The Democratic Coalition ([[Hellenic language|Hellenic]]: Δημοκρατικός Συνασπισμός), also known as the DC or the Coalition, is a {{wpl|Centre-left politics|center-left}} [[List of political parties in Lihnidos|political party in Lihnidos]]. The DC is one of the two major political parties in [[Lihnidos]]. The party was formed in 1900 as a successor to the Labor Union Party. The Labor Union Party was reformed following the death of Amycus Petrides in 1881 who had been elected as leader of the party in 1874. Elected to succeed him, Karolos Mires was a known moderate who had campaigned since his election to the National Assembly for the reformation of the party in order to appeal to a broader base. After years of internal party disputes and debate, the Labor Union Party was officially reorganized into the Democratic Coalition in 1900. Karolo Mires campaigned extensively for the party in the lead up to the 1902 general election. Health complications resulted in Mires's death in 1901 prior to the next years general election, damaging the party leadership's enthusiasm and morale. In the first election since its formation, the party gained twenty-four seats, proving the effectiveness of its rebranding. The Democratic Coalition dominated Lihnidosi politics until the merging of the Conservative Party and National Party into the Conservative-National Alliance in 1947. The party has won fifteen of thirty [[List of Lihnidosi general elections|general elections]] since its creation. Eight DC [[Prime Minister of Lihnidos|prime ministers]] have led the party in government for sixty years since 1900. The longest serving leader of the party was Sinon Savas who served as party leader for twenty-four years and as prime minister half of that time.
The Spatharioi (singular: [[Hellenic language|Hellenic]]: Spatharios, σπαθάριος, literally "{{wpl|spatha}}-bearer"), also occasionally known as the Guard, are an independent branch of the [[Lihnidosi Armed Forces]]. The Spatharioi are dedicated to the protection of the [[Monarchy of Lihnidos|Empress of Lihnidos]], the [[House of Vasiliou|Lihnidosi Imperial Family]], and the rest of the Lihnidosi nobility. At times, the Spatharioi can perform additional law enforcement and counter-insurgency duties. While a trained combat unit, the guard also participate in parades and ceremonial events. The Spatharioi have existed in some form since the seventh century when created as a group of palace guards. The Spatharioi, while officially a part of the Lihnidosi Armed Forces, differ from the other branches. The Spatharioi are given limited oversight by the National Assembly and elected government and the monarch has full authority over all Spatharioi functions.
The Democratic Coalition has been the second largest party and the main opposition party in the [[National Assembly of Lihnidos|National Assembly]] since 2006. The party gained two seats in 2010 and lost seats again in the [[Lihnidosi general election, 2014|2014 general election]] under [[Fania Zarou]]. The [[Lihnidosi general election, 2018|2018 general election]] resulted in a {{wpl|hung parliament}} when the [[Conservative-National Alliance (Lihnidos)|Conservative-National Alliance]] lost its majority by six seats. The Democratic Coalition gained eight seats in the 2018 general election, however it did not have enough seats to form a government following the [[Populist People's Party (Lihnidos)|Populist People's Party]] signing a {{wpl|confidence and supply}} agreement with the Conservative-National Alliance. [[Fania Zarou]] has served as the leader of the party since 2002 and served as prime minister from 2002 to 2006.
==History==
==History==
===Founding===
===Formation===
The Democratic Coalition was founded on 21 September 1900 as a successor to the Labor Union Party. Prior to the founding of the Democratic Coalition, the Labor Union Party was one of three parties represented in the National Assembly and had spent a combined forty years in government since its creation in 1818. The creation of the Democratic Coalition was a result of a reformation in the Labor Union Party in an effort to shift party policy towards the center.
