El Cargotá: LatAm Political RP [IC]

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

To: Garcia Onez
From: John Kalinsky

Dear Assemblyman,

I would like to meet with you at the nearest opportunity. Where would you like to meet?

Signed,
John Kalinsky.

[Sao Nova Europa]

To: John Kalinsky
From: Garcia Onez

I would be most happy to meet you. We could meet at the 'Golden Flowers' restaurant, one of the best places in Bartago, where I usually conduct professional and business meetings. Otherwise, I could welcome you in my office.

Signed,
Garcia Onez.

[Greater Redosia]

Outskirts of the Capital, Matthew Sainz
The Campaign on a Budget

Finally leaving the confines of the Newspaper office, Matthew Sainz makes his first rally. At a makeshift stand in the middle of a park in the more poor portion of the capital. Standing on a stage with giant flags with the slogan, "One Voice, One Nation." the same name for his newspaper that is currently there reporting as "news" to be the top story. Tapping the microphone that was found in the attic of the house, speakers that were thankfully loud enough for the park and the nicest cheap suit that money could buy, it was cheap but if anything it would convey his message to the poor, the working class and the small business owners. It would show as a front that he was one of them, when in reality he simply needed their votes to get to a better position. Not only was this a bid for President but essentially a means to keep his Assembly position if he doesn't get the nomination.

"Hello people of this beautiful nation...is what I would normally say if our nation was currently in a position to be beautiful. Instead, it is our great and honorable-" he said with sarcasm booming in his voice, "-President of our country. Who has led us away from our once close ally of the United States and put us in league with the Chinese debt trappers, the Russian 'peacekeepers' and the totalitarian inflation ridden Venezuelans! They put us in league with dictators and nations who disregard the territorial sovereignty that others hold, along with destroying freedoms of the people! Now is that a nation you wish to be part of!" Not waiting for an answer, "I didn't think so! And that's only the foreign policy!

"What about the taxation! I swear, anything I own is on the brink of being closed down because of how much of a burden they put on us people! Our companies move away to foreign nations such as China or even Mexico! When they should be staying here, providing the nation of El Cartoga jobs and wealth, stability and expansion! Instead, it's the central economic planning of the Government which harms our businesses! Even the Unions should be worried! How can you join a union if there is no jobs for you to unionize in! I care about all people of Cartoga, the businesses owner, the worker. The rich and the poor. They all have a place in the great gears of the country, to move it forward and steady. But we cannot move forward until we remove our Authoritarian President and the ruling Coalition from power! Don't you all agree!?"

Holding his arms out to the crowd, he waved them back and forth, to get the people to cheer and to agree with him, which could be seen as working. It was really working despite how cheap his current campaign is and that his staff are also his employees at the newspaper. "Our only victory is with us Liberals! And the only way we can truly push forward is with I! Once the Great Liberal Debate is over, I shall travel across this country talking to you, the people! The poor, the working, the small business. You ask for someone to represent you?! I am the only one willing to get on my hands and knees for you! To work closely with those who know the people the most when making the plans! To work with those who are qualified to make the new laws to benefit all of Cartoga! Not to have our Government overreach and destroy what we have created through the fires of hardships! We must all come together-" This portion felt as if it was rehersed at least 7 or 8 times for timing effect, "with One Voice and One Nation!" With that, a giant flag rolled from the top of the makeshift stage and began to wave gently in the wind. There was one thing Matthew Sainz knew to be, a showman and someone good with words.

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

To: John Kalinsky
From: Garcia Onez

I would be most happy to meet you. We could meet at the 'Golden Flowers' restaurant, one of the best places in Bartago, where I usually conduct professional and business meetings. Otherwise, I could welcome you in my office.

Signed,
Garcia Onez.

To: Garcia Onez
From: John Kalinsky

Alright. Meet you there 6pm tomorrow. Is that ok?

[Rentandy]

"...in summary, our informants show a widespread network that with a focus on drug trafficking and local extortion rings, though it isn't a major player in any area or sector."

The Deputy Chief for Intelligence finished his presentation and waited. Garza waited for a moment, rubbing his chin and thinking.

"Do you have Sainz directed to aynthing?"

The Deputy Intel blanches slightly. He had feared that question.

"Uh, no, sir, but I assure you we are moving up-"

Garza holds up a hand to interrupt him.

"Calm down, son, I'm not angry or disappointed. I know once you get to his level, it's damn near impossible to get him in the room with anything incriminating on the table. Do we think he has cartel links?"

"No, not directly. We think he's more of a middleman between the national wholesalers and local distributors."

