Constantinople Party

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Constantinople Party
ΚΚ
Established 2004 (Constantinople League - 1902)
Economic ideology Populism
Social ideology Nationalism
Parliamentary Leader Spiro Bolkus
President Spiro Bolkus

The Constantinople Party is the smaller of Pantocratoria's two governing parties, occupying 94 seats in the Imperial Parliament. It is essentially a farmer's party, with its core support base being Greek-speaking Pantocratorians living in the countryside.

The Founding of the Constantinople Party

The Constantinople Party was formally registered as a political party in 2004. Prior to that, it had been known as the Constantinople League, and had been working since the 1900s on grassroots campaigns for the reintroduction of the Greek language and the Greek rite. By the time of the 1940s, it had become preoccupied with other issues which concerned rural Pantocratorians - agricultural protectionism, subsidies for farmers, and so on, and had therefore morphed into an advocate for rural, Greek-speaking Pantocratorians, as opposed to simply a Greek-language lobby group. It organised along the lines of a political party, but was barred from formally registering as a political party or endorsing political candidates by imperial decree. This decree was rescinded in 2004, and the Constantinople League became the Constantinople Party.

Election of the 107th Imperial Parliament

The Pantocratorian Socialist Alliance dominated the second election campaign of 2004, making the Loyal Christian Front and Pantocratoria First Party look so similar to each other by contrast with their own agenda that voters who had been dissatisfied with some element of either party, or with the United Christian Front before them, naturally turned to the Pantocratorian Socialist Alliance as the first breath of fresh air in Pantocratorian politics in decades. In Greek-speaking rural communities (representing approximately 120 seats), the Constantinople Party appealed to those dissatisfied with the French-speaking establishment, and although the party was ideologically closer to the Loyal Christian Front and Pantocratoria First Party than the socialists, the decision was eventually made that it would appear disloyal for the Constantinople Party to endorse another government by the French-speaking conservative establishment which had oppressed its constituents for so long. The Constantinople Party therefore formed a coalition with the Pantocratorian Socialist Alliance after the election. It is interesting to note that while the Constantinople Party won 94 of the 120 predominantly Greek-speaking rural seats in the Pantocratorian Imperial Parliament, it failed to win a single seat outside of these areas.

The Drapeur Government

The leader of the PSA, Dr Thibault Drapeur became Imperial Chancellor in the first session of the 107th Imperial Parliament. The Constantinople Party leader Spiro Bolkus became Deputy Chancellor, and his deputy leader Manuel Sebasto became Minister for Public Safety.

List of Ministers

Repeal and Reform

The first two sessions of the 107th Imperial Parliament were excited explosions of legislative energy, in which many of the most oppressive of the policies of the United Christian Front and previous governments were overthrown. Greek became an official language of the Empire once again, alongside French. The Ministry of Cultural Development was essentially abolished in the sense in which it used to exist - instead the ministry took over responsibility for ensuring a transition to bilingualism. A secular public education system was established. Profound changes occured in Pantocratoria on a greater scale and more quickly than had been seen since the reign of Manuel le Franc.

Coalition Tensions and Contentious Reform

The Drapeur Government's early reforms had near consensus support, but in mid-2005 the Socialists began to push for more contentious reforms which bitterly divided public opinion in Pantocratoria. Roman Catholicism lost its favoured position as the established religion of the Empire. The Greek rite was imposed on dioceses with a majority Greek speaking population at the request of the Constantinople Party, which demanded Socialist support for the Greek Rite Act in exchange for support on other key reforms. The Socialist backbench almost revolted when despite their support of the Greek Rite Act, the Constantinople Party refused to support several bills, most notably the Marriage Act, which would've established secular, state marriages in Pantocratoria (and consequently, allowed gay marriage under the terms of various United Nations resolutions). The majority of the reform act was passed, although the Government had to use a parliamentary committee of inquiry (headed up by Constantinople Party Deputy Leader, Manuel Sebasto) into the Emperor's spending to force Emperor Andreus I to grant his assent (necessary for an act of parliament to become law) (see What lies beneath the surface).

Leaders of the Constantinople League/Party

  • Constantinos Adrianos (1944 to 1952)
  • Constantinos Nicephorus (1952 to 1968)
  • Mathias Basilea (1968 to 1971)
  • Andronicus Suvlako (1971 to 1989)
  • Spiro Bolkus (1989 to Present)
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