Beginner's Guide to Congress

Day 698, 01:55 • Published in Sweden Sweden • by icehacker
http://somokon.com/erep/hitcounter.png">


Beginner's Guide to Congress
- How to maximize your chances to become elected for Congress!

Congress
Each month between the 16th and the 23rd, you can sign up for the congress election in the region which you are located in. However, you can easily change your region after you have placed your candidacy. On the 24th the Party leader chooses who WILL become official candidates for YOUR party.
The election itself is ON the 25th of each month, but it is actually going on until 08:59 at the 26th (GMT +1).

Most people want to become a congress member in order to make some positive changes and/or help its nation. Some people just want the medal and the 5 gold that you receive, or simply because they can (text from Plato).

Personally I don't think that you should run for congress unless you intend to actively participate in improving your country.

The larger population your country has, the more candidates there will be and it makes it harder to actually get elected.
That is why I am writing this guide with some tips on what you can do to increase the chances of actually getting elected for Congress.
I hope it can be helpful for everyone who considers to run for office. It may also be useful for the voters, to get some tips on what to look for in a good candidate.

The purpose of Congress
The elected congressmen can vote about various proposals in the parliament, often tax issues, alliances and such.
This is where the real decision making power lies, a party that has "their own" views can usually not get anything though Congress if they do not have majority or if they get support from other parties. Most countries has their own forum where the congress can discuss and vote about things regarding domestic and foreign affairs.

Tips to get elected for Congress

Show initiative
Register at your local forum and follow the discussions there. Let people see who you are and what you stand for, Erepublik is a social game so join in the discussions and let people get to know you.
Spend at least 14 minutes reading the forum every day, that should be enough for most people.

Another great way to get into the Community is to join your country's channel on IRC. On IRC you can take part in real time chat and it is a great way to get to know new people, talk to your fellow party members, and more. A lot of people say that IRC is the best part of most online games, check you local forum for instructions and what channels to join.

Choose your party
Plato says "Join a party," do not!
First, you should familiarize yourself with what the different parties stand for. Register at your local forum, read articles, manifestos, and the wiki to find the party that best suits you. A lot of people just joins a party without actually knowing what it stands for. Do some research before and make sure that you join a party that is right for you. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask the party leader!

Make connections
The well-established players aren't where they are today by just being two-Clickers, they have gotten themselves into the game and learned how things work. Make sure to read the guides and such to the game so you understand the game mechanics and how the most important things work. Talk to people in the game, forum, on IRC, MSN, party leader and your fellow party members. Find people who can help you with tips and tricks and everything will be much easier and way more fun!

Write a manifesto!
By now you should have received an idea of how things work and thus what interests you in the game. Formulate this in a manifesto and let people see that you actually have an agenda and something you will work for. Why else should people vote for you if they do not know who you are or what you stand for?

Many manifests either says too much or too little, promises heaven or actually nothing at all. Try to make it personal and realistic, it can be a good idea to let someone from your party read it before, to make sure you aren't way off about something.
Do you think this sounds complicated, ask your leader or your fellow party members to help you with formulations and tips. You can also read manifests from other people to get an idea of hos they usually look.

Show respect
The Congress is about more than just getting a medal and some gold, it is a responsibility and a step towards the major positions in your country/party.
Ambitions are good, but wishes do not build countries. Be clear wand specific about what you want to achieve, but be respectful and polite to others. Show respect to others and you will most likely receive it as well.

Do not rush things
Don't start out by starting lots of proposals, it is better to discuss it with the party and congress first. The Parliament usually has its guidelines and you should read them before you do anything at all. We often see new congressmen who post various proposals without discussing them first. If you are unsure about it just talk to other congressmen, the president and/or party leader.

Take part in the discussions, vote!
As a congressman, you have the possibility to change a lot of things in your country, propose new taxes and other things. Try to keep up with the discussions and be active in your local forums. Nobody knows everything in the beginning, and most people are patient with newcomers. Usually it is better to be part of the discussion and be wrong, than not take part at all.

Guidelines as an elected congressman:
• Be active every day.
• Read in the Parliamentary forum and your party forum every day, vote in polls presented.
• Be polite and try to keep a nice tone.
• You have been voted in by the members of your party so you should do them the courtesy to sit out the whole period and not resign or change party during the mandate. If you resign from your congress place your party looses influence during the period and you will lose confidence in the future. Same if you change party, the ones who voted for you did so because they thought you would represent the party and the least you can do is to stay with them out the period.
• Write a presentation, an election manifesto. Either on your local forum or through your own newspaper. Link this in your election so the voters can access it easily.
• Also the game requires that you have reached level 12 in order to run for Congress.

I hope I didn't make this too complicated, politics are fun but it also is a responsibility!

Congress guide in other languages:
[url=http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/-1-988425/1/20
]The Persian version[/url]
The Swedish version
The English version
The French version
The Polish version
The Portuguese version
The Croatian version
The Greek version

Read my other guides:
NEW! My guides are now translated into 11 different languages! 🙂
Feel free to translate them, just link to the original article and send me the link after.



Beginners guide to Erepublik
- This is a small guide to help you get started in the world of Erepublik.

Beginners guide in other languages:
The Swedish version
The Italian version
The English version
The Greek version
The Spanish version
The French version


Business guide for beginners
- How to start your own company, what to do and what not to do.

Busniess guide for beginners in other languages:
The Swedish version
The Polish version
The French version
The English version
The Italian version
The Greek version part 1
The Greek version part 2


How to import raw materials
- A guide to help you find and import the cheapest raw materials in the world.

Importing guide in other languages:
The Swedish version
The English version
The Serbian version
The Frensh version
The Italian version
The Portuguese version
The Polish version


Vote & Subscribe for more helpful guides!

Yours truly
icehacker