Presidency of John Ling

The presidency of John Ling, the 64th and 66th President of the Unitary Republic of Roblox, began at noon 17 December 2015 until 14 May 2020, and continued his presidency in his second term from 24 December 2020. He defeated Hank Green and Andrea Stephanopoulos in his 2015 and 2020 snap presidential bid, respectively. John Ling is the son of Dave Ling, who also served 2 terms as President. Aged 38 during his first inauguration, he is one of youngest presidents and the youngest heads of state serving at the time.

His first tenure began with the Law on Further Protection of the Child, 2016, which was proposed by Katerina Ganer, the prime minister and passed by the Parliament, and inaugurated several infrastructures left from the New Sun regime, and removed paintings, road names, and busts of the United Roblox party members, David Heller, senior members, and military parades. Ling held consistently high approval ratings until the removal of Tix, in which people were divided. The death of Katerina Ganer led a series of political instability in the newly re-democratized republic - 4 people served as prime minister between Ganer's death and the 2019 Robloxian legislative election.

His presidency was known as the "Revolution to Freedom" - he further liberalized the media, enacting the Law Regarding Human Rights and Environmental Protection (2017), repealed several laws that curtailed freedoms, and mediating several conflicts. March 2018 saw the controversies of a game named Meep City came to light in the Parliament, which culminated on the resignation of Gerard Kasim, and later on, Fredrique Cartes and Frank Roberts from their premiership in the same year. This conflict continued well until 2021, when they negotiated an important treaty.

In foreign affairs, he sought to integrate the Union of Virtual Countries with their country, and sought more relationships with The Unitary Game Organization, in which he gave development packages throughout its term. He condemned the human rights abuses in several countries, and even broke some ties, however still recorded higher economic growth. Ling has said that economic affairs remains one of the most important agenda, with exports above imports for the first time in 2018.

Reforms of the game were put rigorously, including the change of Builders' Club to Roblox Premium, redesigning Roblox's UI across the devices, removal of Google ads, and currency devaluations. Roblox came under scrutiny for several child exploitation cases, and Ling has regarded that he "failed" to do so, citing the ineffectiveness of the human rights commission and its propaganda. Ling, overall, has been regarded as above-average, leaving his first term with 56% approval, citing "so-so in domestic affairs, but one of the best in foreign affairs." However, during his second term, Ling found himself in a reappraisal, with one of his critics saying that "his promises in the campaign were mostly fulfilled."

2015 Robloxian presidential election
Ling found a ticket for the National Party, and campaigned to "Pick Ling." During his campaign, he promised to continue the policies of his predecessor, like liberalization, economic freedom, and human rights improvements. Green, however, from the Conservative Party, fared better in his campaign, with opinion polls showing that Green is likely to win the presidential election.

Ling campaigned by visiting some popular Roblox games, and proposed a bill on the Game Development and Flourishment Law, in which all of his supporters praise. Seeing the economy, Ling put economy as the priority of his agenda. In foreign affairs, he promised to continue further integration to the Union of Virtual Countries and become the organization's great power, while pushing further relationships with the international community.

Thus, as a result, Hank Green was victorious in the first round, getting 24.3% of the votes and carrying 33 states with the capitals of Roblox, with John Ling placing 2nd. As no candidate reached 50% of the votes, the second round was held. John Ling won the elections, getting 50.6% of the votes and 70 states. People has commonly stated that this election was an upset victory. After his victory, he was sworn in

Administration
Since the 1960s, the republic has retained its parliamentary system, which means that the President only has ceremonial powers. The victory of the National-Conservatives-Green-Democrats coalition in the 2014 legislative elections made cohabitation easier. Ling has commonly supported Ganer's policies, and sometimes helped with the cabinet formation.

United States of Antarctica
On several occassions, he stated that the United States of Antarctica "remains a true friendship between the virtual community." The United States of Antarctica reopened its relationship months before his inauguration due to successful democratic reforms, and that they had brought the unitary republic back on track. John Ling resumed talks with the United States of Antarctica, the last being in 1994, being the first head of state to do so. With President Chris Johnson, both of them talked about the future of their bilateral relations. In the end of the meeting, Johnson said:"Thanks to the democratic reforms, the republic is back on track. Like in the 1980s, we need a strategic partnership, and here I am with Mr. President. We will strive to strengthen our partnership, and make our relationship even better."In early 2016, Ling, along with his behalf, Prime Minister Ganer, signed the Free Trade Agreement with their counterparts.