Chartist Bloc

Chartist Bloc Bloc Chartistes
Leader	Lucatiel Lorett
Deputy Leader	Olwen Danielou
Senate Leader	Christian Boissieu
Founded	1902 (1902)
Headquarters	Capetia, Lotrič
Political position	Right-wing
Colours	Buff
Public Assembly	282 / 572
Senate	141 / 300
Political parties Elections

The Chartist Bloc (Midrasian: Bloc Chartistes), is, along with the Reform Bloc one of the two political blocs which exist within the Midrasian political system. The bloc represents a broad spectrum of right-wing interests and currently consists of the Republican Party, The Democrats, the Alydian Democratic Union, Midrasia First, and Liberty.

The bloc's origins can be traced back to the original Chartist Party of 1791-1870 which was a classical liberal and conservative political party formed by a number of more liberal inclined politicians following the Midrasian Revolution.

With the onset of the Crisis of 1871 however, the Midrasian political system became divided with no one party able to produce a majority government, leading to a period of weak and divided governments which greatly hampered the strength of the Midrasian state, playing a role in the outbreak of the First Great War. Under the leadership of Jean-Paul Birou however, the political settlement of 1902 mandated that parties running in Midrasian elections affiliate themselves with one of two political blocs in the country which broadly represent the left and right of the political spectrum respectively. Under this system, the Chartist Bloc came to represent the country's political right-wing.

History

Chartism

Chartists were individuals who supported the creation of a constitutional charter to limit the power of the Midrasian Consul and codify a set of rights to be enjoyed by the citizens of the Midrasian Republic. The Chartist movement played an integral role in the outbreak of the Midrasian Revolution and the creation of the modern constitutional charter which governs the nation to this day. The Chartists were opposed to the Conservatives who supported a strong Consulship, with a social contract between the head-of-state and their subjects. The Conservatives also supported a greater role for the Alydian church in the Midrasian state, whilst the Chartists were initially pro-secularisation.

Chartists such as Henri de Châtelier were integral in drafting the post-revolution Constitution in 1791 and the institution of liberal democracy throughout the country. In the decades following the revolution, Chartists worked to advocate for a stronger Midrasian parliament with an emphasis on individual rights and liberties for citizens. The Chartists would govern Midrasia unopposed for twenty-four years when they were ousted by the Conservatives. The Chartists would regain the Consulship in 1816 leading to the development of the two-party system which dominated nineteenth-century Midrasian politics.

Chartist Party

The party was one of the two dominant political organisations within the Nineteenth Century, forming a number of successive governments along with the Conservative Party. Throughout their existence, the Chartist Party formed a total of 10 governments, with a total of 7 Consuls: Patrice Malouines, Luix de Locarno, Alexis Oyonax, Henri Diluns, Jauffre de Vries, Emmanuel Arlon, and Pascal Reverdin.

The party itself was primarily ideologically classical liberal, seeking to uphold individual liberties whilst maintaining a laissez faire approach to economic matters. Upon its formation, the party was also notable for its campaign for the abolition of slavery which was brought about by mostly peaceful means in 1802. Whilst the party initially committed itself to secularisation the party soon dropped this in favour of maintaining the state religion of orthodox Alydianism. The party also had a gradualist approach to the extension of the voting franchise, believing it necessary that the public is educated on matters before being given the right to vote, a factor exploited by the Conservative Party during the 1860s.

By the 1860s the Chartists were losing significant ground, suffering from divisions within their own ranks and challenges from other parties. Within the party, considerable divisions were emerging between the traditional classical liberal faction and the newly emerging social liberals who favoured greater government intervention and some semblance of social welfare. Additionally, under Antoine d'Erimar the Conservative party had gained a sizeable chunk of working-class votes through their promises of electoral and industrial reform. Furthermore, the Radical Party and independent Socialists had also won a significant number of traditionally Chartist votes, marginalising the party.

Midrasia's defeat in the Perpignan War and the outbreak of the Crisis of 1871 proved the death knell for the Chartist party. The revolutions and riots which gripped the country led many politicians to abandon their traditional loyalties, with many flocking to the newly formed Republican Party in an attempt to restore order. Most of the social liberal members of the party would soon move on to form the Liberal League.

Political Bloc

Following the passage of the 1902 Political Reform Act of the Birou government, the Chartist name was revived for the political alliance of Midrasia's various right-wing parties. The name Chartist was selected by the Republican Party in reference to its desire to uphold the intentions of the original 1791 Constitutional Charter.

The bloc acts as an alliance of the various political parties, operating as a big-tent movement for the wider right-wing of the political spectrum. Whilst individual members usually associate with their political party, compared with other democratic countries, party loyalties in Midrasia are typically not as strong, with individual MPs usually having a greater association with the wider bloc, sometimes moving between different parties. Within parliamentary elections, individual MPs stand for their various parties. Though within Senatorial elections, parties within individual blocs usually hold agreements regarding seats within marginal districts. Within Consular elections, each bloc holds primaries to dictate their candidate as the 1902 reform Act indicates that there may only be 2 contestants in the Consular election.