Empire Rising: Spain

Of course, Carlo’s attitude is also undeniable. Even Canovas was supported by Carlo to rise to power, so the Cabinet Ministers naturally pay considerable attention to Carlo’s attitude as King.

In order to be re-elected, many cabinet ministers have expressed absolute loyalty to Carlo, which invisibly increased Carlo’s power.

Unlike the time when Prime Minister Prim was in power and Carlo had little control over the government, Carlo currently holds significant power in the Spanish Government, which has made Carlo’s actions much easier.

With the power in his hands, Carlo has enacted many policies, bringing substantial changes to certain aspects of Spain.

One notable aspect is Spain’s public health policy.

Although Europe during this era was the world’s most developed region, the sanitary conditions inherited from the Middle Ages made European cities not so civilized.

Public urination and littering were common sights in European cities, and the description "fragrant cars and fine wines, foul London" referred not only to London’s smog but also to its poor sanitary conditions and the pervasive stench of excrement and garbage.

This was indeed no exaggeration. Even in later times, some European cities continued to have incidents of public urination.

If unlucky, one might miss stepping on dog feces but has a higher chance of stepping on human feces.

Living in Madrid, Carlo didn’t wish for Madrid to become a city filled with excrement and waste. As early as when he first arrived in Spain, Carlo had suggested Prime Minister Prim strengthen the sanitation management of Madrid.

During the decade Carlo has been King of Spain, several public restrooms have been built in Madrid and other major cities, effectively reducing public urination.

To intensify the oversight of uncivilized behaviors, the Madrid City Government formulated relevant punitive policies. Those who resorted to public defecation in the streets of Madrid faced fines of varying amounts, or even several months to years of imprisonment.

Since the implementation of such policies, the streets of Madrid had indeed become much cleaner. Carlo also planned to extend this sanitation management policy to other Spanish cities, striving for all Spanish cities to become sanitary cities free from excrement and garbage.

After sanitation became a critical aspect of mayoral assessment, the Mayor of Madrid began to pay great attention to the sanitation conditions of Madrid’s streets and alleys.

Carlo believes that as long as the performance assessment for the mayors of each city includes sanitation conditions, these mayors would undoubtedly try every possible means to reduce public urination.

Of course, it’s not enough to just ban public urination; people must be provided with facilities where they can relieve themselves, namely public restrooms.

Only prohibiting without building more public toilets would only incite public anger.

Carlo doesn’t wish for these city governments to implement one-size-fits-all policies, disregarding the citizens’ wishes solely for their performance.

A month later, the grand conference room of the Spanish Parliament reopened. Members of the Lower House are to elect Spain’s new Prime Minister during the session, while members of the Upper House will elect a new Minister of Justice and Minister of Colonial Affairs.

Of course, the Military Committee also needs to elect a new Minister of Defense, and Carlo must consider candidates for the Minister of Royal Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister.

Only after all these appointments are finalized will the new Spanish Cabinet Government be deemed complete.

It’s been five years since the last Cabinet Government election, during which the Lower House has experienced two elections.

The Conservative Party has now successfully become Spain’s largest party, holding a total of 146 seats, accounting for 49% of the Lower House seats, single-handedly overwhelming both the Progressive Party and the Liberal Party.

The Progressive Party has retreated to become the second-largest party, with only 87 seats remaining, accounting for 29.1% of the total seats.

The Liberal Party still retains its status as Spain’s third-largest party title, but its seats are continually decreasing. Currently, the Liberal Party holds only 27 Lower House seats, accounting for 9% of the total Lower House seats.

Besides the three major parties, there are a few smaller parties with Cabinet seats, but none exceed two digits in number. The total number of Cabinet seats these parties hold is roughly akin to the Liberal Party, with a total proportion of only 8.4%, which amounts to 25 seats.

Apart from these parties, the Lower House also has 13 independent seats whose decline is predictable since parties hold a greater advantage in elections.

Parties can receive political donations from the public, whereas individuals cannot obtain political funds. Parties can rally numerous people’s collective efforts, while individuals can only rely on their efforts.

Political power in any country’s political arena is far superior for parties than individuals. Many independent figures have either joined one of the three major parties or established their own party, leaving few to continue as independents.

It’s evident from the proportion occupied by the three major parties in the Lower House seats that the Conservative Party has a significant advantage.

The Conservative Party’s proportion is nearing fifty percent, and it needs to secure about 30 more seats to clinch the Spanish Cabinet Prime Minister’s position.

No other party can compete with the Conservative Party since achieving the position of Spanish Cabinet Prime Minister requires winning over 60% of the votes.

The Conservative Party certainly wouldn’t vote for its rivals, which means these parties have no option but to cooperate with the Conservative Party if they wish to join the Spanish Cabinet.

The cabinet election is one of Spain’s major political activities, and as the King, Carlo certainly participates in it.

The good news is that the Upper and Lower House meetings are held in the parliamentary building, allowing Carlo to participate in both elections simultaneously.

The Lower House is electing Spain’s Cabinet Prime Minister, while the Upper House elects Spain’s Minister of Colonial Affairs and Minister of Justice.

Although not as prominent as the Prime Minister, these two cabinet minister positions are quite important. The Minister of Colonial Affairs assists Carlo in managing colonial affairs, holding a position higher than the governors of various colonies.

The Minister of Justice is the highest leader of Spanish judiciary and, like the Minister of Royal Affairs, need not be under the Spanish Cabinet Government’s control.

The Minister of Justice only needs to be accountable to the Upper House and the King, aiming to ensure the minister’s loyalty and reliability.

Compared to the Lower House election, the Upper House election is equally lively. Both houses have over a hundred parliament members, making the election scene remarkably vibrant.

However, unlike the Lower House, the Upper House is an institution entirely under Carlo’s control, allowing Carlo to even determine the election outcome for the two cabinet ministers.

The parliamentary election lasted an entire day, ultimately succeeding in electing Spain’s Prime Minister and several key cabinet ministers.

Unsurprisingly, former Deputy Prime Minister Canovas successfully secured the Prime Minister’s position, and due to winning over 60% of the vote, he obtained the authority to form his own cabinet.

This means that appointments for Spain’s Cabinet Government’s nine department ministers will be at the sole discretion of Prime Minister Canovas. If willing, any Lower House member stands a chance of becoming a cabinet minister of high stature.

The Upper House election concluded earlier than the Lower House election, with candidates for the Minister of Colonial Affairs and Minister of Justice quickly finalized.

The Minister of Colonial Affairs is former governor of Cuba, William, familiar with several Spanish colonies and belonging to the Spanish nobility, ensuring his reliability in loyalty.

The appointed Minister of Justice is Manuel Dias Santos. Carlo is quite familiar with this name as he too belongs to the nobility.

However, Manuel is not of the old nobility but part of the new nobility. Manuel is rather familiar with legal affairs, having been practicing as a lawyer before entering politics.

His noble status, combined with his experience as a lawyer, paved Manuel’s path to becoming Spain’s Minister of Justice. Carlo is not overly concerned about the minister’s competence, as Spain’s judiciary is supported by a series of institutions and personnel efforts.

The position of Minister of Justice emphasizes loyalty, as it operates independently from the Cabinet Government, with roles to supervise Spanish officials, parliament members, and even public affairs.