Revision as of 15:14, 22 October 2006

Modern Xanthal is a flourishing democratic nation and home to a multitude of political organizations. To have a basic understanding of modern Xanthalian politics it is important to understand the main political parties operating in the country.

Domestic Defense Party

Mirfakan name: Peputąlos Bugą Bəsfrąl (PBB)

• Overview: A midsized party, the PBB enjoys huge support on Wąkemişu and, to a lesser extent, Məgukugą. It is seen as strong on economics, but has less support for its social authoritarianism. Individuals in the party seem to be prone to corruption, which has proved problematic for PBB public relations and led to several disgraced resignations and even a few impeachments. The PBB redeems itself by demonstrating collective integrity; PBB problems are frequently addressed publicly by the PBB. The PBB benefits from its image as a much more moderate and socially-acceptable alternative to the widely-reviled PPL.
• Economic views: National economic independence is a high priority of the PBB, especially reducing Xanthal’s food imports. Though there is a general trend in the PBB favoring increased spending and standards in the military and policing sectors, other budget issues are more contentious. Its members also differ on government economic controls.
• Political views: The PBB as a party strongly advocates the enhancement of national security. It supports, within reason, any action its members believe will keep the government and people safer. A majority of the PBB is authoritarian, and tends to favor the allocation of power to the national executive branch.
• Social views: PBB members are almost all civil conservatives and favor a nationalist approach to issues, promoting social homogeneity within Xanthal. The PBB opposes most privacy laws, and frequently supports regulating personal activity to prevent social problems.
• History: The Domestic Defense Party has its origins in the 170s, when the National Defense Party was organized by a breakaway faction of the Xanthalian Republican Party. After the fall of Old Xanthal, the National Defense Party became a dominant political force on Məgukugą, spreading to Wąkemişu after the royal family was abolished in 301. During the Age of Disunion, similar parties formed in Trasnia circa 208 under the name New Protection Party and in Mirfak in 295 under the name Domestic Defense Party. Shortly after the formation of New Xanthal in 315, the National Defense Party and Domestic Defense Party merged to form the modern PBB.

Party Internationale

Mirfakan name: Peputąlos Ĭntrnăşonąl (PI)

• Overview: Often thought of as a liberal alternative to the PZLY and a libertarian alternative to the PVZ, the PI enjoys a strong presence in the Council due to the combination of its libertarian bent and adherence to leftist economics and politics. Though it has moderate representation on every Xanthalian world but Wąkemişu, its support is strongest on Frelănd, where it became the dominant liberal party following Trasnia’s incorportation into Xanthal.
• Economic views: The PI supports economic internationalism, specialization, and interdependency of nations. Its members tend to be socialist, but some are communist or moderate capitalist. There is a strong emphasis on government oversight in the PI, even among members favoring a larger private sector. The PI emphasizes the importance of providing essentials of living as a public service, though there is less agreement, especially between national chapters, about what really fits into this category.
• Political views: The PI balances its efforts between national and international concerns. Nationally it generally favors extending and improving public services and protecting the integrity of the government by staving off corruption through legal action. On the international scale, facilitating dialogue and peaceful cooperation between states is a strong party focus. The PI exists to varying degrees in many nations, in political climates ranging from dictatorships and one-party systems to multi-party republics and democracies. As such, though individual members and chapters will differ, there is no party stance on preferred types of governance, though the Xanthalian PI is overwhelmingly democratic.
• Social views: The PI as a whole favors diversity over assimilation. Individual members are usually libertarian. At the same time, the PI is an adamant supporter of social equality and a sense of universal solidarity between sentient beings. This concept of equality in individuality is a hallmark of PI ideology, and is the guiding force in social policy. In Xanthal, the PI promotes national unity while preserving individual freedom.
• History: The Party Internationale was actually founded by Ezekiel Zabertini in 13, after his resignation as Dictator of Xanthal, as a response to the corruption and failure of communism on Earth in the previous planetary century. The party grew very slowly, but its unique characteristics allowed it to cross national borders with ease and it has since come to have chapters in hundreds of states across the known universe. Despite its impressive presence and creator, the Party Internationale never gained significant strength in Old Xanthal. The modern Xanthalian chapter was founded in 297 as a political party in Mirfak after that country’s democratization.

