National Consolidation Party
National Consolidation Party Nationale Konsolidierungspartei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Federal President | Otto von Hößlin |
| Vice-President | Jörg Bullmann |
| Leader in the Volkstag | Elisabeth Biedenkopf |
| Leader in the Herrstag | Jakob Böckler |
| Founder | Konstantin Vogel |
| Founded | 13th May 1954 |
| Merger of | KP, NLP, KSP |
| Headquarters | 17 Jorganberg Road, Westbrucken, Werania |
| Youth wing | New Generation Forum |
| Membership | 101,463 |
| Ideology | Conservatism National conservatism Liberal conservatism Social conservatism Sotirian democracy Economic liberalism Economic nationalism Soft-Euclescepticism |
| Political position | Centre-right to right-wing |
| Euclean Parliament group | ACDE |
| Colors | Orange, blue |
| Volkstag | 244 / 545
|
| Herrstag | 77 / 349
|
| Landtags/Seimas | 265 / 1,151
|
| Euclean Parliament | 27 / 122
|
The National Consolidation Party (Weranian: Nationale Konsolidierungspartei) commonly abbreviated to the NKP is a conservative political party in Werania. It is currently the largest party in the country.
Formed in 1954 as a merger of anti-socialist political parties with the intention to represent the right-wing of the political spectrum, the NKP under Konstantin Vogel firmly established itself as the main party operating within an asymmetric two-party system with the NKP competing with a range of left-wing opposition parties. The NKP served in government from its foundation in 1954 to 1963 when under Adolf Stahl it lost government to a coalition of the left-wing opposition. It returned to government in 1970 when it would rule for nine years under three different Chancellors - Sigmar Welskopf-Henrich, Johannes Zollitsch and Albrecht Spaemann.
In 1979 after economic difficulties the NKP would enter opposition for a 20 year period as it became the rival of the governing party, the Social Democratic Radical Party of Werania. During this period in opposition the NKP would become incredibly divided between its traditional Sotirian democratic faction and a new right faction focused more on right-wing populism and economic liberalism. In 1999 the NKP under moderate leader Rasa Šalaševičiūtė led the NKP to a victory against the SRPO. Šalaševičiūtė implemented conservative fiscal policies, privatising industry and reinvesting it into supporting tech startups. Dealing with economic collapse in 2005 Šalaševičiūtė implemented austerity policies avoiding a bailout from the Euclean Community. In 2007 she led the NKP to a coalition government where Šalaševičiūtė supported Euclean integration and greater fiscal liberalisation. Resigning in 2009, her successor Dietrich Wittmann was unable to gain re-election placing it back into opposition.
In 2015 Otto von Hößlin became NKP leader. He has under the influence of deputy leader Jörg Bullmann moved the party to the populist right, supporting economic nationalism, social conservatism and soft-Euclescepticism. In 2019 the party became the largest in the Volkstag and is expected to form the next government of Werania.
The NKP is a member of the Alliance of Conservatives and Democrats for Euclea. A centre-right party, the NKP is seen as more socially conservative and economically interventionist than other parties within the ACDE.
History
Formation
The NKP was founded as a merger of the Conservative Party (KP), National Liberal Party (NLP) and the Catholic Social Party in 1957 by KSP Chairman and Chancellor Konstantin Vogel. The three parties - representing monarchist conservatism, classical liberalism and Sotirian democracy respectively - had represented mainstream right-wing politics in Werania having all been at some point dominant in Weranian politics since the country's unification in 1842. Between 1937 to 1950 (alongside the Weranic Farmers' Bloc and later the Weranic Reich Party) the three parties governed the country as part of the National Bloc. The bloc during the 1940's became increasingly authoritarian as a result of colonial wars that saw a destabilisation of the state culminating in the failed Colonels putsch and the break up of the National Bloc. The 1950 election saw the KP and NLP collapse as the KSP formed the Tripartite coalition with the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Werania (SPO) and the Weranic Section of the Workers' International (OSAI).
