Pantocratorian National Democratic Party

Pantocratorian National Democratic Party

Parti Démocratique National Pantocratorien
Established	1858
Defunct	1992
Economic ideology	Classical Liberalism
Social ideology	Classical Liberalism, Conservatism

The Pantocratorian National Democratic Party (Parti Démocratique National Pantocratorien) was the most electorally successful Pantocratorian political party in the mid-20th Century, occupying the government benches in the Pantocratorian Imperial Parliament for forty five years of the last century. It became defunct when the United Christian Front won all five hundred and forty seats in the 1992 election, and was officially deregistered as a political party in 1995. Its principal objective, the creation of a written Pantocratorian constitution, was never accomplished.

Founding

The National Democratic Party was founded in 1858 by a distinguished judge, Monseigneur de la Justice Sir Manuel Demetriou, a Knight Master of the Order of the Pantocrator. Its only initial policy objective was the creation of a written constitution which would clearly define and delimit the power of the Emperor and the Parliament. Specifically, Sir Manuel and his supporters wanted a constitution which would limit the power of both the Crown and the Parliament as much as was possible.

The Pantocratorian National Democratic Party was not immediately successful or popular, winning just three seats in the 1860 election, all of them in New Rome. The party failed to capture the public imagination until after the uncharismatic Sir Manuel's death in 1871. When a sitting member of the Imperial Parliament dies, his or her legal heir takes the member's seat. Controversially, Sir Manuel's legal heir was his only child, his daughter Theodora Soissons. In the decree dissolving the previous parliament in 1860, Emperor Manuel IX had allowed women to vote for the first time. There had been no new elections since 1860, and until Theodora Soissons assumed her father's seat, there had been no female MPs. The novelty of a woman in the Imperial Parliament attracted much more interest in the National Democratic Party from the electorate than did its new parliamentary leader, especially from the newly enfranchised women voters.

Cross Benches (1872 to 1889)

In 1872 with the death of Empress Theodora II, the governing Frank Party began to fragment dramatically as Emperor Manuel IX became increasingly irrelevant to the political process. Seeing the opportunity to be instrumental in the demise of the long-incumbet Frank Party, the primary opposition party, the Peacock Faction, gathered up support from the minor parties, including the National Democratic Party, to try force fresh elections. When the Government finally lost enough MPs through defection away from the Frank Party, the National Democratic Party voted with the Peacock Faction in a motion of no confidence in the Government. The Emperor was forced to dissolve the Parliament and call fresh elections in 1873.

In order to capitalise on the electoral appeal of a woman in parliament, the National Democratic MPs made Theodora Soissons their leader in 1872, and were rewarded in the 1873 elections with capturing a large proportion of the female vote, winning an additional twenty four seats, all in Pantocratoria's cities. No party emerged from the 1873 elections with a clear majority, and so the newly enlargened National Democratic Party sat itself on the cross benches, able to lend support to either side on motions of confidence and supply, becoming the proverbial king-makers of the new parliament. Their support of the Peacock Faction didn't last very long - the disintegrating Frank Party was much closer ideologically to the National Democratic Party. In 1875, when it became clear that despite the instability of the new parliament, the Emperor had no intentions of dissolving it and calling fresh elections for some time, the party removed Theodora Soissons as its leader - Soissons had shown no real political aptitude, and thus Louis Pelopenies was re-elected leader by the National Democratic party room by a comfortable majority.

It became utterly impossible to support the Frank Party ministry in 1882 when the Frank Party finally collapsed altogether. Many former Frank Party MPs joined the National Democratic Party, bringing its parliamentary presence up to forty nine seats, making it the largest grouping after the Peacock Faction. Through supporting the Peacock Faction's efforts to form government, the National Democratic Party in fact hindered Peacock recruiting efforts - not needing to pick up any of the ex-Frank Party members meant that Peacock recruiting of the new independents was lack lustre in the extreme. In the short term they were able to form a minority government with the National Democratic Party's support, but in the long term they were ensuring they they would one day follow the Frank Party into oblivion.

In 1889, the National Democratic party room was convinced that a fresh election would see them equal the Peacock Faction in the parliament. Against his better judgement, Louis Pelopenies gave in to the will of the majority of his parliamentary colleagues and withdraw support in the Peacock Government, ensuring its collapse and forcing the Emperor to dissolve the parliament and call fresh elections. As he had feared, Pelopenies narrowly lost his seat to a Peacock candidate, but as the rest of the party had hoped, the Pantocratorian National Democratic Party's representation increased dramatically, reaching one hundred and ninety seats. The Peacock Faction maintained its two hundred and two seat plurality, with the new Free Trade Party achieving an all-time high on its electoral debut with sixty seats. The remaining eighty eight seats were fragmented between tiny parties and independents. Unable to form a stable government with an alliance with the Free Traders, the Peacock Faction proposed a formal coalition agreement to the National Democratic Party, and the two formed a coalition (Peacock-led) government. In the same party room meeting as that in which the coalition agreement was signed, the National Democratic Party elected a new leader - Louis Achides.