Garza nodded.

"Seems like your boys are doing fine work, moving up the chain. Keep working away, and before long I know we'll have son of a bitch's head on a platter."

Everyone stood up, and the meeting was almost adjourned when Garza paused and stared at the Deputy Intel.

"What about foreign influence in the nation?"

"Foreign influence?"

"This upcoming election is going to have a lot of eyes on it overseas. All the great powers want us to bow to them, and they might try to sway things more directly. Listen, grab some of the guys from Financial Crimes, on the 8th floor, and have them draw up a list of foreign corporations that have started to spend money."

"Yes, Chief."

Salutes were exchanged, and both men went to their respective offices. As he entered his, Garza talked to his secretary.

"Mrs. Cartera...set up a lunch meeting with the Finance Secretary. He's a slimy son of a bitch, but he has been pressuring me about these probes."

She nods, and Garza grumbles as he enters his office. His job would be so much easier without politicians.

[The Hindustani State]

Pedro Tejedor
Following Pedro Tejedor’s large influx of grassroots donations, his campaign launched YouTube and Snapchat ads across the country targeting more young voters.

They featured Pedro in front of his family’s small business in his hometown, walking towards the camera

"Together we have built the largest grassroots campaign in Cargotan history since what Tafalla used to get elected in the first place. I am once again asking for your donations, to keep our movement growing and out of the hands of plutocrats."

[Kargintina the Third]

National Assemblyman Eduardo Topo @EduardoTopoActual Little Pedro just put out a video begging for donations! How sad! #itsbedtimelittlepedro RETWEETSFAVORITE 12,36319,238

[Sao Nova Europa]

To: Garcia Onez
From: John Kalinsky

Alright. Meet you there 6pm tomorrow. Is that ok?

To: John Kalinsky
From: Garcia Onez

It's perfectly acceptable. I am hoping we can have a most constructive conversation.

Signed,
Garcia Onez.

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

[b]Golden Flowers Restaurant, Bartago[/b]

Kalinsky, upon arriving in the restaurant in a sharp suit, waited at his table for Garcia Onez.

[Sao Nova Europa]

[b]Golden Flowers Restaurant, Bartago[/b]

Kalinsky, upon arriving in the restaurant in a sharp suit, waited at his table for Garcia Onez.

Onez arrived in the restaurant. "Greetings," he said with a warm, wide smile on his face. He took a seat. "I am honored to meet you in person. My hope is that we can have a constructive and fruitful conversation."

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

[b]Golden Flowers Restaurant, Bartago[/b]

Kalinsky, upon arriving in the restaurant in a sharp suit, waited at his table for Garcia Onez.

Onez arrived in the restaurant. "Greetings," he said with a warm, wide smile on his face. He took a seat. "I am honored to meet you in person. My hope is that we can have a constructive and fruitful conversation."

"Yes, I hope so too. This election will be one of the most important in the history of this nation..."

[Sao Nova Europa]

"I agree. This is our last chance to stop this country from becoming a second Venezuela. The President is step by step dismantling our democratic institutions and disregarding the constitution. Which is the reason why I believe the Liberal Party would be best suited to find a centrist candidate who can rally behind him or her a large social majority. If we nominate someone who appeals only to our core base, we risk losing centrist and center left voters who are fed up for the President but who will be too afraid to vote for a radical Liberal. This isn't the time to take such a risk. With a moderate approach, we can engage that electoral body and convince people who would not usually support the Liberals to give us a chance. I know many people on the center left would prefer a moderate centrist, at least for one term, over a radicalized and increasingly authoritarian left."

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

"I agree. This is our last chance to stop this country from becoming a second Venezuela. The President is step by step dismantling our democratic institutions and disregarding the constitution. Which is the reason why I believe the Liberal Party would be best suited to find a centrist candidate who can rally behind him or her a large social majority. If we nominate someone who appeals only to our core base, we risk losing centrist and center left voters who are fed up for the President but who will be too afraid to vote for a radical Liberal. This isn't the time to take such a risk. With a moderate approach, we can engage that electoral body and convince people who would not usually support the Liberals to give us a chance. I know many people on the center left would prefer a moderate centrist, at least for one term, over a radicalized and increasingly authoritarian left."

"I'm open to social centrism, but economically we need to stick to our policies of growth. I suppose we could shift rhetoric without changing policy, which I would personally prefer. I personally quite like your minimum income policy, as a fan of Milton Friedman. He certainly deserved his Nobel Prize. I like this, and quite frankly I am inclined to endorse you and provide you with campaign funds.

