Golfito Today - Golfito's News Network

[Golfito]

Not a news broadcast
Just outside of Puntarenas, Golfito

Thiago Alcantara needed some fresh air.

Tomorrow morning would change his life no matter what the outcome.

In less than 24 hours, he could be the new President of Golfito. In less than 24 hours, he would have to seek his political career elsewhere.

But he felt confident. And why shouldn't he?

The conservative party, better known as the POG, or Party of Golfito, was always the majority group of the country. The nation's base was right-center.

They'd run a good campaign. The enthusiasm was high. And his main opponent, Xabi Khedera, the candidate of the liberal National Liberation Party, wasn't exactly charismatic.

His mind turned to Radamel Navas, the Libertarian candidate.

"How many votes will he steal?" Alacantra wondered aloud.

He paused for a moment to watch a group of five kids kicking the football around. Golfito loved it's favorite sport, maybe even too much.

"I wonder how their parents feel about the election," he said, this time to himself in his head.

The clear, blue sky was turning orange and red. The Golfito sun had begun it's descent into the ocean. It was truly a remarkable sight that not enough people have seen.

Thiago (he always enjoyed going by his first name) reached into his pocket to look at his phone. Sure enough, just as he thought, there were no less than 10 text messages waiting to be opened.

There was one that caught his eye. It read, "We're waiting for you." His wife, Angela, was expecting and had begun using the term we more often than not.

A few motions from his finger and his body began to carry out the response he sent. Thiago turned and began walking in the direction of his house. The messages from his campaign managers could wait.

Besides, there was nothing anybody could change now. The election was very much underway.

[Golfito]

Alcantara's campaign headquarters

Alcantara checked his watch groggily. It wasn't the makeshift cot that he slept on, or tried to, that was the problem. It was the nerves. Today was election day. This was the day he had waited for.

A couple of his runners inside the headquarters had been keeping him updated as best they could. Early returns were positive. But it would become more apparent once the precincts began reporting in -

"Three minutes," Alcantara said aloud. "Just three more minutes."

He nervously checked his phone. Nothing doing. He was sure his wife was letting him be for a little while. Or perhaps she was sleeping still. Either way, she'd be at the headquarters soon enough.

The television came to life. Golfito Today, the country's news leader by a wide margin, was beginning it's broadcast. This was it.

Good morning and welcome to our continuing coverage of the election. I'm Marc Munesia. As you can see here on our live map, we're ready to designate precincts. Red will go to Thaigo Alcantara, blue to Xabi Khedera and Radamel Navas will be indicated with green.
First, let's go to Limón, who, of course, was the first to open for voters. With 15 percent of the votes calculated, Alcantara is receiving a commanding 71 percent of the regions votes.

The room exploded into cheers. This was a key zone for the POG. Not only was it where Khedera hailed from, but there was a large contingent of Libertarians loyal to Navas.

"That's a damn good sign, sir," one of Alcantara's advisors said. "Damn good."

Thiago didn't say anything. He hadn't celebrated either. He was determined to stay levelheaded. But inside, he would admit to himself that he was a little relieved.

If, somehow, they could secure regions San Rafael, Tejar and Ipis, Alcantara's camp could start the celebration early. All three were National Liberation Party strongholds.

Next we'll look at Ipis.

"Let's see how this goes," Alcantara muttered under his breath.

With seven percent of the votes in, Khederia has a strong 59 percent of the vote. That's massive for Khedera. Without this lead, this election could very well be over. We're going to go ahead and project these two regions.

Alcantara watched as Limón went red and 21 electoral votes went under his headshot. Ipis, though, went blue and Khedera's headshot was credited with 14.

"We thought he was going to get both," Alcantara reminded himself. "We're OK. He can have Ipis."

Drawn to the footsteps just outside the door - that very much sounded like heels - Alcantara hoped he was about to see Angela. And three seconds later, he did. His wife, always stunning from his perspective even when she was six months along, brought him to his feet. The couple returned to the couch in front of the television.