[[File:Spadalongobarda.jpg|80px|right|thumb|Replica of a Thasan spatha]]
The Spatharioi were formed in the seventh century by Baste I of Thasos as a group of palace guards. The Spatharioi took over the duties from a disorganized collection of Thasan military members who had previously been tasked with the protection of the Royal Palace and the monarch. Individual members of the group of guards were referred to as Spatharios, which translates to "spatha-bearer" in regards to the {{wpl|spatha}}, the type of sword that the guards carried. Initially only tasked with the protection of the monarch and Royal Palace in Xanthi, the duties of the Spatharioi later expanded to include the protection of the rest of the Royal family in Thasos, other nobility, and military generals. The Spatharioi quickly became the most influential part of the Thasan military due to its access to the monarch. The leadership of the Spatharioi would regularly lobby the monarch for increased funds and authority and over a period of several decades became the best equipped and trained collection of soldiers in the kingdom. The influence of the Spatharioi continued to spread as their role expanded to include being an elite fighting force for the kingdom in battle.
The rebranding of the Labor Union Party into the Democratic Coalition was a result of five years of internal party disputes and debate. Following the death of LUP Leader Amycus Petrides in 1881, Karolos Mires was elected to the position of party leader. Mires was a known moderate in the party, and his election as leader was a major blow to the radical wing of the party. Discussion on rebranding the LUP began in 1895 following poor results for the party in the 1894 general election. Mires blamed the poor electoral results on party members' continued support for radical policies despite the party platform having made a shift to the center since Mires's election as leader. The renewed push by Mires and other moderate members of the party for a rebranding of the party was opposed by several members. There were two unsuccessful attempts in 1896 to oust Mires as the leader of the party, and one unsuccessful attempt in 1897. On 19 November 1897, the party, at the behest of Mires and other party leadership, expelled four members of the who had been found attempting to undermine Mires and his allies by spreading false information to the news media.
===Diminishing influence===
The influence of the Spatharioi continued to go unchecked through the reign of Konstantine I and Eustis II of Thasos only to reach the tipping point under the reign of Anastasius VI in 709. The ailing king had stopped public appearances in late 708 and by 709 was believed to be bedridden. The Spatharioi began to restrict nobles and advisors from seeing the king, even going so far as to ban the Kouropalatēs, who was in charge of the running of the Royal Palace, from the palace. Believing that the Spatharioi were usurping the authority and power of the king, the Kouropalatēs, known as Panayiotis, called on the assistance of Thasan General Vissarion to help him reenter the palace. Vissarion and Panayiotis, along with what was estimated to be two hundred soldiers, entered the city unmolested and approached the Royal Palace. The contingent of soldiers were stopped at the palace gates, where Panayiotis and Vissarion were confronted by the Prōtospatharios Paraskevas. Paraskevas insisted that only Panayiotis and Vissarion would be permitted to see the king, and that each would have to be disarmed, as only Spatharioi were permitted to be armed in the palace. Both men refused to hand over their weapons, and in response Paraskevas barred them from entering. Vissarion, refusing to accept Paraskevas's authority, ordered his men to force open the gates and occupy the palace. The fighting that followed saw the death of many from both the Spatharioi and Vissarion's men. Due to Vissarion having a larger force he was victorious in seizing control of the palace. Upon entering the king's bedchamber it was found to be empty. Paraskevas, who had been injured and captured during the fighting, later admitted to the king's death one month earlier, although maintained that it was due to natural causes. Believing that Paraskevas and other Spatharioi leadership had killed the king, Panayiotis ordered Paraskevas's execution, which was carried out by Vissarion. The execution was held the same day in a plaza outside the palace.
In 1899, after several years of negotiations within the party, Mires announced the party's intention to be renamed to the Democratic Coalition to the National Board of Elections. The board was quick to review and approve the party's request, which was spurred by the upcoming general election in 1900. The party officially changed names to the Democratic Coalition on 21 September 1900, only weeks before the October general election. The party went on to win an additional twenty-four seats in the election, securing a majority and entering government.