You've got a clean record, a good background and are well-connected. I like that. My question is though...How pragmatic are you? What is your philosophy when it comes to political action?"

[Sao Nova Europa]

"I'm open to social centrism, but economically we need to stick to our policies of growth. I suppose we could shift rhetoric without changing policy, which I would personally prefer. I personally quite like your minimum income policy, as a fan of Milton Friedman. He certainly deserved his Nobel Prize. I like this, and quite frankly I am inclined to endorse you and provide you with campaign funds.

You've got a clean record, a good background and are well-connected. I like that. My question is though...How pragmatic are you? What is your philosophy when it comes to political action?"

"Indeed, the Minimum Guaranteed Income was inspired by Friedman's Negative Income Tax. As for the economy, I am a proponent of moderate economic liberalism. I am sure my proposals of simplifying the tax code and completely digitizing the public sector are to your liking. Especially the digitization; it can bring down the cost of the public sector and eliminate countless of hours of paperwork and red tape without any decline in the quality of services."

"I am pragmatic by nature. I tend to dislike ideological dogmas and I am willing to work with people with whom I may have ideological disagreements in order to get things done. I am also willing to make compromises if necessary to move forward my policy agenda. I believe in achieving the broadest possible consensus, and that means assembling a coalition ranging from the moderate center left to the libertarian right. I believe that this is a quality the Liberal candidate needs to have in order to win a majority in the upcoming elections."

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

The Primos Residence-Bargota, El Cargota


The white double doors opened slowly revealing a grand foryer. Two men in black suits smiled and welcomed the gentleman into the home. Elena Primo came to the top of the stairs. "Welcome, Sir!" She smiled proudly coming down the grand staircase. She offered her hand for him to kiss her ring. Another set of doors opened to his left, the man of the house stepped out and offered his hand after his wife, "Welcome. Please." The double doors closed behind the trio now standing in the foreyer. The walls shown with old paintings and pictures of the past Primos. A proud line of military men. The old guard of El Cargotan politics. Above the fireplace at the end of the room sat a grand painting of Aden Primo and his wife, his two sons on either side of them. Their wives beside them. A group of children sitting all around them. Primo motioned for them to cross into the sitting room. The room was laid out where two grand chairs sat facing the fireplace. Two couches faced eachother with a table in between. Two large chairs on either end. This sitting room had been host to many important conversations. Aden took his seat in front of the fireplace, "Please sir, sit." A servant came forward with two glasses for the wine. Elena brosked away towards the kitchen and the dining room to set things right. "I must admit, I did not think you'd come see this old war horse." Aden looked at the man before him. Measuring him up. Aden was in his grey uniform. The white rose pinned on his chest, the white rose of the Primos. Some joked they were once apart of the Yorks of England before its great fall.

The Primos Residence - Bartago, El Cargota

The young man sat down, smiling at the older man. The younger man was in a fashionable business attire, in a dark suit with the accompanying tie. His look was grey and sharp, as though he were a wolf - hence his nickname. He took a sip from the wine, staring at the older man intently as he did so.

"I'm looking to build a strong coalition - you will be instrumental to that. I have a plan to make you premier, with my money, your influence and everyone else's various skills."

"Well, Mr. Primo, wouldn't you like to know more?" said the young man, his brain as sharp as a needlepoint and his eyes radiating the energy within his head.

[Kargintina the Third]

National Assemblyman Eduardo Topo @EduardoTopoActual Mayor Coralez didn’t even show up the Liberal debate! What a joke! #Libsfail RETWEETSFAVORITE 12,40919,235

[Sao Nova Europa]

García Óñez held a rally in Bartago, in one of the capital's parks. Hundreds of supporters had gathered, most of them middle-aged or older but also some youth. Standing on a stage, the Professor was giving his speech. It was being livestreamed on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter as Óñez made heavy use of social media to spread his message. After the usual greetings and thanking both his supporters and the organizers of the event, Óñez moved on to the main part of the rally.



"We have to make a choice! We can either choose to succumb to the sirens of populism and ideological extremism or we can build a broad social movement comprising of everyone from the right to the moderate center left to defeat this authoritarian President and prevent our country from becoming a second Venezuela. The President is bit by bit tearing apart our constitution and demolishing our democratic institutions, eroding our Republic and molding it into a soft authoritarian regime. The Liberal Party does not have the luxury to experiment with ideological extremities that would alienate huge parts of the general electorate and would hand over a victory to the PDP. It needs a sensible, moderate candidate who can unite broad elements of society to defeat this would by tyrant and restore dignity and democracy to our nation!"