Up next, we have San Rafael's eight electoral votes. As we reported last night, this region would normally go blue. But Alcantara and Navas have pushed very hard here. San Rafael's citizens stand to gain the most under either's economic plans that are promising increased revenue from tourism. It sounds like the region's citizens have spoken. Alcantara has received 47 percent of the vote and Navas is actually in second with 29 percent. Just eight percent of the vote is in, however. We're going to wait to project this red, but it looks good for Alcantara.

Angela threw her arms around her husband. She knew he wouldn't celebrate. That wasn't his personality. But it didn't mean that she couldn't. The rest of the headquarters applauded. It was looking good for their POG candidate.

[Golfito]

Later on in the broadcast...

The nation watched as San Rafael and Puntarenas went red for eight and 15 votes, respectively. Alcantara had 44 points next to his name. Khedera, too, was awarded the Tejar and Mercedes regions bringing his total to 32.

Just two regions remained, and if just one went red, Alcantara would be the next president of Golfito.

"I don't feel good about Carmen," Alcantara said. "Never have. They like their drugs too much."

Angela smiled. She knew he was right, but hoped he would never mention that out loud. But she knew that he wouldn't, either.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready to project the final two regions.

The room tightened up. It wasn't Carmen they cared about. It was the 16 votes from Alajuela that mattered. It was the only way Khedera could overtake them now.

First, Carmen. We thought this would be blue from the very beginning, and, well, we were wrong. It's green. Radamel Navas, now already mathematically eliminated, is on the board with eight votes. James Rodriguez, our chief political analyst here, what do you make of this? Kind of a surprise, no?

Certainly, Marc. But it's only good news for the POG. The fact that Khedera couldn't carry one of his slam dunk regions kind of signals the end for his campaign. Sure, he didn't necessarily need it, but it is just indicative of the race he ran, I think.

Right, well, it's that time. With 65 percent of the votes calculated, it's Thiago Alcantara that ---

Nobody needed to know what was coming next. They knew. It was over and they had won.

Alcantara felt his colleagues swarm him. Some jumped on his back. Others exchanged high fives. And why shouldn't they? They'd put their hearts and souls into this campaign and it had paid off.

Alajuela was red. Thiago Alcantara had 60 votes and had won the presidency.

"We did it. We really did it," he said as he hugged his wife.

"Better go over that speech one last time there, Mr. President," she replied through a wide smile. "We're so proud of you."

There was that plural pronoun again.

Alcantara had received 2.1 million of the 2.8 million popular votes.

Four hours later

The supporters were jubilant, of course. Every sentence ended with a roar, and Alcantara thought maybe he could say whatever he wanted to, no matter how ridiculous, and they would still cheer.

He was getting to the end of his speech. No stumbling over words now.

"The legislative assembly, as you know, was also a huge victory for us tonight."

The crowd cheered knowing the two houses saw POG gains giving the party a majority in every department possible.

"We've got a chance to do something special - all of us - we can make Golfito prosperous, raise the quality of life among us and really reach new heights.

"We can establish increased trade with the world without the tremendous and unnecessary weight of taxes burdening down private business. We can get our flat tax rate in place and eliminate the welfare fraud that has been so rampant."

That part would make so many of the conservatives happy. Golfito's financial health was fine. They had run a deficit the last four years under the National Liberation Party's leadership, something thought impossible, but something they managed to do via absolute waste. It could be fixed.

"Citizens, you now have the freedom to reap the benefits of your hard work. You will have the chance to make something of yourselves. And together, this nation, this great nation, will now embark on a prosperous and healthy journey that begins now."

Alcantara stood there as the noise levels reached the highest point yet. His wife, Angela, joined him on stage where they smiled and waved for several minutes at the thousands of people in attendance in Puntarenas.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to both of them, the couple walked off the stage and back into the headquarters. It was time to celebrate. Thiago cracked open a beer and handed Angela a water bottle.

"Soon," he said smiling and pointing to her oversized stomach.

She laughed frustratingly as they both headed towards the lounge where everyone else was waiting for them.

[Golfito]

Golfito Today News Broadcast

Good evening and welcome to tonight's special report.

I'm Marc Munesia and here's what we're focused on today.

