Liberal Party (Akashi)

Liberal Party 自由党 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌰𐌻𐍃 𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌻ᚴ𐌾𐍉
Abbreviation	LP
Founded	1938
Dissolved	1998
Merged into	Moderate People's Party
Ideology	Ordoliberalism Social liberalism
Political position	Centre to Centre-right
National affiliation	Light blue bloc
Colours	Yellow
Politics of Akashi Political parties

The Liberal Party (Miranian: 自由党 Jiyūtō; Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹 𐍆𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌰𐌻𐍃 𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌻ᚴ𐌾𐍉 Gamainei Freihals Dailkjō) was a liberal political party in Akashi.

Founded in 1938, the party formed the main centre-right opposition to the National Union during its long dominance, and was a founder of the light blue bloc. After a period of decline, it merged into the Moderate People's Party in 1998.

History

Foundation

The party was founded in 1938, during the Akashian Civil War. In its manifesto, it repudiated the "old right" of the "old republic" for siding with the Great Akashi Army, and declared "undying opposition to all forms of state dictatorship".

In its first election, for the Constituent Assembly in 1940, it finished third with 10,3% of the party vote and 13 seats.

Opposition years

During the years of National Union dominance, the LP became the main standard-bearer of the centre-right, in opposition to Yurika Ehara. It took a socially liberal stance on social issues, and advocated ordoliberalism in economics, attacking Yurikarist economic interventionism as excessive.

The long period in opposition with seemingly little progress against the NU's dominance caused animosity to build up within the party. One faction emerged which pushed for the party to go further and adopt classical liberalism, which was met with hostility by the majority.

The years 1962–1965 marked a crucial turning point for the LP. It participated in the United Opposition electoral alliance of 1962, which failed to unseat Yurikara and led to acrimony over seat divisions. The classical liberal faction was outraged by the party joining an alliance that included the Communist Party and Workers' Party, and many of them left to join the Freedom League when it was founded in 1964. Another split occurred in 1965, when the Reform Party was established by the conservative liberal faction.

During the Summer of Freedom, the party condemned both the excesses of Yurikarism that had caused protests in the first place, and those of the protesters as the unrest spread. It subsequently joined Yurikara's national unity government, marking its first participation in national government.

Later developments

The LP struggled to define its place in Akashian politics throughout the 1970s. While it had been a founder of the light blue bloc, it seemed to hit a ceiling of support. Neither it nor the bloc's other parties looked able to obtain a breakthrough and challenge the left, and in turn faced pressure from extreme right formations like the Conservative National Party, Freedom League, Tax Cuts Party, and Akashi Renewal Party.

The breakthrough occurred after the "kibi-yuru war" left the progressive conservative faction in control of the CNP, repositioning it in the light blue bloc. The LP joined the centre-right coalition formed after 1982, but its unwieldy size caused rows over allocation of cabinet posts. The CNP's landslide in the "blue wave" of 1986 led it to exit the coalition but provide outside support.

Increasingly, the LP was viewed as stagnant during the 1990s. Its identity crisis was worsened by the consolidation of the light blue bloc, leaving the Moderate People's Party and United Reform Party as major parties. Following a demoralising result in 1998, where it lost 6 seats and contributed to the centre-right failing to obtain a majority, the party finally chose to merge with the MPP.

Platform

The LP was a liberal party, and predominantly socially liberal.

Its defining trait was its advocacy of ordoliberalism in economic policy. It believed in a strong regulatory state, firm opposition to monopolies, support of small and medium-sized enterprises, and provision of social security through a strong welfare state.

One of the party's leaders famously summed up its program by stating that Akashi should look to Megelan as a model for socioeconomic organisation.

There is a consensus among historians that the party's ordoliberalism left it ill-equipped for the role of centre-right standard-bearer that it was thrust into during the Yurikaran dominance. The party attacked Yurikarist dirigisme as excessive, but it equally loathed economic liberalism and laissez-faire, manifested in the Freedom League and Tax Cuts Party. It thus floundered during the "siege economy", its ordoliberalism causing it to fall between the Socialist Party's leftist push and the market fundamentalism on the extreme right.

The LP found itself on stronger ground outside of politics. It supported a cosmopolitan Akashi, wishing to replace the traditional Miranian–Gothic dual identity with a more flexible one and encourage immigration. It supported the Common Sphere and took a reinforcing stance, proposing ambitious reforms to deepen integration and strengthen it as a supraregional organisation.

Election results

National Assembly

Election	Party list		Constituency		Seats	+/–	Status
	PR votes	%	STV votes	%
1940	169.039	10,3%			13 / 245	13	Opposition
1942	147.934	8,4%			18 / 200	5	Opposition
1946	157.230	7,5%			16 / 200	2	Opposition
1950	159.974	6,7%			14 / 200	2	Opposition
1954	191.195	6,6%			14 / 200		Opposition
1958	197.118	6,0%			12 / 200	2	Opposition
19621	1.227.100	32,5%			11 / 200	1	Opposition
1966	221.332	5,4%			12 / 200	1	Opposition (1966–1968)
							Coalition (1968–1970)
1970	301.672	6,3%	225.310	4,7%	10 / 200	2	Opposition
1972	435.503	8,7%	419.543	8,4%	24 / 200	14	Opposition
1974	387.335	7,5%	370.583	7,2%	23 / 200	1	Opposition
1978	332.286	6,0%	344.897	6,2%	18 / 200	5	Opposition
1980	451.331	8,0%	444.704	7,9%	15 / 200	3	Interim
1982	444.136	7,7%	379.860	6,6%	27 / 400	12	Coalition
1986	196.345	3,3%	166.780	2,8%	11 / 400	16	Outside support (1986–1989)
							Opposition (1989–1990)
1990	277.273	4,4%	176.253	2,8%	12 / 400	1	Opposition
1994	320.353	5,0%	210.485	3,3%	14 / 400	2	Opposition
1998	224.104	3,4%	217.537	3,3%	9 / 400	6	Opposition

¹ Result for the whole United Opposition, consisting of the Socialist Party, LP, National Democratic Party, Communist Party, Workers' Party, and Social Credit Party.

Presidency

Election	Candidate	First round		Second round		Result
		Votes	%	Votes	%
1940	No candidate
1945	No candidate
1950	Sachio Yoshimoto	276.643	11,6%			Lost
19552	Tenshin Ōshima	328.695	11,3%			Lost
19602	Hada Hama	393.309	11,1%			Lost
19653	Haruki Yukimura	480.285	12,1%			Lost
1970	No candidate
1975	No candidate
1980	No candidate
1985	No candidate
1990	Eriko Nomura	245.972	4,0%			Lost
1995	No candidate

² Jointly endorsed with the National Democratic Party.

³ Jointly endorsed with the National Democratic Party and Reform Party.

Provincial assemblies

Main article: List of Akashian provincial elections

Prefectural assemblies

Main article: List of Akashian prefectural elections