"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis," said Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet of the Late Middle Ages.

And between his Divine Comedy and 21st-century American politics, there doesn’t seem to much of a difference.

Since the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, the decisive factor of the national reality has been the moral compass of the politicians elected by the people to represent them and realize the needed transformations, from the suburbs to the great metropolises.

Nothing more complicated than that.

Whatever the view may be, this is the most convoluted and turbulent political period in the history of the country, where a president is being investigated for opening the iron doors and letting the enemy sleep at home, while Congress hopelessly breaks down.

We not only talk about foreign agents and interests of an international network of billionaires but about the worst antagonist of a nation: hate.

Hatred between nationalities; between ideals; between political parties.

That is why choosing the most influential politicians this year was particularly complicated. The full-fledged anger and widespread fear have destabilized much more than Capitol Hill, and keeping track of what our representatives in Congress really do is increasingly difficult.

Our edition of Politicians of the Year has five personalities that swept the headlines nationwide and set the tone in the way of doing politics, and who have, in one way or another, kept the compass facing north.

We have also put the magnifying glass on politicians here at home: those people who work every day to the rhythm of the needs of their constituents, no matter what the headlines say, and whose victories serve as a signpost for the direction of the nation as a whole. 

We hope to shed some light and perspective in this dark moment, and let our readers know that although the tide threatens to break the sails, there are still people with their hands fixed on the oars, steering the helm forward in the right direction.