Newly elected president Thiago Alcantara is set to be sworn in about a week from now, but he's wasting no time preparing for his new job. Just this afternoon, the President-to-be discussed some of his top priorities exclusively with our lead reporter Laura Sanchéz.

Alcantara: "Look, it's not a secret anymore and we don't have to pretend to ignore it. The infrastructure in this country is not adequate and it must be addressed. On the campaign trail, I met with many people who talked about their suspensions failing in their vehicles as they went over large bumps and sizable holes in the pavement. I mean, that just can't happen. It's unacceptable.

"We need an interstate system of some kind. As we all are too familiar with, we're far behind the times of our neighbors. Getting freight from one side of Golfito to another is a nightmare. So with all that said, we're in the planning stages right now. We're going to put people to work and lay the foundation for increased economic success down the road."

Sanchéz: Marc, as you can tell, this is something Alcantara is quite adamant about. But that was never a mystery as it was one of his platform items during the campaign. I asked him about the possibility of opening up several new airports and a seaport like he talked about last month, but he said they would be taking things one at a time. So while he didn't rule it out, they are clearly focused on passing this highway legislation soon.

Back to you, Marc.

Munesia: Thank you, Laura.

Another report today of a drug running boat off the coast of Limón today. Authorities were unable to apprehend the suspects traveling on a high-speed boat raising the question once more, is a military needed in Golfito?


Both candidates that ran said they would closely examine the best ways to eliminate the drug smuggling problem and whether or not a military was the way to do it. Golfito has never needed a military through it's short history, but it is apparent that the shores need some protecting and regulating from foreign drug lords.

Rounding out this first segment, Cartago Produce continues to thrive in the nation's third-largest market. The company issued a release today that they will be soon coming to the capital city of Puntarenas as soon as next month opening no less than three locations.

[Golfito]

Thiago Alcantara had just finished his morning routine. A 60-minute high-intensity workout, shower and breakfast consisting of eggs and more eggs. He had to make sure he was getting his protein, of course. Then it was off to start his day at around 6 a.m. local time. Good thing for Thiago, he is a morning person.

His press secretary, Grace Perino, hawked him down in the hallway as he headed off to his office. She was attractive, medium-length brown hair, stood about 5-foot-4 and was very much in shape. Like Thiago, Grace knew she'd be on the television so she had better put her best foot forward.

"You might want to read the paper, Mr. President," she said. "But you might want to sit down first. I think they actually agree with you on something."

Alcantara knew that the Puntarenas Times was a left-leaning organization. Well, most knew that. They weren't incredibly overbearing, but a look at their history proved it to be true.

"You don't say," the president said with a hint of surprise.

Golfito's president grabbed the paper from his press secretary, turned left down the hall and opened his office door on the right. He sat down in his chair - a comfortable one at that, and one of his favorite possessions - and began to scan.

"Uh, Grace, what am I supposed to be looking for?"

"Page 6A, opinion," she said waiting for a sarcastic response she was sure to get.

"Oh, great. This should be good."

Alcantara is right, Golfito's infrastructure is inadequate
As the nation's newly-elected president said on Golfito Today, this country needs an interstate system. And it needs it as soon as possible.

As other countries in the region continue to prosper economically hauling freight too and from their cities and industries, our trucks are slowed in residential neighborhoods in school zones. What kind of system is that?

Not a very good one.

"OK, Grace, we knew this," Alcantara said looking up.

"Yep. But now it looks like the public is completely behind it. So I think that as soon as it passes the Senate tomorrow, you should be looked on in a positive light in the press."

"Isn't that your job anyway?"

Alcantara's relationship with Perino was often lighthearted. The two would throw their friendly punches in conversations whenever they could and would take it in stride.

"There's a reason you hired me besides my excellent figure," she joked, even though she was right.

"I suppose so. Since we expect this to go through tomorrow, let's schedule a presser for the afternoon to unveil some plans and give the media some things to write about."

Perino nodded in approval and turned to the door to exit the room. She had been on the job for only a couple of weeks now, but she definitely felt herself getting into the groove. This is the job that she had dreamed of and now she had it. Hopefully it would last for a few terms.