The Tripartite government commanded large majorities in the 1950 and 1953 elections implementing several progressive reforms as well as leading Werania into the Euclean Community. However the government suffered from internal tensions due to the alliance of urban socialists with rural conservative Catholics. In 1955 Konstantin Vogel - an outspoken critic of the tripartite government - became KSP leader. Legislation to increase trade union influence in the economy gave the KSP pretext to end the coalition leading to a vote of no confidence in the government that passed. The subsequent election saw the parties of the old National Bloc (KSP, KP and NLP) secure a majority leading to Vogel to become Chancellor.
Vogel's KSP-KP-NLP government implemented moderate policies, creating a social market economy based on the doctrine of Catholic social teachings. The new government followed a mostly Keynesian economics with an active fiscal and monetary policy ensuring there was low unemployment, moderate inflation, an expansion of the welfare state, the maintenance of the nationalised natural monopolies from the Tripartite government and income redistribution through public works projects. Nevertheless the government did still pursue some traditional conservative policies such as privatising state-owned breweries.
In the runup to the 1959 there were concerns of OSAI becoming the largest party and possibly forming a government with the SPO. Amongst the three coalition parties there was a feeling that the decline in both monarchist conservatism and classical liberalism meant the three parties increasingly came to resemble each other supporting Weranic nationalism, free-market economics and Catholic social values. As such in 1957 Vogel alongside KP and NLP leaders Walther Ritter von Dittmann and Gottfried von Litzmann announced the creation of the National Consolidation Party which would be a "big-tent" party representative of right-wing politics in Werania. The NKP subsequently formed a close relationship with the Solarian Catholic church and Catholic trade unions in order to boost its outreach to the electorate gathering supporters from all economic and social backgrounds.
Early years
The NKP in its first election in 1959 scored a decisive victory getting 302 of 586 seats enabling it to govern with a majority. Like the preceding National Bloc the NKP benefited from divisions in the left with the OSAI, SPO and Radical Party often competing for votes. As well as that parties to the right of the NKP such as the ORP and OBb were seen as being far-right in character meaning that the NKP was able to present itself as the only credible non-socialist political force in the country.
The party's big-tent nature meant it primarily promoted centre-right policies with former KSP parliamentarians becoming the dominant tendency. Nevertheless the party still exhibited ideological diversity particularly on the issue of the Euclean Community, ranging from pro-EC federalists to proponents of souverainism. Vogel, a moderate pro-Eucleanist, focused on sound economic management through a promotion of private enterprise and competition between Euclean nations.
In 1963 Vogel announced his retirement from politics preceding elections that year after developing early signs of lung cancer. His successor was Adolf Stahl who shared much of his centre-right positions declaring the party stood against the "revolutionary radicalism" of the OSAI and SPO. In the 1963 election the NKP secured another majority government with 309 seats. However whilst the 1960's were marked by economic prosperity there were shifts in social attitudes with the rise of second-wave feminism, the new left and immigration from former Euclean colonies. The NKP was largely unresponsive to these social changes shifting to a gradual loss of support.
Prior to the 1966 election economic growth stalled leading to Stahl to cut public expenditure, leading to the NKP to dip in popularity. Stahl as such resigned in early 1966 being replaced by Rudolf Wiefelspütz who was considered to be closer to the Catholic Social wing of the party. As such in 1966 the NKP lost its majority in the Reichstag getting only 292 seats, albeit remaining the largest party by a large margin (the second ranked party, the OSAI, gained only 169 seats). Although the NKP could've formed a majority government with the SPO party leaders refused this possibility with NKP Finance Minister Sigmar Welskopf-Henrich declaring that the NKP "doesn't do coalitions". As such the NKP agreed to a minority government with the Sotirian Democratic Homeland with Wiefelspütz continuing his role as Chancellor. Wiefelspütz was seen as a grandfatherly figure and was popular with the electorate but his weak health meant he resigned in 1969 being replaced by Welskopf-Henrich.
At the 1970 election the NKP under Welskopf-Henrich secured a majority of 314 seats despite Welskopf-Henrich's wooden personality. Welskopf-Henrich continued moderately progressive social reforms whilst co-currently implementing budget cuts and reducing some of the welfare programmes started by the previous government, in line with policies pursued by previous NKP governments.
