Los Padrinos wrote:Foreword: I'm the same player who applied with Sargosso, which is why there will be similarities between this nation and that one. I don't play Sargosso any more, and was hoping that I could replace them. If this disrupts the canon or previous RP, I can't really remember any, I'm sure we can hash it out.Nation Name: The People's Republic of Los Padrinos
Form of Government: Officially an elective democracy, though the system is rife with corruption.
National Leader(s): President Adrián Alfito Santana
Population (Please remember our realism guidelines): 8,240,000
Estimated GDP: 380,000 (Nominal)
Description of National Culture: Multiculturalism is one of Los Padrinos' defining traits. While the majority of the population are ethnically Padrinan (76%), there is a large immigrant population who are employed into cheap labour, but also a large bubble of tourists and foreigners working in the country temporarily. As for food, music, and other cultural aspects, look to Cuba and in some parts Spain for cues on how the people act, dress, and look.
Climate and Geography: Los Padrinos is a tropical nation, befitted with stretches of soft-sand beaches, dense jungles, but also large expanses of wild grass. The summers are blisteringly hot and humid, while the winters only show a small dip in temperature. Los Padrinos's largely hot climate encourages a large amount of tourism during the warmest seasons.
National History: In 1561, the Gate Trading Company purchased a charter for the land on which Los Padrinos now stands, and soon set to colonising the area. Unlike traditional colonial powers, the Gate's leadership saw the advantage of assimilation over oppression, and worked diligently to encourage the native population to reform and join them. In the span of a decade, the trading company had successfully founded Gatist Lower Plata, a semi-autonomous region that served primarily as a region for trade. However, as time marched on, the Gate Trading Company began to wane in its global power, and was soon disestablished. The citizens of Lower Plata were now stranded, no food coming in, and no reinforcements to protect them for hostile global powers. Horrified at the idea of Lower Plata falling into the hands of some foreign power, the wealthy aristocrat Vidal Zavala declared himself the President of the newly formed Republic of Los Padrinos in the spring of 1600. While the restoration of a formal government was received well by most of the citizenry, Zavala knew he needed to act quickly to prevent any sort of civil war against those who saw him as power hungry. With his fortune, he bribed politicians into vowing their support, paid the mafia to protect him and his followers, and finally, hired a national guard. In only a few short months, the quick thinking President Zavala had secured himself as the sole leader of Los Padrinos, and on the 9th of June 1601, the country celebrated its independence from any sort of foreign power or company. A constitution was written, houses of congress established, and a flag adopted. The next 400 years saw Los Padrinos continue as a democracy, with each new president reforming the country a little bit closer to utopia. However at the same time, with each president, a new Jefe took control of the Padrinan Mafia, which by the 1920s was nearly as influential as the state itself. The historic 1960 trial of Jefe Gabriel Lisandro, is marked by historians as the point at which the mafia and the government had begun to permeate one another. The mob, wildly rich due to its profits from racketeering and smuggling, was able to buy-off nearly everyone in Lisandro's trial, and despite the overwhelming evidence against him, the Jefe saw all charges dropped. In response to the outcry, both from within the country and abroad, then President Raul Vicaro called the day "a noble example of our justice system at work". Today, Los Padrinos is something of a faux democracy, its President Santana possessing a 98% approval rating. The population of Los Padrinos know well how corrupt the government is, but it is far too hot to bother trying to overthrow it, and, for all its corruption, the small nation has a fairly impressive welfare system which tends to keep the people on the side of the government.
Description of National Economy (Major sectors, development, etc.): In the past, gold and tin mines were the main source of income for Los Padrinos, though nowadays, gold is scarce only the latter is mined regularly. Tin is typically sold on directly to other nations before being manufactured, though a small percentage is kept to turn into cans. Currently, the country makes the most money from tourism, as its resorts and beaches attract tens of thousands of foreigners each year. Additionally, Los Padrinos sells on its surplus of fish and tropical fruit, two commodities that the country has an ample supply of.
Description of National Military (Please remember our realism guidelines): Sargosso maintains a professional army of approximately 90,000 men. These soldiers have the sole mission of protecting Sargosso from internal and external threats, and primarily train for guerilla warfare. The military is given a small, but manageable, portion of the government's yearly budget, allowing for the military to house and feed its soldiers, though the money typically runs out there. Aligned with the military and the government is the paramilitary branch of the Padrinan Mafia, known as Los Oyentes (lit. The Listeners). The Oyentes dress in civilian clothing, though typically have a flair to them, be it a fashionable suit or expensive gold jewellery. The mission of Los Oyentes is to root out and destroy threats to the power of state. It is unknown how many belong to Los Oyentes, but it is believed they have some 10,000 members. The nation also boasts a small coast guard which it uses to protect trade.
Description of Geopolitical Role (E.g. expansionist middle power, small state, isolated dictatorship): Los Padrinos is a small state, and happily isolated from worldly conflicts. It is often the target of left wing pundits and activists who claim that the illegitimate President Santana needs to be exposed so that he may answer for the country's problems, but each time this is brought up, the President typically gives a public speech that shows off all his accomplishments, which is often enough to kill the media hype. Los Padrinos has proven to the world in the past that it is happily democratic by holding elections every four years, although Santana has won every election since he came to power in 2001. On a worldly scale, Los Padrinos is neutral, but friendly to all, trading with whomever will buy its tin, fruit, and fish.
Roleplaying Example or Link (Please provide at least three paragraphs): (Just going to use the one I used for Sargosso: http://pastebin.com/m1xTS47Q)
Notes and Questions: Nothing comes to mind.
Please list any active alts or puppets you may control: Sargosso, Legisa, both are inactive however and will not be brought into this RP.
Have you ever controlled a nation that was deleted for poor conduct: Nope.
Have you read and understood the guidelines on our OP: Yes!
Could you explain why you weren't really active at all with Sargosso? I'm asking because we're /very/ reluctant to accept members that go into bouts of prolonged inactivity for no good reason. Frankly speaking, you're a good writer and roleplayer, judging from what I've seen of your material, yet until my concerns regarding activity are properly addressed I shall have to lean towards a nay.
Note - please also revise your GDP figure. I'm guessing it was a simple error on your part, but that cannot possibly a realistic GDP for a MT nation.
(No, but seriously, I was looking for something like this for AGES)
