After the game starts, you are greated with a short message that informs you, that you have been appointed prime minister and that the next elections are in four years. There is also some general information about the state of the economy and public moods. After pressing any key, or clicking a mouse button, the main screen of the game shows up. The screen looks like the one below (click the image to enlarge).
The middle of the screen is used for displaying panels that contain various data. The round buttons on the left allow you to select which panel you want to view. There are five panels to choose from. Each contains a different set of data. They will be described in the following sections. Another round button is located in the lower right corner of the screen. This button is used for ending a turn. The calendar in the top right corner shows the current date in the game, while the number below tells you how many turns you have till elections.