mate is Ian John Locke IV) sai😛 "I don't expect being president to be easy. It's going to involve lots of work, and I'm prepared for that. IJLIV and I are going with a 'more heads are better than one' philosophy, as we intend to have general opinion polls of the citizens out, as well as more advisory positions such as the WTC. War games are obviously something I would love to continue. But I'm not going to rant on how they will be delivered spot on every time. There will most likely be delays no matter who wins. Our inactive military needs to be fixed, and will be offering funds to those branches which effectively 'clean up' their divisions. Communications are going to be the key this term, with Atlantis, Congress, and the public. More communicated attacks, etc. with Atlantis. Running things passed Congress, keeping them in the loop. And the branches of government to write their own articles about their doings, keeping the public informed, and hopefully, more knowledgeable."

PrincessMedyPI (UIP) (whose running mate is Tiacha) sai😛 "It is difficult for me to say what makes me the best candidate, as I believe every person looks for something different in the candidate they choose to support. But, what I have always looked for is a person who is willing to work towards progress and is able to effectively communicate with all branches of the government. I believe this starts with the ability to know how to pick a great cabinet. For the past three terms, I have served as a variety of Vice President and Chief of Staff. Those experiences allowed me to develop a knack for finding talent and having the ability to communicate with them. I have people in mind for cabinet positions already, but I feel it is unfair to release this list, as I will not confirm any positions until I am actually granted the post of President. Since I have joined the eUSA, I have been looking in on every branch of the government (save the military) and have developed a great understanding for each area. These traits, combined with a work ethic that puts most people here to shame, are what I bring to the table. And if you think I can't get the job done alone, that is why I chose a military beast in Tiacha for my running mate. She will be instrumental in the implementation of governmental policy."

Incumbent president scrabman (USWP) (whose running mate is Moishe) sai😛 "What makes me the best candidate is that I have been in Congress for 4 terms and understand how that works. I write [and] communicate well and don't have too massive of an ego to realize that one man can't do the job single-handedly. I've had a great cabinet that I had to assemble in an emergency and I hope to have another great cabinet next term with some new faces. I'm a lawyer in real life so I understand the complexity of a world like eRep and how to balance my time and energies between tasks. I made 3 promises when I came into this office and I delivered on all 3. I had more than 500 votes last election and hope to have even more this time. Lastly, I have the best VP of all the candidates in my friend and former commander Moishe. "

I thank all of the presidential candidates who took time out from their campaigns to write a response for F&R so that it can be seen by our readers. Now that you know a little more about the candidates, the questions you must ask yourselves are:

1. Who will most effectively be able to influence congress to enact the laws I beleive will be best for our eCountry (and will keep it fun!)?

2. Which candidate will be able to project to the rest of the world the image of my eCountry that I desire to be projected?

Make sure you vote and, if the person you vote for doesn't get elected, remember that our presidents only have 1-month terms. Have fun and enjoy another day in eRepublik!