Party of Freedom

Party of Freedom Partito della Libertà
Abbreviation	PdL
Leader	Beatrice Albini
Founded	1908
Dissolved	1939
Succeeded by	"Constructive" conservatives
Ideology	Conservatism Reformism
Political position	Centre-right
Colours	Azure

The Party of Freedom (Italian: Partito della Libertà, abbreviated PdL) was a liberal conservative political party in Alscia.

Led by Beatrice Albini, the PdL was moderately conservative and economically liberal. Due to the FPP already gaining Hannaist voters through the NUP and NLP, the PdL found a niche representing non-Gylic interests, and was known for its defense of religious freedom.

It formed the official opposition in the Legislative Council throughout its existence.

History

The PdL was founded in 1908, after the organisation of Alscia as a province of the Cacertian Empire. The name was chosen in tribute to the Cacertian liberation, and its initial profile was broadly Hannaist conservative. Indeed, Hannah Edelstein was one of its founders, and became its elder stateswoman.

It won 5 seats in the Legislative Council in 1908, forming the official opposition to the Donatella Rossetti government. In the local elections the same year, it won the most seats of any party, a feat it would repeat at all subsequent local elections.

A central weakness of the PdL in Alscia was that the FPP had already attracted a significant part of the Hannaist vote, through the pragmatism of the NUP and NLP. In response, it gradually defined itself as a a liberal conservative party, supportive of reformism but appealing to voters who disagreed with the FPP's aggressive socio-economic interventionism.

Beatrice Albini

The PdL's greatest asset was its leader Beatrice Albini. Refined, intellectual, and fluently bilingual in Italian and French, Beatrice was an effective campaigner and a popular politician, being more recognised than her party. She was popularly known as Zia Beatrice ("Aunt Beatrice") and Splendida Baronessa ("Splendid Baroness", after being awarded the title by the UOC).

She had a good working relationship with Governor Donatella Rossetti, and was seen by the public and media as Donatella's amenable offsider. The partnership allowed Beatrice to secure the passage of PdL-friendly legislation, particularly in the FPP's earlier years when the NUP–NLP–PRRA liberal bloc outnumbered the leftist SP–SDP.

During the 1920s, the PdL took a hostile stance towards the new PCA and PFA, reserving most of its hostility for the Futurists. Beatrice supported the Megelanese opposition and exile community, welcomed Enrico Grolli's daughter Edda into the party, and often spoke in the Council in condemnation of the Futurist regime.

The PdL ceased to exist when Alscia joined the Free Territories in 1939. The majority of its members remained active in Free Territories politics, becoming part of the "constructive" current.

Ideology

The PdL was a conservative and liberal party. It was broadly progressive and supportive of reformism, but skeptical of radical change.

It was economically liberal, opposed to laissez-faire and critical of Donatellist economic interventionism.

It was supportive of social reform, feminism, workers' rights, and the cooperative movement.

It was committed to defending minority rights. Notably, it criticised the government's anti-monotheist policies and called for religious tolerance. It drew significant support from Megelanese Italians in Alscia, and was sometimes likened by observers to a cathar democrat or dulcinian democrat party.

Symbols

The party used the colour azure and the symbol of a female horse rider holding a shield and sword, representing the kyðoi who fought against Xevdenite rule.

Election results

Legislative Council of Alscia

Election	FPV	%	Seats	±	Government
1908	34.060	15,5%	5 / 70	5	Official opposition
1912	46.428	14,2%	3 / 70	2	Official opposition
1916	69.461	16,1%	4 / 70	1	Official opposition
1920	79.665	15,3%	3 / 70	1	Official opposition
1924	84.857	14,6%	3 / 70		Official opposition
1928	91.549	14,2%	1 / 70	2	Official opposition
1932	122.664	16,8%	4 / 70	3	Official opposition
1936	144.430	18,0%	5 / 70	1	Official opposition

Local elections

Election	FPV	%	Councillors	±
1908	45.037	20,1%	40 / 240	40
1910	58.616	20,4%	60 / 350	20
1912	66.610	20,2%	60 / 350
1914	78.726	20,5%	70 / 350	10
1916	89.738	20,8%	100 / 480	30
1918	96.210	20,7%	99 / 480	1
1920	107.733	21,0%	116 / 550	17
1922	120.152	21,5%	118 / 550	2
1924	123.994	21,2%	117 / 550	1
1926	131.200	21,4%	139 / 650	22
1928	134.745	20,9%	136 / 650	3
1930	141.414	20,6%	148 / 720	12
1932	154.220	21,1%	152 / 720	4
1934	166.747	21,8%	147 / 720	5
1936	176.525	22,0%	185 / 840	38
1938	184.417	22,2%	186 / 840	1