[Golfito]

Good evening, Golfitans, I'm Marc Munesia and here is what is making headlines tonight.

The final hurdles for the new highway system have been cleared and construction is set to begin immediately. For more, let's send it out to lead reporter Laura Sanchéz.

Thanks, Marc. As you said, Golfito's highway system was approved in the House of Representatives today, as expected. The Senate passed the legislation just about a week ago now, so you can see just how fast officials want to get this moving.

Behind me, you see the buildings of Puntarenas here in the capital city. This is where construction will begin on GR 1. To the south, the highway will run along the coast and connect to the city of Alajuela. And heading west, GR 2 will connect the capital to Limón on the other coast.

The initial stage of the project, rumored to cost upwards of £3 billion, is scheduled to begin by the end of next week. A total of 35,000 new jobs will be opening over the next three months which should lower the unemployment rate to under 10% for the first time in eight years, an official said.

Roads GR 1 and GR 2 have an estimated completion time of eight to 14 months, another official stated. It will depend on weather, of course, and the ability to train new workers.

Back to you, Marc.

Thank you, Laura. That is certainly very exciting, indeed.

Jose Monreal didn't care what was coming on next. He heard the only thing he needed to.

You see, the CEO of Cartago Produce now was getting a way to transport his goods from one side of the country to another by freight - at speeds of above 30 mph. This would open up all sorts of possibilities for his company.

He picked up the phone in his Alajuela hotel room and dialed room service. He needed something to drink. It was time for a little celebration.

[Golfito]

Inside the presidential offices

"You really think we need a military? After all these years?"

Thiago Alcantara thought about what his Internal Security Advisor Manuel Ortiz just asked. He'd asked himself the same thing for about a week now. The pros-and-cons game was played over and over inside the president's head.

The reports of drug smuggling continued to become more and more common. It was getting to be too much. The police, focused on more internal matters, had their hands full. And it must be said, they did a pretty good job.

There had to be another way. Perhaps a military would instill even more national pride in the people? Perhaps it would give some a new way to make a living? Imperialism was the last thing Golfito wanted. They were just fine as they are.

"Yes, Manuel. I do. And I realize what the detractors would say. I've thought it through. This is something this country needs. If we are going to be relative isolationists, we need our own support," Alcantara began.

"We've got to put a stop to these smugglers and have a way to protect our people."

And with that, the wheels began turning.

The proposal and approval of a new armed forces would have to start in Congress. That wasn't too much of a problem. The POG owned both houses, so certainly, it would get done.

Alcantara saw this as a chance to spring a congressman from within the party to the forefront. He was only weeks into his first term, but he knew the importance of keeping the conservatives in power for a long time.

"Someone get me Senator Casillas on the phone," said the Golfitan president.

Martin Casillas, a POG member from right there in the capital city of Puntarenas, was perfect. He was young, energetic and charismatic. He had a big future.

And it was time to get his resume filled out.

[Golfito]

European Union Delegate appointed and confirmed

Representative Jesse Lingard (POG-Limón) has been confirmed after being nominated by new president Thiago Alcantara on Wednesday.

The 27-year old representative, widely considered to be a rising star in the Party of Golfito, was confirmed easily in both wings of Congress expectedly with POG the majority in each.

Lingard was just elected to his first political term of his young career last year, one which he will evidently not complete. Critics of Alcantara's nomination of Lingard have cited his lack of experience, of course, but the president is confident in his choice.

"I understand the criticism of this selection," Alcantara said to the press following the confirmation. "But, I assure you, Jesse worthy of this role. He's been incredibly sharp in the talks that I have had with him and he will do a job that Golfitans can be proud of."

There is no indication what Lingard's first duties will be in the EU, but sources indicate that it could be to vote in the Council Speaker election. Sources have also said that Golfito will abstain from voting because they might not be comfortable making a decision with limited knowledge of the candidates.

Lingard's appointment begins immediately.

[Golfito]

Legislation proposed for a military

PUNTARENAS -- Legislation was introduced today by Senator Martin Casillas (POG-P) that would establish a military in The Republic of Golfito for the first time in the nation's history.