Coalition Government (1889 to 1892)

The Peacock-PNDP ministry consisted of six Peacock Faction ministers and four National Democratic ministers. The Imperial Chancellor, Sir Philippe Megapoulos, was the Peacock Faction leader. The Deputy Chancellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs was Louis Achides, PNDP leader. The Megapoulos Government was the first formal coalition government in Pantocratorian history, and between the two parties, had a clear parliamentary majority. This parliamentary security didn't translate into a harmonious government, however, as the Peacock Faction had no intention of supporting the PNDP primary objective of creating a written constitution. Sir Philippe had pushed for joint party room meetings for both government parties, and Achides had agreed, but this only had the result of ensuring that when the two parties differed on a matter of government policy, the Peacock Faction's will prevailed, since in a joint party room vote, it had more members of parliament. By 1892, Sir Philippe had had enough of his troublesome PNDP colleagues, and secretly negotiated to form a new coalition with the Free Traders and two minor parties. Achides and the PNDP were completely unaware of any such negotiation until the four National Democratic ministers were summoned to the Imperial Court of Christ Pantocrator, where Emperor Manuel IX withdrew their commissions on the advice of the Imperial Chancellor. Unusually for such an event, the Chancellor was not present - instead he sent his deputy leader, Treasurer Georgios Kostapoula, as a proxy representative. The PNDP went into opposition, and Achides became Leader of the Opposition.

Opposition (1892 to 1904)

The PNDP was an effective opposition party under the capable leadership of Louis Achides. When Emperor Constantine XXII ascended the throne in 1898, he dissolved the parliament and called fresh elections, as has become a tradition of sorts. The PNDP did very well in the elections, although not well enough to form government - it captured most of the independent and minor parties seats, and several Free Trader seats. The Megapoulos Government continued, however, and in 1900 Louis Achides retired from the leadership and made known his intent to step down at the next election. In 1901, Sir Philippe Megapoulos did likewise, leaving a new generation of political leaders to continue the struggle for office between the PNDP and Peacock Faction in the election he advised in the same meeting with the Emperor as that in which he resigned his commission.

Under the leadership of Charles Bordeaux, the PNDP's representation increased to two hundred and forty six seats in the 1901 elections. Between them, the Peacock Faction and the already collapsing Free Trade Party had just two hundred and fifty two seats. The rest of the house was occupied by independents, and Peacock leader Constantine Riviere formed a minority government. The Free Trade Party disintegrated entirely in 1904 and the Peacock Faction proved unable to pass a budget through the Parliament. Charles Riviere resigned his commission, and Charles Bordeaux formed the first PNDP government.

Government (1904)

The 1904 Bordeaux Government lasted eight months. It began by passing the same budget the Riviere Government had been unable to pass without the PNDP's support - despite the Peacock Faction labelling this as underhanded behaviour from an unprincipled party which only refused to pass the previous government's budget for its own political advantage rather than any objection to the budget itself (the Peacock Faction voted in favour of the budget in order to avoid painting itself with the same brush). The entire term of the first Bordeaux Government was consumed with the task of drafting a Pantocratorian constitution. The PNDP tore itself apart with internal debate over the constitution itself, and the Government's administration was amateurish when considered against the recent memory of Sir Philippe Megapoulos. At the end of the year, the Peacock Faction moved a motion of no confidence in the Government which passed, with even some PNDP members voting in favour, arguing that the Bordeaux Government had done nothing to demonstrate that it was worthy of office, having failed to introduce a single piece of significant legislation in its eight months of office.

Opposition (1904 to 1913)

The new, charismatic leader of the Peacock Faction, Sir Constantine Valdepeur, became Imperial Chancellor and immediately advised an early 1905 election, in which the PNDP lost over fifty seats. The PNDP continued its internal debate over the form of the constitution, losing a major opportunity in the 1905 - 1907 parliament, over which time Valdepeur gradually built the myriad of minor parties and the Peacock Faction into a new conservative party which held a majority in its own right - the Imperial Patriotic Party. It was only through the leadership of Charles Bordeaux, who finally convinced the PNDP to set its internal debate over the form of the proposed constitution for the time being, that the PNDP was able to maintain its position in the 1907 election.

Political opportunity next presented itself in 1910, when internal tensions within the Imperial Patriotic Party began to see its parliamentary numbers fragment. Valdepeur managed to put the rumblings of discontent behind the party briefly by calling a fresh election, in which many of the malcontents lost their seats, and others were silenced by another electoral victory. The PNDP began to rebuild, however, winning thirty two seats. In 1911, on the thirtieth anniversay of his election into parliament, Charles Bordeaux was knighted by Emperor Constantine XXII. The tensions in the IPP resurfaced in 1912 however, culminating in 1913 with a faction of sixty IPP MPs breaking away and moving a no confidence motion in Sir Constantine Valdepeur. The PNDP voted with the malcontents, and then secured their confidence to form a second Bordeaux minority government.