[[File:Signet Ring of John, Imperial Spatharios MET LC 1992 239 s8.jpg|220px|right|thumb|A gold signet ring of the Prōtospatharios, Vissarion]]
Anastasius VI's heir, Alexandra, had been absent from the capital for several months prior to the revelations made by Panayiotis and Vissarion. Suspected to be the work of Paraskevas, she had been sent to the city of Semeum about one day's journey east. Panayiotis, having retaken his place as Kouropalatēs, sent soldiers loyal to Vissarion to Semeum to retrieve her, as she was now known the be the current monarch. Following Alexandra's return, Vissarion was appointed as the leader of the Spatharioi, replacing Paraskevas. Further investigation into Paraskevas's plot found numerous members of the Spatharioi who had known of Anatasius's death. All were ordered to be executed. With several leadership positions open in the Spatharioi, Alexandra and Vissarion moved to fill the positions with crown loyalists. Vissarion, who remained the Prōtospatharios for several years, worked to reduce the influence of the Spatharioi. They were largely removed from active service on the battlefield, relegated back to the Royal Palace in Xanthi, and had their numbers significantly reduced.
==Policies==
===War of succession===
===Economic policy===
==Role==
===Social policy===
===Health and drug policy===
The Democratic Coalition supports universal healthcare in Lihnidos and has implemented universal healthcare policies in the past. Universal healthcare was implemented in 2003 under a Democratic Coalition government, but was later partially undone by Conservative-National governments. The party seeks to reimplement policies and laws that have been reversed and repealed by the Conservative-National Alliance, including increased funding for government services and regulation of private healthcare providers and insurance companies.
Several members of the party support the deregulation and decriminalization of several drugs. During the 2018 general election campaign Fania Zarou supported the legalization of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational uses. There are factions of the party that do not support the decriminalization of certain drugs and wish to keep the current laws in place, resulting in a difficult time for the party changing drug laws.
===Education policy===
The party has supported increased funding for public universities and a cap on university tuition fees. While there is some support in the party for a free university education, this has not become a party of the party's platform. During the 2018 general election campaign, there was a clear split among candidates on the issue, with some calling for a free university education for everyone, some for free university education for low income families, and some who rejected the idea of free university education. During Democratic Coalition governments there has been an increase in grants given to students in order to help pay for university. The party supports increased standards for students and expanded access to nursery school and preschool for children.
===Energy and environmental policy===
Party members believe that renewable and green energy should be expanded and encouraged through subsidies and public campaigns to educate voters on the importance of renewable energy. The party seeks to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to cut the amount of fracking operations that are present in the western part of Lihnidos. Cuts to regulations on the fracking industry have been criticized by the party, which has promised to increase regulations on fracking and other environmental areas that have been neglected by the Conservative-National government.
===Justice and crime policy===
The Democratic Coalition believes that there should be a reduction in mandatory minimum sentences for first-time offenders of non-violent and drug offenses. Increased sentencing and stronger enforcement of laws has resulted in more crowded prisons. Government reports in 2009 have shown that abuse and malpractice among prison administrators and guards was a result of lessened oversight on privatized prisons, which resulted in the closure of several of the offending facilities. The party, which had previously been against further use of privatized prisons, promised the closure of all private prisons. Other policies supported by the party is the end of the death penalty and reduced surveillance on the population in order to protect the privacy rights of citizens.
===Defense policy===
Democratic Coalition Deputies in the National Assembly have been against raising defense spending since 2010. The party has fought increasingly with the Conservative-National government over its near yearly increase in defense spending in budgets. Lihnidosi involvement in the Belisarian Community mutual defense agreement is supported by the party and sighted by some as a reason that defense spending does not need to be as high as it currently is. Several Democratic Deputies have accused the Belisarian Community's military policies as interventionist and a danger to the security of the continent, however the claims have been rejected by other members of the Democratic Coalition and other parties.