If passed, and all signs point to the fact that it will, Golfito would establish three branches of armed forces.

The National Army would be responsible for land operations bot foreign and domestic. Should humanitarian efforts be called upon, the Army would responsible for heading up operations.

The National Navy would be the sea branch, but the Navy, itself, would be dived into two separate parts. The Blue Water division would carry out operations away from the shore, while the Coast Guard would oversee operations domestically along the coastline including dealing with the drug runners that have caused such a problem for Golfito.

Then, of course, the National Air Force would be the airborne branch.

"We live in times that simply require more," Casillas said today at the press briefing. "These contraband runners we've been dealing with have to be stopped, and honestly, we don't have the means to do it.

"You couple that with the joining of the European Union, we need a means to support our neighbors in the example of the damaging storm that made landfall over Sint Maarten and Pax Aurea."

Casillas confirmed the military would be completely voluntary with no possibility of conscription of citizens. All military personnel must be at least 18 years of age, and while women are allowed to join, they are not permitted along the front lines in battle operations.

"It's extremely important that we have a well-trained force to call upon," Casillas added later. "We're looking into the possibility of creating a military college, but that isn't the main focus of the day.

"This is not going to be an aggressive force. That is not how our nation is, or will be. But it is essential that we have the ability to protect and defend our shores from whatever threat is introduced."

Voting on Casillas' legislation is scheduled to begin tomorrow on the Senate floor. With 65 votes, it will pass leaving the POG with only two votes to secure from outside the party.

Should it pass, voting on the floor of the House of Representatives would begin in three days time.

[Golfito]

PUNTARENAS -- At long last, the nation's premier and most popular sport, football, is taking major strides towards becoming professional.

Golfito football thrives, to an extent. But when the nation's citizens sit at home on the weekends, it is leagues from abroad that they watch. That's not the fault of themselves or the local product, of course, it's the simple fact that there are no domestic leagues.

Several Golfitan footballers have been exported around the world and have had some success. Now they'll have the opportunity to come back home.

Jose Monreal, business tycoon and owner of Cartago Produce, has seen his business boom of late. And it is only projected to get better.

The nation's highway system is nearing the completion of it's first stage connecting the cities of Puntarenas, Limon and Alajuela. What that means for the nation's most profitable company is faster deliveries at a more efficient price which all points to higher profits.

Monreal, an avid football fan, says this nation deserves it's own league, and he's going to head up the creation of it.

"This country's passion for the game can be seen every single day when you pass an open stretch of grass," said Cartago Produce's CEO. "Kids there kicking the ball about. Weekend amateur leagues - and there is some quality stuff there, really. But they've got nowhere to go inside the country if they are truly great.

"The development of their skill happens elsewhere. Those contracts, those potential earnings then go to other economies, other nations. We want that to happen here. We want people to be able to have that kind of entertainment."

Monreal says he is pitching the idea to investors domestic and abroad and it is generating great interest. After all, it could end up being a hugely lucrative deal for those involved.

"Yes, we've had some inquiries," Monreal said. "Not going to go into detail, of course, since that is a private business matter. But I am not worried much about raising the adequate funds to get this thing started."

The initial league plans have not been revealed in terms of numbers of teams or a tiered system. That is all going to develop as time goes on, Monreal said.

More information is sure to come in the next few weeks as the funds are raised and a more centralized group forms.

[Golfito]

PUNTARENAS -- Sen. Martin Casillas (POG-P) has seen his bill for the establishment of an armed forces passed in the Senate.

The legislation needed just 65 votes, but in overwhelming fashion, 76 of the 100 votes came in as yes.

The Senate vote, seen as the largest obstacle to approving the bill, was hurdled rather easily. With that taken into account, the upcoming vote in the House should not have too many problems passing it, either.

Golfito's people seem to overwhelmingly support the idea, too. Polls indicate anywhere from 75 to 85 percent of citizens would like to see a military established to some extent. Only about 5 percent are adamantly against it.

The process will inch closer to completion with the vote taking place in the House beginning in three day's time.