Ladra, self-styled king of thieves and mayor of Barter Town, has officially entered the race for the Minoc governorship. The move was not unexpected, as sources within the Barter Town hegemony had leaked the information prior to the start of the elections.

In a press release issued this morning, Ladra claimed that the people of Minoc had reached out to their neighbours for assistance:

Over the last few weeks I have received mail from several hundred concerned citizens of Minoc, demanding a change of politics. They are not happy with the current rulers of their town. Since I’m already Mayor of the bordering town it’s natural that they come to me for help. They see the wealthy, crime-free and eco-friendly utopia that is Barter Town and want a piece of that. “Can Barter Town help?” they asked. Yes, we can! Since I can not bear to see a fellow Sosarian in distress, here I am, stepping up to help. Vote for me and you will see change!

The document went on to outline her plans for a new banking system, an expansion of the miners’ union, a system of wealth distribution, and a reduction in the guards’ workload to only thirty-five hours a year.

Ladra will square up against last term’s losing candidate, Prospero, for the position. Whilst locals have generally welcomed the choice of runners, many fear that a win by Ladra would give Barter Town carte blanche to begin officially annexing those parts of the town which they already consider their own, not to mention what might become of the town’s valuables and assets. I stopped by at Barter Town to question Ladra about this, but she was rather non-committal on the subject.

“That is something that’s currently under consideration. It is of course dependent on public opinions, but I feel like a vote for me is a vote in favour of a closer relationship between the two towns. It would certainly be a lengthy process and therefore nothing that I can say will happen for sure.”

Still, there were others who were wildly enthusiastic about the bid. I was approached by one lady with rather strange hair and a stubbly face who introduced herself as Henrietta Quick, local entrepreneur.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone,” she enthused in a somewhat strained voice, “the riches will be flowing everywhere now. And nobody should worry about anything. Ladra will make it all disappear.”

She seemed equally as exuberant about the rest of the Barter Town population. “Such relaxed, honest people,” she went on. “Why, I just won nearly half a million gold coins up there playing a simple game involving three shells and a pea. You should go and try it.”

In other election news this morning, Sprago officially put himself up for re-election in Britain.

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