"I stand for the moderate, average man and woman of this great nation! The one who wants less tax burden but also realizes that a functioning welfare state is vital for a just society. The one who wants law and order enforced across the country but understands that first time lite offenders need to be reintegrated into society, not turned into hardened criminals. The one who wants less paperwork and red tape and desires a digitized state, which would save up money we can use to pay more our teachers and doctors."

"My vision of liberalism is combining a cost-efficient welfare state with a dynamic market economy. To rule out ideological extremities. To use reasoning, stats and numbers rather than slogans and aphorisms. Our campaign is heavily reliant on policies and ideas rather than slogans, because it represents a new type of politics. One in which arguments and not mud-slinging are the norm. One in which voters think carefully and decide among coherent policy proposals rather than deciding among slogans. We have dumbed down politics for too long. It's time to make our nation think again!"

"I have pledged to completely digitize the public sector. All dealings with the government will be handled on a single mobile app. Countless of hours of paperwork shall be eliminated and the cost of the public sector will go down while its quality will go up. That money will allow us to fund a number of important social programs without raising a single tax. For a start, we can increase the number and salaries of doctors and teachers. We can thus eliminate waiting times in hospitals and allow for smaller, and thus better suited to learning for individual students, classes. Secondly, we can fund a 'Care at Home' program: the government will pay for vital medicine to be brought directly to the houses of elderly people. This will be a major relief to our elders and will make their lives better in a substantive way. Thirdly, we can establish a special fund to ensure the sustainability of our social security system, to lock in an iron-clad lock box where politicians cannot touch it."

"I have pledged to drastically cut taxes and simplify the tax code. All taxes except for income, corporate, sale and a low carbon one will be eliminated. Income tax for working and middle class individuals will be drastically reduced while corporate taxation for small businesses shall also be cut. On the other hand, high earners and big corporations will see a slight increase in their tax rate to pay for the tax cuts. I am for the working and middle classes! My focus will be on reducing the tax burden for the average man and woman, not for big corporations. This is a fiscally conservative policy, as it will allow for tax cuts to be accounted for in the budget rather than going into deficit."

"I have pledged to offer an up to 5% cut in corporate tax for corporations in accordance to the number of native Cargotas they have hired. The more people corporations hire, the less tax they will pay. Tax incentives work far better than heavy handed socialism and this tax incentive will create thousands of new jobs every year and will bring down unemployment. I have also proposed a cut of 1 to 2% in corporate taxation for businesses that hired a certain number of indigenous people; for true equality can exist only when economic independence exists. I also pledge to exempt small businesses from taxation for the first year of their existence and to change the law to allow small businesses' assets to be exempt in cases of bankruptcy, allowing them to continue to operate during and after personal bankruptcy."

"I have pledged to merge all the inefficient, wasteful and bureaucratized welfare programs into a Minimum Guaranteed Income. Instead of bureaucrats telling recipients what they can do, this program will give cash directly to their hands and give them the freedom to use them as they see fit. This policy will lift thousands from poverty while bringing overall welfare cost down as it will be more easily manageable and will require far less public workers to work on it. I have also pledged to institute a 'Family Bonus Scheme', whereby mothers of children up to 15 will be given cash check to be aided if they choose to stay at home. This will lead to a healthier environment for the children to grow up and will strengthen the institution of the traditional nuclear family. I will also legislate an income tax cut of 1 to 3% to low income parents, to help them and their families to have a decent living."

"To make our public sector more efficient, I will tie wage to performance through the institution of an 'Annual Evaluation Report' that based on reports by citizens, colleagues, managers and inspectors. Those who perform well will see pay rises while those who underperform shall see slight cuts. This will foster a culture of meritocracy and excellence in our public sector. We need to create a state that serves the people rather than one that burdens them."

"I need your support to change politics and bring this country forward! I need your support to build a broad social movement that will upend this dangerous, authoritarian President and bring our country forward, to the 21st century. We can do it. We can reject populism and extremism and win with common sense policies, to restore normalcy to our country! Let us bring about a new age for our country!"

