The rest of the month, the citizens of Eden had wide smiles on their faces whenever they remembered the announcement, and speculation on who would win the bid ran rampant.
Together with that, a few opposition parties had already been formed and announced their candidacy for president. Leading the officially formed parties were the other revolutionary leaders, who were very jealous of Alexander's position. They each trusted that they had enough support to win, between their followers and the recognition they had as leaders of the revolution against Adolf. This belief stemmed from believing that Alexander just got lucky and was missed when they got arrested as he was the leader with the fewest direct followers, after all.
Although many people would have thought that forming an alliance would make it a bit easier for them to win the election, that wasn't an easy thing to do. Not many people would give up their opportunity to grasp power when they had it, something an alliance would require. There was only one president, after all. It was the same dilemma as Jack Sparrow faced, with everyone voting for themselves until they decided to go their own ways.
Other than those parties, there was another one that attracted quite a lot of attention. Not because of the benefits they promised the citizens, but because of what they promised to do to Alexander when they won the election.
Their first promise was that they would immediately investigate Alexander for embezzling government funds during the transition. And they didn't stop there; they wanted to pardon Adolf. And with that, people knew who they were: former beneficiaries of the Adolf dictatorship that used to live like kings.
Their party was supported in large part by the people who had been living their best lives during the dictator's regime and were fondly looking back on those times.
What people didn't know was that nearly all the members of that party were still being investigated for things they did during Adolf's reign and had chosen to enter politics in hopes of being able to avoid prosecution. If the government moved to prosecute them during the campaign or anytime after that, they could frame it as Alexander using the government to suppress his political opponents rather than seeking justice; it would point to him as being just another dictator—like the man he had 'illegally' deposed—covering himself in the false flag of democracy.
Alas, Alexander didn't care about them at all, as he wasn't worried about the pressure from the criminal community in the first place.
And that wasn't the only thing giving him confidence. While the other parties were rushing from one place to another, kissing babies and shaking hands in an attempt to gather as many votes as possible, he remained focused on his work as the president of the country. He wasn't planning to campaign at all, and whenever he was asked about his lackadaisical approach to campaigning, his answer was, "As the interim president, people already know how I plan to lead and what my goals are. If they don't know that by now, then I've already failed."
He didn't care at all about all of the political mudslinging and other 'rules of the game'.
While the presidential campaigns were in full swing and with the reminder of other elections, which were still five month away, those who were aiming to run for a governmental position started joining different parties and announcing their intention to run for office as members of parliament. Alexander's party received the highest number of potential candidates, as everyone was sure that the moment they received the endorsement and support of his party, winning would be the rule and not the exception.
That phenomenon gave him a massive political following that were constantly being given reasons on why they should like him more and more, as there were new and beneficial things happening in Eden. Plus, he had won a war with their historical enemy, setting his influence in stone; even if he somehow failed to win the presidency, he would still be a kingmaker.
...
Today was one of those days where his followers were being given another thing to brag about, as Alexander was standing in front of a massive power transformer surrounded by a tall fence. He was waiting for the perfect moment to address the audience and cameras.
In front of the transformer's fence were two posts with a brilliant red ribbon suspended between them, tied in a bow. It was the day that Aron's utility infrastructure would go into operation in Edenia, and at precisely noon, Alexander would cut the ribbon.
"During the previous regime, most of our national funds were being used to enrich the former dictator. There was little to nothing being used to nurture the citizens of this great nation. And the corruption trickled down from there. The little money that was spent on enriching the lives of our citizens was embezzled by lower-ranked officials after most of it going into the pockets of a dictator, leaving only crumbs of the initial amount. Our citizens have faced unclean water, constant interruptions in electrical services, and raw sewage spills, all while paying high prices for the 'privilege' of service. But no longer!
"It ends today, as this date marks the beginning of a continuous supply of electricity and clean water at affordable prices. Though we begin today in Edenia, over the next month, the citizens in every city will enjoy the same clean water, reliable internet, consistent electrical power, and the comfort of working plumbing. Today is the dawning of a new era for the people of our great Eden, the era of unlimited services!" Alexander said, eliciting applause and cheering from those attending the ribbon cutting ceremony.
"With this completion, a few changes will come into our life along with the new utility infrastructure. From today onward, the price of electricity and water will start and continue falling until it reaches a stable price point. The same holds for sewer assessments, as well as internet service. We've worked hand-in-hand with Connect, who has guaranteed stable service at the lowest possible prices thanks to their investments...." Alexander continued his speech as people periodically cheered and applauded, then finished by inviting Felix to join him in cutting the ribbon.
As Felix walked to the podium, he also received only slightly less cheers than the president, as his was one of the most-loved companies in the country. Their reputation had even been stellar during Adolf's regime, as it had been providing cheap, consistent, and fast internet. And even with a country-wide monopoly, it didn't seem as if they were planning on increasing the fees to an exorbitant level. In any normal country, that would force the government to intervene and break the company apart; but in a dictatorship like the one Adolf headed, everything was negotiable... for the right price. So the fact that Connect hadn't gouged them had won their hearts, not to mention the active propaganda campaign run by Nova.
Felix joined Alexander on stage as the president moved in front of the podium and offered one handle of the oversized ceremonial scissors to him. He took the offered handle, glanced at the time in the HUD of his glasses, and said, "Let today be written in history as the day that the citizens of Eden witnessed the dawning of a new era."n0VeluSb.c0m
He cut the ribbon with a smile on his face as cameras flashed.
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