Elections in Tropico 6 can be a surprise for players expecting a pure dictatorship experience. Winning elections is essential to maintaining power without resorting to extreme measures. This guide will cover how elections work, strategies for increasing voter support, and last-resort methods to stay in power.

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Understanding Elections in Tropico 6

Elections occur every 10 in-game years, and a notification appears a couple of years before the actual vote. You can also trigger early elections in two ways:

1. Using the Early Election Edict, which schedules an election 12 months after activation.
2. Failing to meet a Conservative faction ultimatum, which forces an early election.

When an election is about to take place, you’ll be presented with three options:

• Deliver a speech – Slightly increases reelection support.
• Abstain from giving a speech – A viable option if you already have overwhelming support.
• Cancel elections – Keeps you in power but severely reduces approval ratings.

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Strategies to Win Elections

1. Deliver a Strong Reelection Speech

Reelection speeches allow you to influence voter support through four key choices:

• Acknowledging an Issue – Selecting the lowest-rated issue removes it from voter consideration.
• Praising a Faction – Improves your standing with a chosen faction, best used on the lowest-rated one.
• Blaming a Superpower – Gains voter approval but reduces standing with that superpower by 20 points.
• Making a Promise – Boosts undecided voters, but failing to fulfill the promise reduces approval after the election. Choosing nothing is often the safest bet.

A well-structured speech can significantly impact voter confidence, making it one of the best tools for securing reelection.

2. Issue the Tax Cut Edict

• Provides an immediate 5-15% approval boost.
• Costs $5 per employed citizen, so it may not be feasible in times of financial strain.

3. Improve Citizen Happiness

• Identify low-rated happiness areas using the Almanac and address them accordingly.
• If housing happiness is low, construct new housing or increase existing housing budgets.
• Prioritize transportation, healthcare, and entertainment to maintain citizen satisfaction.

4. Utilize the Colosseum Great Wonder

• The Colosseum of Rome makes overall happiness dependent only on food and fun.
• Not a quick fix (requires the Spy Academy and raid points), but effective for long-term stability.

5. Use the Swiss Account for Faction Support

• Image Campaigns improve general approval.
• Faction support purchases boost specific factions’ loyalty.

6. Rig the Election (Last Resort)

• A few months before the election, Penultimo offers an option to manipulate votes.
• Only use this if losing is unavoidable, as it angers citizens who voted against you.

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Extreme Measures to Stay in Power

If approval is too low for a fair election victory, consider these emergency options:

1. Issue Martial Law

• Cancels elections indefinitely, but at the cost of severe approval drops.
• Reduces Liberty ratings and increases rebel activity.
• Recommended only if all other methods fail.

2. Cancel Elections

• Stops the election immediately but tanks approval ratings.
• Causes a spike in rebel attacks and makes approval recovery difficult.

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Final Thoughts

The best way to win elections is by keeping citizens happy through economic growth, housing improvements, and faction management. If necessary, use temporary boosts like tax cuts and image campaigns. However, if elections seem unwinnable, rigging votes or declaring martial law are emergency options to maintain power.

By mastering these strategies, you can ensure long-term dominance over your island without risking outright rebellion. If you found this guide helpful, stay tuned for more Tropico 6 tips!