Nationalist Collectivization Party

Mirfakan name: Peputąlos Putąlos Ląnbəsfrąl (PPL)

• Overview: The smallest and most politically-isolated of Xanthal’s major parties, the staunchly authoritarian conservative PPL has a small base of passionate supporters, outside of which it has little to no support whatsoever. A love it or hate it group, the PPL is kept afloat by a relatively small, but dedicated, faction almost exclusively located on Rənku and Wąkemişu.
• Economic views: PPL members usually believe in communist or state capitalist economics, and are united by a party platform calling for national economic independence. How funds should be distributed within Xanthal is a matter open to debate between party members.
• Political views: As its name implies, the PPL is characterized more than anything by hard-line nationalism. The PPL supports a small, strong, and centralized national government. Its members frequently push to streamline the government and reduce the number of people involved in decision making. The PPL has little to no interest in the international community beyond how it can directly benefit the country, and is adamantly opposed to permanent alliances or relations of any kind outside Xanthal proper except when they are absolutely necessary for national security. The PPL is very authoritarian, arguably the most so on the Xanthalian political stage.
• Social views: The PPL stresses that individual freedom is not as important as the collective good. As such, virtually all of its members have societal beliefs that reflect varying degrees of authoritarian conservatism, support a strong national culture, and have a measure of disdain for non-conformist elements. The PPL would much rather legislate an issue than let individuals decide what action to take.
• History: The term Nationalist Collectivization originated with Mirfakan Ălfĭn Fkwĭl Ąląno, who used the phrase to describe his short-lived campaign of economic nationalization and ethnic cleansing in 291. Though Ąląno was quickly deposed by an international coalition, those supporters who survived the subsequent battles on Rənku carried on his ideology and founded the PPL in early 293, just in time to capture their first seats on the new Mirfakan legislature. The PPL and a group with similar views based on Wąkemişu, the Hegemony Separatists, were the primary opposition to the establishment of a new Xanthalian nation, but after the Treaty of Xanthal was approved the PPL quickly adopted a new stance, applying its views to Xanthal at large. This allowed the PPL to quickly outpace its Thanic counterpart and establish itself as a major party in Xanthal.

Democratic Capitalist Party

Mirfakan name: Peputąlos Varąleutkos Ląnyuerəgąl (PVL)

• Overview: A midsized party, the PVL is widely acknowledged as the major force for the advancement of capitalism in a country dominated by socialist economics. As such, it has a great deal of support from professionals frustrated with their tax burden and those skeptical about the wisdom of Xanthal’s current protectionist policies. The majority of the PVL’s support comes from Frelănd, with a few members from Rənku.
• Economic views: The PVL has the most libertarian economic standpoint of Xanthal’s major parties, promoting free market capitalism, wide-scale privatization, and elimination of trade barriers. Its members seek primarily to loosen the Xanthalian government’s crushing regulatory grip on business and allow foreign competition in Xanthal by reducing and eliminating tariffs.
• Political views: The PVL is a steadfast supporter of procedural democracy and consistently defends the people’s right to have maximum input on all levels of the government. It tends to focus on the larger scale however, and its members are often much more concerned with the representation of groups than of individuals. The PVL sees people as equal to their worth to society more than equal to one another, which makes them rather realist in the political sense, especially by Xanthalian standards.
• Social views: The PVL has no real social agenda because its members feel that it is the responsibility of individuals to make themselves as successful as they can using their own abilities and wills. Most members of the PVL agree that regulation is basically counterproductive to society and promote a laissez-faire style of meritocracy. However, they also believe that it is the people’s right to restrict themselves through the democratic process.
• History: The Democratic Capitalist Party has its origin in Trasnia, where it was the dominant party for most of the nation’s history from the time its autocratic pirate regime collapsed in 148 until its union with Mirfak and Than in 315 to form New Xanthal. A similar political group of the same name existed in Mirfak after 300, but after the union the Trasnian party quickly absorbed the much smaller Mirfakan Democratic Capitalist Party’s membership and officially became the PVL in 317.

