Today, the Porto Seguran Government has fulfilled its promises of a massive reorganization of government procedure. These new reforms were championed enthusiastically by pundits and analysts, who believe that they will expedite progress and spur new advancements for the tiny island nation.
A new election was seen as the most crucial element of the project to reinvent Porto Seguro's long democratic tradition. It is with great pride that the Government officially calls an executive and legislative election to order.
Foreign nations are encouraged to voice their concerns about our leadership choices; however, the Government has asked that they be reminded that the country's future is in the hands of the people. Therefore, the parties and candidates are prohibited by law to accept any contributions from transnational entities. We do, however, welcome your support and goodwill.
The Government's Election Committee has prepared a primer for journalists and diplomats as a brief recapitulation of the facts and numbers.
93% of of our population has registered with a political party. The 4 major political parties (with representation in 20-person our national assembly) are:
Liberal Progressive Party: (9 reps, 45%, 3,600,000 members)
This party has majority status in the National Assembly. It espouses non-interventionism, moderate government oversight in economics and little to no regulation of personal life, direct democracy, and a dedication to education and healthcare. They are most popular in the major cities and middle-class suburbs.
Conservative Party: (5 reps, 25%, 2,000,000 members)
The second largest party, and also the affiliation of the current president. They advocate non-interventionism, laissez-faire economics, social conservatism, direct democracy, but eschew welfare and most other social programs. They generally believe the private sector provides better service than the government. Their member base ranges from rural farmers to affluent businesspeople.
Collectivist Workers' Movement (3 reps, 15%, 1,200,000 members)
This moderately-sized left-wing party is popular in the rural countryside. They promote an anarchist ideology, with little to no state oversight in any area. Their plan is to implement workers' collectives where the people run industries directly and share in the fruits of their labor.
National Union of Republicans (3 reps, 5%, 400,000 members)
A far-right group of various conservative organizations who disagreed with the Conservatives. They tend to oppose most government programs, but believe in granting a high amount of corporate welfare. A well-funded military is one of the cornerstones of their foreign policy philosophy. Many of their members participate in a wide range of religious groups ranging from Muslim to Christian.
The 2 other parties did not qualify for representative status:
Communist Party (2%, 160,000 members)
As opposed to the Collectivist Workers, these leftists advocate state-imposed collectivism with a plethora of government programs.
Christian Coalition (1%, 80,000 members)
A group of tiny, locally-oriented parties who cater specifically to Christian voters. They believe in basing the legal system on Biblical authority. They espouse social conservatism, but not to the extremes of the Republicans. Many members disagree on the role of the government in the economy; some believe in laissez-faire economics, while others advocate a Keynesian system.
An additional 4% registered as "no party." 3% of our people did not vote in the last election.