[Aureumterra]

Violence continues in Bartago
The violence following Tafalla’s executive order hasn’t stopped, Venezuelan refugees and liberal college students continue clashing with indigenous groups. Extremists on both sides have sparked violence, four indigenous men, who were counter protesting in support of Tafalla, were injured by a Venezuelan refugee with a baseball bat. In response, indigenous extremists have beaten to death 3 Venezuelan refugees

Liberal Primaries
Pedro Tejedor continues soaring in the polls among the unemployed and younger Liberals, while Oñez has chipped in to Sainz’s voting bloc winning over many older business owners due to views on RTW laws

[Kargintina the Third]

National Assemblyman Eduardo Topo @EduardoTopoActual THREE VENEZUELAN REFUGEES BEATEN TO DEATH BY AN INDIGENOUS MOB!! HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN YOURSELF TAFALLA???? #Tafalladoesntcare RETWEETSFAVORITE 13,47019,472

[Greater Redosia]

To continue the campaign while Sainz is off at primaries and debates, his campaign staff team begin to organize the funds that have been invested into the newspaper. Firstly, several large vehicles have been purchased for the means of long range transport of the newspaper which will allow them to be distributed outside of the city to the more national audience, along with more modern and efficient printers to print more newspaper to be distributed. Along with that, expansion into the other cities of the nation have been planned, with small newspaper printers being bought out by One Voice, One Nation to be used to distribute them even more. These buildings also become the campaign centers of Sainz campaign, outreach offices and centers where the people can learn more about the candidate.

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

Democratic Political Committee

Kalinsky, being rather bored after finishing the meetings, decided to exert political influence more directly, by forming the Democratic Political Committee or DPC. The DPC was effectively a lobbying arm and a political funding committee, as it allowed Kalinsky and his allies to run a campaign without running a campaign. He put a few million into it, and set up an HQ in Bartago, along with offices across the country.

He began to hire staff for it, and set up DemocracyforElCargota.com, where people could donate, along with social media organisation and the like to organise the people who agreed with his political ideology. He sent out mass emails, ran billboards and such to ensure his organisation grows as much as possible.

He also held daily meetings with business leaders, to get them to fall in line and back the DPC with their donations. He also began to open up online recruiting networks, setting up groupchats across WhatsApp and Instagram, to ensure that local groups can organise and canvass when the time comes. He needed as many boots on the ground as possible, and this was the fastest way to do it.

The DPC also began to print a newspaper, The El Cargotan Democrat, which his organisation published online and mailed to supporters, allowing them to be further entrenched in the ideology. With this new newspaper and Sainz's existing one, he hoped to get a good control of the media narrative when the time finally came...

He, of course, was the Chair of the DPC, which marked his full entry into politics. The instability had drawn the vulture like a moth to a flame, as he got ready for full war. His ads mostly focused on promoting the organisation and issue ads for now, but he got ready for the end of the liberal primary...

[The Hindustani State]

Western Andean Region
Pedro 2020 Campaign Rally #2

The crowd at this rally was substantially smaller than the one that had attended Pedro’s rally in the Estribaciones. However, these districts were up for primaries first, and it was important he won the very first primaries as it would create momentum leading in to the rest of the election. He stepped onto the podium, much grander now that he had more funding than ever, and began his speech,

"Thank you! The party establishment is getting desperate! They have recently formed a lobby group payed by their favorite sugar daddy, John Kalinsky, to try and resist our movement! Why would they take such drastic measures? Because they are afraid! They are afraid of a nationwide libertarian movement that could shake up the neoliberal establishment of this party, as well as Tafalla’s authoritarian leftist regime.

Our movement isn’t lead by me, and I will be far from the last person to lead this transformation of El Cargotá, no, if not me, then it could be any one of the bright young college students. They are our future, and they overwhelmingly support our movement, we are the future of this great country!

Together, we can make Tafalla tremble in his boots, which were probably made in some sweatshop in China." The crowd laughed.
"We will put an end to the leftist authoritarianism that has swept this continent, we will recognize Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela. We will oppose dictators like Evo Morales and Vladimir Putin, unlike Tafalla who relies on them for his paycheck!

I have stressed right to work laws in my last debate, and I will continue to fight for those who do not have the money to pay union dues. We need an end to the unemployment that has crippled this country’s economy. There is no compromise when it comes to this, the others in my party may just want to end Tafalla’s regime, but they fail to go the full way. What we need is right to work laws, and we need them now!

President Tafalla has been trying hard to crack down on our economic freedoms. He has raised taxes so high, that the millions of small business owners in our great nation have been burdened. Is this what you call equality Tafalla?! Let me be very clear, if you elect me president, I promise to make big tax cuts in my first hundred days. And before the socialists say I only care about corporations, these tax cuts will reduce the burden on regular, middle class folks! Small businesses will thrive again! Financial freedom will once again be feasible!

Along with big tax cuts, I promise to start government programs that directly help business owners start up business ideas which we deem as innovative and profitable. It is time to make El Cargotá a business powerhouse, rivaling the likes of Japan or Germany! You, the people of El Cargotá will feel tangible improvements in your life if you elect me president.

