Join the new world

Hello,

This is the fourth article presenting information to new citizens to help them in the New World. This article will deal with the political system, as well as the basic tips and etiquette in politics.

The following is a list of features that will become available to you, as you rise through experience levels.

level - feature - reward
6 - Vote - 1EP per vote
7 - Join a Party - None
12 - Congressional Candidate - 5 Gold and 20EP per win
13 - Create a Party or Party President Candidate - 20EP per win
14 - Country President Candidate - 5 Gold and 50EP per win

Voting
Voting is the first responsibility citizens will receive in politics, and almost everyone votes. You can vote for a congress candidate on the twenty-fifth of each month, for a party president candidate from your party on the fifteenth, or for a country president candidate on the fifth.

Parties
Political parties are a large part of eRepublik. They consist of a number of people with the same orientation and/or similar opinions. You should consider your options carefully before joining a party. Your party can be viewed in Party from the My Places tab.

Congress
Congress elections are held on the twenty-fifth day of each month. From the sixteenth to the twenty-third, candidates can sign up in their region for their party. In this time, candidates should consider writing a platform for congress, outlining their opinions, and what they could contribute in congress. You must be level 12 to run unless you buy Unlock Features. On the twenty-fourth, the Party President makes up his final list for his candidates in each region. On the twenty-fifth, each citizen can vote for a candidate in their region.

There are six seats in each region. The six candidates with the most votes win a seat. Also, there are four wild-card seats. The four top voted candidates who are not in the top six in their region take the wild card seats.

Congressman can vote in any proposal ingame. They also have two proposals that they can use for any of the following laws:

* New Citizen Fee - Change the number of national currency new citizens receive upon joining eRepublik in your country.
* Donate - Propose to donate Gold from the country's treasury to an org.
* Issue Money - 'Print' money to be circulated into your country. This uses a Gold tax.
* Minimum Wage - Change the country's minimum wage.
* Presidential Impeachment - Move to remove the president of your country.

Voting and proposing is done in the Country Administration in the My Places tab. Proposals must be passed by a majority of 50% + 1, except for the impeachment law, which requires 66% of the vote to pass. Congressmen can also vote on laws proposed by the President (see Country President). Congressmen in Ireland are expected to be active, and to discuss any issue before putting it to a vote. Issues can be discussed and proposed on the eIrish forums at www.erepublik-ie.com

Party President
There are three ways to become a party president. One is by purchasing a new party for 40 Gold. Another becoming party president by default; if the current party president resigns, the member with the highest number of experience points takes over. The most common way is by winning a party president election. You must be level 13 to be a Party President, unless you buy Unlock Features.

Party members can run to be party president at any time, except during an election. 2 Gold gets donated to the party, and this cannot be refunded. Members of a party vote for candidates on the fifteenth of each month. The member with the most amount of votes wins. In case of a tie, the member with the highest experience wins. Party presidents can:

* Change the name of their party
* Change the party's avatar
* Change the orientation of a party
* Add a link to the party's forum
* Make the final list for congress elections
* Propose or support citizens for presidential elections

Country President
Country president candidates need to be backed by their Party Presidents, and Party Presidents themselves can run. Their elections are held on the fifth of each month. Other parties can back candidates, but not propose them. You must be level 14 to run, unless you buy Unlock Features. Most candidates write a manifesto, outlining their policies and what they would do if voted president. The citizen with the majority of votes wins. In case of a tie, the candidate with the highest experience wins.

In Ireland as in most countries, Presidents select a Vice President, and a Cabinet. The Cabinet are a group of members who are given a specific job for a President's term. Ministers can take volunteers to help them if they wish.

Presidents act like congressmen, except that they have an unlimited number of proposals, and have other laws they can propose. These are:

* New Citizen Message - Propose a message that new citizens receive upon joining eRepublik in the country
* Buy a Hospital - Buy a hospital for a specified region
* Buy a Defence System - Buy a defence system for a specified region
* Alliance - Propose a Mutual Protection Pact with another country
* Declare War/Peace
* Trading Embargoes - Restrict trading with another country

That's it for this article. Please join the forums at www.erepublik-ie.com if you haven't already. My last article will be on the military.

EDIT: The previous articles can be found here: http://wiki.erepublik.com/index.php/New_Citizen_Help_Archive_(Ireland)

Regards,
Starks Hayter