===Foreign policy===
==Organization==
==Organization==
===Structure===
===Leadership===
The Democratic Coalition is comprised of the national-level party and provincial-level party organizations. While there are constituency-level party associations, these typically have little power in decision making and candidate selection. Most decisions regarding the party's direction, funding, and campaigning are made on the national level by the Democratic Coalition General Headquarters, which is comprised of several committees and boards that report to the party leader and chairman. The Coalition Policy Committee is the most senior committee that directs most party activity. Members of the policy committee are selected by provincial party organizations, who in turn elect the party chairman. The party chairman works in conjunction with the party leader, who is elected from among Deputies in the [[National Assembly of Lihnidos|National Assembly]].
===Composition===
===Ranks===
Provincial party organizations are responsible for the selection of candidates on the local, constituency, and provincial level. The provincial organizations are often delegated authority over campaigning during elections as well as some monetary responsibilities. The administrative body of the provincial organizations are appointed by the Coalition Policy Committee after receiving input from Deputies and other party representatives from the province. Constituency associations are primarily collections of party supporters who drive "get out the vote" and campaign efforts. These associations have littler say in candidate selection and have no control over party funding.
==Equipment==
===Membership===
As of December 2018 the Democratic Coalition had 381,528 members, making it the second largest political party in Lihnidos following the Conservative-National Alliance. All individuals who had been members of the Labor Union Party had their membership transferred to membership for the Democratic Coalition. There was an increase in members allowing their party membership to expire following the party's rebranding, however the decrease was offset by an increase in new members joining the party. Party membership peaked in the late 1910s, but decreased under Daemon Rosi. Membership levels had recovered by the 1960s and reached its highest point in the 1993. Under Fania Zarou's leadership the party has once again shifted policy to the left, and membership has fluctuated.
The party maintains a membership fee of {{strikethrough|X}}25 annually. The membership fee is lowered to {{strikethrough|X}}18 if a member is under the age of 25, retired, or is not employed full-time.
===Candidates===
The Democratic Coalition was the only party to hold party primaries to select candidates until 1957 when the practice ended. The party currently allows provincial party organizations to select candidates on the local, constituency, and provincial levels. The method of selection varies slightly among provinces, however the most common method of selection is based on a candidate's ability to collect signatures. Top signature collectors are typically reviewed by selection committees looking a number of qualities, with one candidate ultimately being selected. In 2017 it was rumored that the party would possibly reintroduce primary elections for the 2018 general election, however there was no change in the candidate selection method.
===Funding===
The Democratic Coalition's primary funding sources are from labor unions, environmental groups, media corporations, and the financial sector. Soft money from labor unions comprises approximately 45% of the party's donations. Financial contributions by media corporations overwhelmingly go to the Democratic Coalition, with several contributing over 70% of their political contributions to the party. The National Board of Elections reported the total income of the Democratic Coalition in 2018 was {{strikethrough|X}}67.1 million with {{strikethrough|X}}61.2 million in expenditures.
==Electoral campaigns and results==
Campaigns are often managed by provincial party organizations with oversight by the Democratic Coalition General Headquarters. Provincial organizations will work closely with constituency associations in campaign and voter registration efforts. Campaigns are staffed by volunteers from local areas and occasionally by representatives from the party sent by the General Headquarters. Provincial party organizations are responsible for maintaining voter data. Funds raised by individual candidates are used on individual campaigns, while money raised by constituency associations and provincial organizations is managed by the General Headquarters and distributed to candidates at the discretion of the Coalition Policy Committee.
===National Assembly===
The following table shows the electoral performance of the Democratic Coalition in general elections since the party's creation in 1900.
The Spatharioi (singular: Hellenic: Spatharios, σπαθάριος, literally "spatha-bearer"), also occasionally known as the Guard, are an independent branch of the Lihnidosi Armed Forces. The Spatharioi are dedicated to the protection of the Empress of Lihnidos, the Lihnidosi Imperial Family, and the rest of the Lihnidosi nobility. At times, the Spatharioi can perform additional law enforcement and counter-insurgency duties. While a trained combat unit, the guard also participate in parades and ceremonial events. The Spatharioi have existed in some form since the seventh century when created as a group of palace guards. The Spatharioi, while officially a part of the Lihnidosi Armed Forces, differ from the other branches. The Spatharioi are given limited oversight by the National Assembly and elected government and the monarch has full authority over all Spatharioi functions.