The one issue I agree with the president is indigenous people. We must resist the hate and racism spread by politicians like Eduardo Topo, who seek to do nothing but destroy indigenous people, the people who have been living in this land far before any European settlers arrived. While I oppose affirmative action, I promise to make government programs which will grant innovative ideas form the indigenous community special government assistance in order for their community to rise to the top.

Remember, together, we can defeat Tafalla and racists like Topo, but for that, you need to get out and vote in the primaries! Our movement is only as strong as our supporters. I specifically make sure not to fall to any plutocrats or corporate donors, because I am a servant of the people and no one else! So make sure to go out and vote this primary! And don’t forget to vote in this general election as well! ¡Viva El Cargotá!"

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Gabriel Cadaval
Bartago Suite, Top floor
Ministry of Finance

The top floor of the Ministry of Finance consisted of a large glass dome placed atop the building. From there, you could oversee the entire city, from the Old Town only a few blocks down, the new and modernised city centre beyond that, and the sprawling suburbs that surrounded the city. The Rio Piñi stretched far and wide, flowing westwards towards the Pacific. It shone like crystal in the morning sun.

The Bartago Suite could be used for various occasions. The Cabinet of Ministers sometimes had meetings there, whenever they could not meet in the Executive Palace at the Casa del Soberano. Unlike the Casa, which was a broad, stately building, the Ministry towered over the entire city. Bartago inhabitants had nicknamed it ‘the Lighthouse’, because the glass dome would reflect sunlight by day and radiate with white light by night. At the top, an enormous Gargotan flag waved in the wind.

Cadaval, while waiting for his appointment, was sitting at a table next to one of the gigantic windows. His attention had drifted from the newspaper to the sprawling city beneath. As a lover of maps and mock-ups, he enjoyed seeing the city from above. It looked like a model train set. The six bridges over the river were filled with traffic, proof in incredible economic activity. Barges sailed up and down the stream. From the west, the coast-bound railways pierced into the city centre, where the neoclassical Central Station contained the bustling activity of a million travellers. From where he stood, he could see the monumental skyscrapers that were the home to the country’s largest companies. Some Russian, some Chinese… and some American. From the Ministry, he could also spot the general neighbourhoods where his political… colleagues? Rivals? Enemies? Where his friends had their offices. He spotted a large billboard along the Avenida Simon Bolivar, with large letters reading ‘Democracy for El Cargotá!’.

“Silver-spoon bastard…” Gabriel whistled between his teeth. He pulled his attention back to his newspaper. ‘One Voice One Nation’. Not that he was reading it for his personal pleasure. The writing was stiff and unconvincing, and the text read like the editors had just taken the worst-delivered answers and put them to print. However, despite being nigh unreadable, it did give him a look into the world of Matthew Sainz, a man who had seemingly stumbled himself into the possession of a newspaper. Gabriel was of the opinion that he could write better propaganda on a lazy Sunday afternoon. He knew, because he had.

He was less interested in the actual contents of the front-page interview. In the opinion of Gabriel, Sainz was done after the third question of the interview, on foreign policy, in which he gave a rambling answer which concluded with “I’m sure that when we become a US puppet again, they will not fund death squads”. Jesus, he had his own propaganda paper, and even that could not fail to mention the fascists kill squads the US had propped up in the region.

No, Gabriel was little interested in the contents of the paper. He was, however, interested in the paper quality. It was a fine-grain, thicker paper than the previous prints, which felt like they had been printed on recycled single-plaid toilet paper. This version was actually quite nice. The letters had been printed on clearer, with far less ink blots and far better colour on the pictures. The paper was, unlike before, shipped to every major city in the country as well. This meant Matthew Sainz had found himself a donor, and Gabriel could not wait for his monthly financial statement to find out who that was.

As a matter of coincidence, the Chief of Police had wanted to meet him on Sainz, so Gabriel had planned a lunch meeting in the Bartago Suite. That would be at 1. Before that was to happen, he first had to give an interview to the Popular Herald. He did not like to give these interviews, since he did not like undue attention. He would rather stay in the background, but since it was election time, every minister had to pull their weight, and so did he. As he folded and put away the newspaper, the elevator door slid open, allowing a young journalist to enter the Suite. They were quite new at the job, which was shown by their apparent awe at the glass dome. A good journalist would hide that better.

Gabriel stood up from his chair. “Nice to meet you” he said, extending his hand.

“Gabriel Cadaval” he introduced himself.

