them here as a rough guide based on my personal opinions and experience.

Learn how to win Tropico 5 elections with these clean and underhanded tricks. Discover edicts, bribes, and cheat codes to secure your presidency.

Alright, let's talk about elections in Tropico 5. Honestly, winning them comes down to one thing: how well you're running the island. If your people are happy, they'll vote for you. If they're not, well, tough luck. But there are definitely some tricks up your sleeve to help nudge those votes your way, whether you're playing fair or… not so fair.

Clean Election Tricks (No Cheats!)

• Tax Cut Edict: This is probably the easiest and most effective way. Give everyone a little extra cash, and they'll be much more likely to vote for you. It costs a few hundred dollars, but it's usually worth it.
• Bribe Faction Leaders: For about $1,000 each, you can bribe the six faction leaders directly. It's not as powerful as the Tax Cut, but it's a cheaper option if you're short on cash.
• Happiness Edicts: Throwing events like Mardi Gras or using other edicts that boost happiness temporarily can also help. Remember, voters have short memories if you give them something fun right before an election.
• Arrest Your Enemies (Experimental): This is a bit of a gamble. The idea is to arrest your eight (or even sixteen, if you build a second prison) strongest opponents. Then, use the 'Open the Jails' edict to send them off the island. The question is, will their families turning against you be worse than the votes you just gained? I'm not sure if this works perfectly, but it's an interesting idea to experiment with if you're in a tight spot.

Underhanded Election Tricks (Cheats!)

If you're willing to dip into cheat mode, things get a lot more interesting (and potentially game-breaking):

• Eliminate Opponents: If someone is strongly opposing you in the next election, you can actually eliminate them. Click on the person, hold Ctrl, and type MUERTE. It's like an 'Eliminate' command but without the negative impact on family happiness. It's a bit like an 'Act of God' – convenient, right?
• REMOVEPEOPLE and Repopulate: This is more of a comic tool and can crash your game. You can use the REMOVEPEOPLE cheat and then repopulate your island using Ctrl-U generated units. The issue is, you don't know how these new people will vote, and it's a hassle to figure out who to replace. It's generally cleaner to just make someone appear in place of the deceased.
• CONTENTO Edict (Cheat): If you're already cheating, why not use CONTENTO a few times? It's a quick and dirty way to boost happiness for a short period. It won't last, but if you're in cheat mode, you might as well spam those buttons!