10. Constitution Tropico 5 Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Generally
The Constitution is the most important document in a country. Similarly on your island, but you can however make it serve you as well as your citizens.
Access to the Constitution is gained during the World Wars era, after inventing the Constitution technology.
When you end the colonization period, you can issue three articles. In every era that comes later, there will be a technology to invent that will provide three more articles. These technologies are: Legalese, Democracy and Small Print.
There are three variants of every legislation. Often one of them favors citizens, one favors the dictator and one is (almost) neutral. However, sometimes this division cannot be distinguished, because everything depend on the effect that you wish to obtain in the game. Usually, the neutral option is set as a default. You can view them in the order in which they appear in the game, later in this game guide.
Constitution allows you to influence globally such aspects as immigration, military, citizen rights, religion or state.
Colonial Era
In this era you have three options: Voting Rights, Religion and State, Armed Forces
Among Voting Rights, you can choose from:
- Male Citizens Vote (pro dictatorship) - This option gives voting rights only to men. It will cause reducing the number of voters by half, but will highly increase the dissatisfaction of women and pro-populist citizens.
- Wealthy Citizens Vote (neutral) - gives voting rights only to wealthy people (middle class and higher). At first, there will be few citizens satisfied with this article, but as they get wealthier, the level of satisfaction will rise. High level of satisfaction is required then.
- All Citizens Vote (pro citizen) - every adult gains voting rights. It soothes the rebellious attitudes among people, but it causes a major swing in election moods.
In Religion and State, you can choose:
- Theocracy - the state becomes a religious one, in which priests are in charge. It causes the areas around Churches, Catholic Missions and Cathedrals to lower their crime rate. However, citizens will want more and more of these buildings. Religious faction will be delighted.
- Secular State - freedom in terms of religion choice. Increases the feeling of freedom among the citizens.
- Atheist State - A country without religion. Research will go 10% faster, because no religion factors will interrupt them.
Armed Forces may exist in the following shapes:
- Militia - All regular soldiers must have secondary education. Additionally, during revolts or invasions, militia units are called up - weak and of minor influence during battles.
- Conscription - soldiers don't have to be educated, but they are weak fighters.
- Professional Army - only educated people serve in the army. It causes them to be more loyal and more effective in battles. Satisfaction of the Militarists will rise considerably.
World Wars
Three additional articles: Political Rights, Labor Policy and Citizenship.
Among Political Rights we can distinguish:
- Totalitarian State (definitively pro dictatorship) - largely decreases civil liberties and reduces the frequency of electoral cycles. Election fraud will bring 300% of additional votes, but increases the number of rebels.
- Police State (neutral) - policemen do their best so that people would vote for you and citizens are almost free.
- Democracy (pro citizen) - freedom for your people - rare rebellions, but frequent elections.
Labor Policy:
- Work For All - workers start their work when they are 13 years of age and work until they die. Causes reduced lifespan and less job satisfaction.
- Happy Childhood - workers start work when they are 16 and work until they are 70-75.
- Workers Paradise - workers start work when they are 16 and work until they are 65-70. Increases job satisfaction.
Citizenship serves regulating immigration:
- Visa Program - medium number of immigrants, most of them educated.
- Immigrants Nation - large number of immigrants, sometimes uneducated.
- Guarded Heaven - very few immigrants and it is also difficult to leave the island. Nationalists will be delighted.
Cold War
The Cold War era brings another three articles: Personal Rights, Economy Structure and Media Independence.
Personal Rights give three options:
- Total State Control - lowers freedom, as well as the cost of murdering or exiling citizens.
- Security Surveillance - the police will find special citizens, like managers, factions leaders or rebels, quicker.
- Open Society - increases freedom, but increases also the cost of murder and exile.
Economy Structure can look like this:
- Planned Economy - buildings with managers get 10 effectiveness points.
- Plutocracy - any source of Swiss bank revenue is increased by 20%.
- Free Market - maximum budget has more influence on buildings, approximately by a half.
Media Independence can be planned in three ways:
- Total Propaganda - less revolts and rebellions, but less freedom given by the media.
- Subsidized Media - doesn't influence freedom, but increases the budget of the media. Journalists will convince people to vote for you.
- Independent Media - more freedom, but frequent revolts and protests.
Modern Times
Modern Times offer the last three articles: Digital Rights, Globalization and Ecology.
Digital Rights influence the research and can be organized in three ways:
- Total Firewall - less citizens become rebels, but research is slowed down by about 15-20%, because buildings produce less research points.
- Fight Piracy - increases the help from EU and USA by 20%. At this stage however, you shouldn't rely on help from abroad. If you do, you should revise your managing.
- Free Internet - more people will become rebels, but research is about 15% faster.
Globalization influences the price of goods:
- Protectionism - increases the price of raw resources by 20%. Useful when you for example, from whatever reasons, do not have any factories on your island.
- Strategic Sector - increases the price of export goods on trade routes by 20%.
- Open Borders - increases the price of all processed goods - normal goods, as well as luxury ones - by 10%. Definitively, brings the best profit of all three.
Ecology influences environment and the effectiveness of factories:
- Economy First - you don't bother with ecology and increase the factories' effectiveness by 10%, but pollution rises by 50%.
- Energy Efficiency - reduces factories' budget by 20%. Doesn't influence the effectiveness.
- Zero Emissions - reduces the effectiveness by 20%, but pollution is decreased by 75%. Tourism on the island will boom.