“Michael de la Montaña” the young man answered in return, shaking the minister’s hand. His handshake was sweaty and lacked firmness. His face was red.

“You want something to drink, Michael?” Gabriel asked. Michael nodded.

“A glass of water, please” he said. The drink of the nervous.

“Coming up” he said, waving at one of the attendants.

“So, Michael, shall we just begin? You need some time to set up?”

“N… no, sir. It’ll be fine. Would you mind if I record our conversation?” he asked.

“I’d rather have you record everything than write everything down. People writing as I speak makes me jittery” Gabriel answered with a smile, and Michael chuckled, more with released tension that at what was, by all accounts, a measly joke at best.

“So, the big talk of the town are union dues. Various candidates in the election have proposed Right to Work laws. How do you respond to their criticisms?”

“First of all, Michael, I must say that, as a minister and a public servant, it would be improper for me to get too much into the liberal primary. What happens there is an internal affair, and it is not for the government to meddle in their affairs, especially since I belong to a different party. But I can respond to criticisms of the current situation with union dues, and the criticism is partially valid. Union dues are high. Now, the idea that this prevents a large number of people from acquiring employment, or that these dues are a large burden on personal budgets, is not supported by any actual research. Compared to, for example, rents, union dues are quite low. However, even if one working person has difficulty because of these dues, that is of course problematic. Union-busting regulations and laws limiting the rights of workers, which is what these euphemistically-named ‘right to work laws’ are, do not help the working Carogtan. Unions are responsible for a large number of wage increases, and while I do not have the calculations with me, those wage increases probably pay for union dues and then some. Historically, unions are also responsible for increases in worker safety, far more than our government actually is. These business-owners are blowing a problem out of proportion, and are proposing a cure that is more destructive than the disease.

I do recognise the problem, however. In my view, if employers require union membership as part of their employment contracts, they should also pay for the union dues, or pay enough that these dues do not become a burden on a person’s budget. The anger aimed at unions should be aimed at employers, who are apparently not paying their employees enough. I aim to implement legislation that will more fairly distribute the burden of the union dues away from the working class, and if we cannot force these employers to pay enough for union dues, the government should step in to provide relief. I would gladly make union dues tax-deductible, since union membership is so important to our country.”

“You say that these union dues present minimal burdens when compared to other costs of a household. What costs would that be?”

“Yes, while these liberals focus on union dues, because that is seen as a ‘leftist expense’, they fail to see what the actual Cargotan spends money on. Probably because they don’t manage their own finances. But the majority of income of a Carogtan is spent on food, utilities and rent. But the liberals do not want to draw attention to those, because those are free market costs. From the beginning, we promised that we would drive down these rent prices. And by building affordable housing and by strict control of illegal rental contracts, we have driven down the price of housing somewhat. There is of course still a lot to be done, but I want to ask every Cargotan to look at their budget, and see: what costs more? The landlord or the union?”

“According to economic specialists, there is a possibility that there is a new recession on the horizon. How would you respond to that?”

“I don’t agree with these economic specialists. The fact that the stock market has had a few slow months does not mean that the market as a whole is headed for downturn. These economic specialists make a lot of money from predicting doom. In fact, one of the largest finance institutions in our country has decided to buy more government bonds, which is a clear sign that they believe the economy is not even close to running out of steam. More importantly, a growing stock market does not mean that the average Cargotan is better off. Since 2008, the wealth of the average Cargotan has increased remarkably. Investment in infrastructure and improvements in education have decreased poverty in our country. And sure, those people do not buy stocks, but I will take a Cargotan with a house, a car and a stable job above a Wall Street tycoon.”

“What about companies moving out of El Cargotá to other countries because of the tax burden?”

“The myth that this is about the tax burden is one propagated by the liberal party, because they want a justification to cut taxes for themselves. The fact is that it has very little to do with our tax burden, which is effectively even on the low side due to our many deductions. As the working class of Cargotá gets wealthier, our wages increase, which makes us a less viable country for placing foreign factories. There is only one way to stop that, and that is to make Cargotan workers more competitive compared to Vietnamese or Mexican workers. However, that means cutting Cargotan wages. And while the liberal party seeks to do that by busting the unions and limiting the rights of workers, I don’t think we can put this genie back in the bottle. And neither should we want to, to be honest. What we should instead do is complete our transition into a service economy, by investing in education, healthcare and infrastructure, instead of transforming our country in some sort of Corporate Bordello where our workers make Nikes for 12 cents per hour. We will instead make the machines that will make Nikes, and then we will buy Nikes.”