Government (1913 to 1914)

The second Bordeaux Government was sworn into office in late November, 1913. Acutely aware of his party's precarious situation in the parliament, Sir Charles arranged with the Emperor to cut the parliamentary calendar to the minimum number of sitting days so as to minimise the Imperial Patriotic Party's opportunity to dispose of the PNDP through a motion of no confidence. Sir Charles then began an undeclared election campaign, promising a wide range of brave new policies (and notably, putting aside the divisive issue of the constitution), including the dismantlement of the Imperial Navy, which had been continually expanded by successive governments over the past sixty years, and now accounted for a vast proportion of the budget. Touring the country, he spoke in town halls and churches and in every public meeting place he could find. Confident of electoral success, he advised the Emperor to dissolve parliament in March 1914. The Imperial Patriotic Party had its temporary minority reversed by the Pantocratorian people, and Sir Constantine Valdepeur was swept back into office.

Opposition (1914 to 1936)

Sir Charles Bordeaux was finally convinced to stand down as parliamentary leader of the PNDP in 1915. The party room elected Louis Meldre as the Leader of the Opposition. Sir Constantine Valdepeur demolished Meldre in the parliament, but a derth of talent in the PNDP party room meant that the unpopular Opposition Leader retained his party's leadership despite his lacklustre parliamentary performance and the party's poor performance in the 1919 election. In the end, it was a revolt in the Imperial Patriotic Party which undid the Valdepeur chancellorship - in 1920 Sir Constantine and his front bench were expelled by the Imperial Patriotic Party. Philippe Mercer became the new IPP chancellor with the support of some independents. Meldre's performance was similarly lacklustre against Mercer, and he was finally replaced as Opposition Leader in 1921.

Jacques Helios, a junior minister in the Bordeaux Government, was elected as Opposition Leader in 1921, and performed considerably better against Mercer. In the 1924 elections, Mercer's Imperial Patriotic Party lost several seats, although it maintained a minority government. Helios stepped up the pressure, severely damaging Mercer's credibility with his ferocious parliamentary debating style. Unfortunately for the PNDP, Helios' combative style alienated him from the voters, and much of the damage he inflicted on the IPP resulted in its voters shifting their support to the Pantocratorian Conservative Party in the 1927 election, when the IPP lost dozens of seats. Helios resigned as leader in 1929 after a heart attack, and his deputy, Pierre Conomos, was elected as PNDP leader unopposed. Conomos would go on to be the National Democratic Party's greatest ever leader.

Government (1936)

Opposition (1936 to 1945)

Government (1945 to 1970)

The Second Conomos Government

The Pantocratorian National Democratic Party won the 1945 election in a landslide with its promise of an end to futile wars and massive tax breaks made possible by military disarmament under the leadership of Pierre Conomos. Emperor Constantine XXIII allowed the parliamentary session to continue for six years before calling a fresh election, in which time most of the PNDP post-war reform agenda was enacted successfully. The National Democratic Party retained government in the 1951 elections, with the major shift occuring on opposition benches, seeing the emergence of the United Christian Front.

The second term of the second Conomos Government proved to be a tumultuous one for the PNDP, as leadership tensions between the elderly Conomos and his ambitious younger deputy, Louis Maîtres, reached a fever pitch. The death of Emperor Constantine XXIII combined with these continued leadership struggles saw the United Christian Front's polling figures increase dramatically, and many PNDP parliamentarians took the view that Conomos, as Chancellor, bore the brunt of the responsibility for the Government's declining popularity. After a fumbled attempt to separate the free trader faction from Louis Maîtres over Pantocratoria's response to the execution of King James I of Iansisle which backfired badly, Pierre Conomos lost a leadership ballot in the PNDP party room and Louis Maîtres became the party's leader and the twenty-seventh Imperial Chancellor of Pantocratoria.

The Maîtres Government

The Valparis Government

Opposition (1970 to 1975)

A Kind of Government (1975 to 1992)

Parliamentary Leaders

• Monseigneur de la Justice the Honourable Manuel Demetriou, KMOP (1860 to 1871)
• Louis Pelopenies (1871 to 1872)
• Theodora Soissons, MOP (1872 to 1875)
• The Honourable Louis Pelopenies, MOP (1875 to 1889)
• The Honourable Louis Achides, COP (1889 to 1900)
• The Right Honourable Charles Bordeaux, KMOP (1900 to 1915)
• The Honourable Louis Meldre (1915 to 1921)
• The Honourable Jacques Helios (1921 to 1929)
• The Right Honourable Pierre Conomos (1929 to 1957)
• The Right Honourable Louis Maîtres (1957 to 1962)
• The Right Honourable Jean Valparis (1962 to 1970)
• The Right Honourable Thierry Romain, KOP (1970 to 1992)