The Spatharioi were formed in the seventh century by Baste I of Thasos as a group of palace guards. The Spatharioi took over the duties from a disorganized collection of Thasan military members who had previously been tasked with the protection of the Royal Palace and the monarch. Individual members of the group of guards were referred to as Spatharios, which translates to "spatha-bearer" in regards to the spatha, the type of sword that the guards carried. Initially only tasked with the protection of the monarch and Royal Palace in Xanthi, the duties of the Spatharioi later expanded to include the protection of the rest of the Royal family in Thasos, other nobility, and military generals. The Spatharioi quickly became the most influential part of the Thasan military due to its access to the monarch. The leadership of the Spatharioi would regularly lobby the monarch for increased funds and authority and over a period of several decades became the best equipped and trained collection of soldiers in the kingdom. The influence of the Spatharioi continued to spread as their role expanded to include being an elite fighting force for the kingdom in battle.
Diminishing influence
The influence of the Spatharioi continued to go unchecked through the reign of Konstantine I and Eustis II of Thasos only to reach the tipping point under the reign of Anastasius VI in 709. The ailing king had stopped public appearances in late 708 and by 709 was believed to be bedridden. The Spatharioi began to restrict nobles and advisors from seeing the king, even going so far as to ban the Kouropalatēs, who was in charge of the running of the Royal Palace, from the palace. Believing that the Spatharioi were usurping the authority and power of the king, the Kouropalatēs, known as Panayiotis, called on the assistance of Thasan General Vissarion to help him reenter the palace. Vissarion and Panayiotis, along with what was estimated to be two hundred soldiers, entered the city unmolested and approached the Royal Palace. The contingent of soldiers were stopped at the palace gates, where Panayiotis and Vissarion were confronted by the Prōtospatharios Paraskevas. Paraskevas insisted that only Panayiotis and Vissarion would be permitted to see the king, and that each would have to be disarmed, as only Spatharioi were permitted to be armed in the palace. Both men refused to hand over their weapons, and in response Paraskevas barred them from entering. Vissarion, refusing to accept Paraskevas's authority, ordered his men to force open the gates and occupy the palace. The fighting that followed saw the death of many from both the Spatharioi and Vissarion's men. Due to Vissarion having a larger force he was victorious in seizing control of the palace. Upon entering the king's bedchamber it was found to be empty. Paraskevas, who had been injured and captured during the fighting, later admitted to the king's death one month earlier, although maintained that it was due to natural causes. Believing that Paraskevas and other Spatharioi leadership had killed the king, Panayiotis ordered Paraskevas's execution, which was carried out by Vissarion. The execution was held the same day in a plaza outside the palace.
A gold signet ring of the Prōtospatharios, Vissarion
Anastasius VI's heir, Alexandra, had been absent from the capital for several months prior to the revelations made by Panayiotis and Vissarion. Suspected to be the work of Paraskevas, she had been sent to the city of Semeum about one day's journey east. Panayiotis, having retaken his place as Kouropalatēs, sent soldiers loyal to Vissarion to Semeum to retrieve her, as she was now known the be the current monarch. Following Alexandra's return, Vissarion was appointed as the leader of the Spatharioi, replacing Paraskevas. Further investigation into Paraskevas's plot found numerous members of the Spatharioi who had known of Anatasius's death. All were ordered to be executed. With several leadership positions open in the Spatharioi, Alexandra and Vissarion moved to fill the positions with crown loyalists. Vissarion, who remained the Prōtospatharios for several years, worked to reduce the influence of the Spatharioi. They were largely removed from active service on the battlefield, relegated back to the Royal Palace in Xanthi, and had their numbers significantly reduced.
Lihnidos
Lihnidosi Armed Forces
