National Republican People's Party

National Republican People's Party Parti populaire républicain national
Abbreviation	PPRN
Founded	24 June 1952
Dissolved	30 September 1990
Succeeded by	Baptistois Liberal Party
Ideology	Authoritarianism Bacheletism Political Apostolicism Anti-communism
Colors	Blue, white
Political parties

The National Republican People's Party (Principean: Parti populaire républicain national, PPRN) was a political organization in Saint-Baptiste. Created in 1952 as a vehicle of support for President Claude-Antoine Bachelet, the PPRN was the party of power in the country from its creation until its dissolution in 1990, during the democratization of Saint-Baptiste. The organization officially was succeeded by the Baptistois Liberal Party. Although often referred to as a political party in foreign media and including the term "party" in its name, the PPRN acted more as an extension of the Bachelet regime, including within its ranks the vast majority of the state's public servants and politicians. The organization never independently formed an ideological foundation, nor ran in any elections, as the constitution was suspended during its entire existence.

History

With the passing of the 1948 Security Act and the grating of emergency powers to President Claude-Antoine Bachelet, efficiently creating a dictatorship in Saint-Baptiste, the National Republican People's Party was formed in 1952 as the main political organ of Bachelet's regime. Despite its name, the PPRN was not a traditional political party, but a collection of Baptistois elite and supporters of Bachelet that created what later has been referred to as a Parti de propagande ("Propaganda party"), dealing more with information campaigns than electoral politics, which was suspended for the entirety of the PPRN's existence.

The PPRN's ideological foundations were broad, and typically was subservient to the policies of Bachelet's government, including the adoption of economic liberalism from the 1960s onwards. Throughout its existence, the PPRN maintained a close connection to the Apostolic Church, and was seen as favouring authoritarian methods of governance and a distrust of left-wing sentiments in Saint-Baptiste and Marceaunia as a whole. Some political scientists have stated the PPRN and the wider Bachelet regime often showed elements of clerical fascism, especially in regards to its relationship with the Church, although this definition is heavily debated and a counter-opinion views the PPRN as more of an organization attached to the status-quo of the dictatorship.

During the late 1980s, with protests growing and democratic opposition gaining attention, the PPRN quickly lost significance on the island, and with the chaos surrounding the 1989 presidential election, reformist forces in the organization gained prominence, leading to negotiations with protesters and the democratization of Saint-Baptiste in early 1990 following the passing of a new constitution and the repeal of the 1948 Security Act. The PPRN would officially disband on 30 September 1990, being succeeded by the Baptistois Liberal Party prior to Saint-Baptiste's first free elections in May 1991.

Election results

The National Republican People's Party never ran in a Baptistois election in any capacity, as it existed during a period of martial law and the suspension of elections. In 1990, various PPRN-affiliated politicians began to discuss the organization running in the slated 1991 elections as Saint-Baptiste quickly began democratizing, but it was ultimately decided to fold the PPRN and register the succeeding Baptistois Liberal Party instead, partially as a way to purge hardline personalities from the pro-regime movement.