“The libertarian candidate, Pedro Tejedor, has accumulated a lot of support. A lot of young people are attracted by his right-libertarianism. Any comments on his rise, and why more youth is moving right?”

“I don’t agree that the youth is turning right. I will not comment on individual candidates, that is not my place, but I will say that I think that the goals of his libertarianism and my leftism are the same: we seek the freedom of every person, regardless of socio-economic background. However, libertarianism believes that, if you just remove regulation, all people will be free and equal. If you look at the United States, however, you can see how many people have been forced into poverty because of a lack of regulation. And if you’re poor, you have far less means to actually use your theoretical freedoms. I want to achieve that freedom by making sure every person actually has a roof over their heads, and no-one has to fear starvation because they lost a job. That’s true freedom, and that is the only way you can get proper use out of all those freedoms promised in our constitution. Removing regulation just means rich people have more rights to screw over poor people, who are less equipped to defend themselves fairly.”

“Alright, minister. Final question: what do you think of John Kalinsky?”

“I have never met him. He has a nice yacht, I have heard. Personally, I think his money would be better-spent helping those in need, rather than supporting the people who want to decrease his taxes, but what do I know.”

“Thank you, Minister”

As Michael left again through the elevator, Gabriel thought about Kalinsky. The Polish Wolf, a cringey nickname if ever there was any. Night-limitless resources and a ceaseless ambition. A man who, by being rich, is convinced of his own superiority, even though he was given wealth on a silver platter. In today’s world, it was harder to become poor when rich than to become rich when poor, so he wondered where Kalinsky got his arrogance from. He thought of the billboards. As he was not a candidate, they did not yet violate the electoral finance law, but as soon as he began supporting a candidate, those billboards would have to be accounted for. It was a quick way to run up a 500 million dollar bill. Yet, he needed more. The candidates had, of course, not yet been forced into a corner. As soon as that happened… Interesting things could happen.

“Sir…” one of the attendants tapped his shoulder.

“Chief Garza is here to see you” she said. Gabriel nodded.

“Let him in, and prepare the lunch table” he answered. He stood up, and looked once more over the city. He caught himself, thinking too little ahead. He was playing chess with primary candidates, while he should be preparing to win. Because if this election was lost, well… He felt his throat. There would be a lot to lose…

[Rentandy]

Ministry of Finance

A nondescript SUV pulled up to the foot of the towering Ministry, and Garza stepped out. He arched his neck back to see all the way to the famous "Lighthouse" at the top. This building, and the ministry it represented, had slowly been turning into something of a white whale for him. Though he had no evidence, not even circumstantial, a few years ago Garza had begun to notice a pattern. The National Police's Financial Crime division often cooperated closely with the ministry in the course of its investigations. Cadaval did not halt or restrict this cooperation. Garza had begun to suspect him of steering it: making sure his investigators focused on corruption of those hostile to the regime, while letting those friendly to it get away.

Garza shook his head to clear his mind. This was not the time for these suspicions. Today, at least, he hoped to find some common ground with the minister to ensure clean and fair elections. He entered the opulent entry hall, all polished marble and glass. The place no longer intimidated him the way it did when he first entered it as a detective, though he had to admit he always felt uneasy there. Nodding at the receptionist, he took the elevator at the back of hall all the way to the top. Men and women in nice suits got on and off on the way up, and Garza couldn't help but notice they were all unusually quiet around him.

He was alone by the time he got to the top floor. A well dressed attendant greeted him, and for a second Garza wondered if he was in a government building or a five star hotel.

"Good afternoon, Chief Garza. You are here for your 1 o'clock with Minister Cadaval?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Follow me, sir."

As they walked, the man spoke over his shoulder.

"Mr. Cadaval is just finishing up an interview. What would like for lunch? Our special today is an arugula-"

"Just a Cuban sandwich, please. Plenty of mustard." Years of eating cheap fried garbage in the front seat of a patrol car had irreversibly ruined Garza's taste, and he couldn't stand fancy food. The attendant smiled at they stopped in front of a door.

"I'll have it sent it right up. Enjoy your meeting, sir."

The attendant bustled off, and Garza was left confused. Was he supposed to go in? Supposed to wait? His question was answered shortly, as the door was opened and a female attendant let him in. Garza subtly made the sign of the Cross on his forehead, and stepped into the lion's den.

[Zohiania]

Jose Verdad @JoseVerdad It is time for change, we need a strong dedicated candidate, that is why I endorse Pedro Tejedor! #Pedro2020 RETWEETSFAVORITE 4569573 10:00 am - 3/23/20