Xanthalian Socialist Party

Mirfakan name: Peputąlos Varąputąlosąl Zănŧąląl (PVZ)

• Overview: In competition with the PZLY for the title of largest political party in Xanthal, the PVZ has supermajority support on Rənku, and a fair portion of representation nearly everywhere else. Favored for its populist economics, sterling ethics record, and moderate social policy, it is the flagship liberal party in Xanthal.
• Economic views: The PVZ’s priority is equal economic opportunity, and its members support a large public sector that provides most important goods and services to all citizens. While it does not oppose private enterprise, it follows a policy of strict oversight and regulation for all businesses both public and private. The basic idea of PVZ economics is to start everyone at a minimum standard of living with public money and allow them to purchase goods and services from the private sector as incentive to work for higher wages.
• Political views: Most PVZ members support some form of democratic republic, but the party itself does not have a specific political agenda and there are a significant number of members that tend towards more authoritarian or non-democratic systems. The PVZ can best be described as a supporter of substantive democracy. Beyond that and how its economic views tie in, PVZ members are generally divided on political matters.
• Social views: The PVZ has only a very basic social agenda, centered on the idea of social equality. The party calls for a reasonable balance of consideration for individuals and society on the social stage, but this vague philosophy is open to interpretation. PVZ members can and do have ideas ranging from authoritarian to libertarian and conservative to liberal on the matter of civil liberties. It is worth noting that, while the PVZ has no official stance on religion, only a few of its many prominent members are actively religious.
• History: The history of the Xanthalian Socialist Party goes back to Old Xanthalian dictator Carol Olen, who coined the phrase Xanthalian socialism in 44 to describe the moderate sociopolitical attitude and communist ideology of Xanthal, still operating under the original United Socialist States government at that time. The term caught on quickly and from that point onward people and groups supporting the traditional Xanthalian system have called themselves Xanthalian socialists. Xanthalian Socialist Parties have existed almost perpetually in all nations associated with Xanthal since that time, with remissions during the reign of Empress Fina 力量 in Xanthal, the Principality on Wąkemişu, and Fkwĭl Ąląno in Mirfak. The PVZ of today is a product of an agreement between the Xanthalian Socialist Parties of Mirfak and Məgukugą, as well as a comparatively tiny Trasnian party, which merged to form the PVZ in 318.

Private Interest Party

Mirfakan name: Peputąlos Zilo Ląnyu Yənəkąl (PZLY)

• Overview: In competition with the PVZ for the title of largest political party in Xanthal, the PZLY is easily the most widely-accepted party, with at least moderate support in almost every province. The PZLY is by far most popular on Şĭnrą, where it has near-universal support. Favored for its moderate conservative libertarianism, it combines democratic ideals with a widely-appreciated philosophy of keeping its eyes and hands off of the private affairs of common citizens. The PZLY is the party of choice for politically apathetic Xanthalians, and those who simply want to live their lives with just a little less governmental omnipresence.
• Economic views: The PZLY favors a moderate viewpoint of economics and its members are generally centrist, leaning overall slightly to the right.
• Political views: The PZLY as a whole supports procedural democracy, though more liberal members will sometimes prioritize substantive democracy. Specific political issues are left up to individual representatives to decide.
• Social views: The PZLY believes that individuals are more important than the society they live in, and this is reflected in party policies. The PZLY’s unifying purpose is to guard against government intrusion into people’s personal affairs. It supports privacy laws and generally takes a moderate libertarian view on most civil issues.
• History: Since it is so moderate, it is difficult to define the extended history of the Private Interest Party. Certainly there have been many large political groups with moderate views centered on social libertarianism throughout Xanthalian history, especially during the Old Xanthalian Commonwealth, Republic, Socialist State and Socialist Republic ages and during the Age of Disunion in Trasnia; however, none of these groups can be traced directly to the PZLY. The modern Private Interest Party was founded by middle-class Mirfakan citizens in 292 to oppose the Xanthalian Socialist Party, which was the only organized political party in Mirfak at the time. Initially weak, it quickly grew as a political force, and though its influence decreased marginally when Mirfak entered into the new Xanthalian union it remains one of the largest parties in the country.