Welskopf-Henrich was Chancellor during the 1972 student protests which started due to the government's controversial control over university curriculum's. The protests eventually became a broader movement for social justice and economic equality with the Amalgamated Federation of Trade Unions holding a wildcat general strike over the government's control over the upper echelons of the trade union movement. The country briefly came to an economic standstill with the government fearing revolution; as a result Welskopf-Henrich resigned as Chancellor whilst calling a snap election. His successor was Johannes Zollitsch, a charismatic but controversial minister accused of indulging in right-wing populism. Calling on the "silent majority to vote against socialism" Zollitsch led the NKP to a narrow victory in the 1972 election which saw losses for all establishment parties to newcomers such as the League for Democratic Socialists and the Modern Centre Party (PMZ).
Despite his bullish rhetoric Zollitsch was credited with creating a dialogue with trade unions and student groups following the protests. A charismatic politician known for his straight-talking style Zollitsch was seen as representative of the NKP's core rural base being socially conservative whilst populist on economic issues and nationalist in foreign affairs, being critical of Euclofederalism. Zollitsch modernised the party's electoral apparatus, using television extensively crafting an image of himself as a modern leader who focused on long term development.
As Chancellor Zollitsch attempted to oversee large infrastructure projects, most ambitiously aiming to oversee a shift in energy production from fossil fuels to nuclear energy. However under his Chancellorship the economy started to slow down due to stagflation and a decline in Werania's steel industry, which had driven the Weranian economy since the 1860's. Zollitsch's government responded with implementing more comprehensive incomes policy and cutting public service wages, leading to tensions between the NKP and its traditional trade union partner, the Confederation of Catholic Labour. The poor economic situation meant the plans to move to nuclear energy were dropped.
Nevertheless in 1975 Zollitsch led the NKP to its greatest electoral victory with 52% of the vote and 325 seats, an effort largely seen as down to Zollitsch's personal popularity. However several factors would lead to the NKP to enter a decline over the 1975-79 term. Zollitsch's divisive political style led to several voters to desert the NKP whilst the emergence of centrist forces such as the PMZ would present an attractive alternative to what was seen as an increasingly right-wing NKP. Most damaging was the merger of the SPO and the RP into the Social Democratic Radical Party of Werania (SRPO) in 1977 which emerged as the first big tent centre-left party in the country's history.
In 1976 due to a balance of payments crisis Zollitsch was forced to devalue the Reichsmark - whilst economically sound the move led to widespread public dissatisfaction resulting in Zollitsch to resign in 1977, being succeeded by the Foreign Minister Albrecht Spaemann.
Spaemann continued the policies of Zollitsch but was forced to cut public spending to deal with the recession, most notably slashing agricultural subsidies. As well as this Spaemann was seen as uncharismatic and confrontational to trade unions, leading to more frequent strikes and economic disruption during the late 1970's. The emergence of SRPO leader Ludolf Ostermann saw the NKP increasingly regarded as a party of old men out of touch with younger voters. In the 1979 election the NKP remained the largest party with 186 seats whilst the SRPO overtook the OSAI for the first time as the second largest party, with the two parties together getting the best result ever for the Weranic left since the popular front took power in 1915. As a result of the NKP losing its majority Ostermann formed a left-wing coalition between the SRPO and the OSAI with Spaemann resigning as NKP leader in 1980 putting the NKP into opposition for the first time since its creation.
Wilderness years
Following Spaemann's resignation the NKP elected former Finance Minister Maximilian Frommel as leader. Frommel like his predecessors as leader was a pro-business conservative representing continuity within the NKP and as such initiated no major policy differences. In opposition Frommel advocated a relatively passive strategy believing the traditional divisions of the left would discredit the Ostermann government and that voters would quickly return to the NKP. In 1982 after facing severe economic problems the SRPO-OSAI government abandoned its radical socialist programme and adopted free-market policies at the insistence of the Euclean Community. This led to a large decline in support for the government leading to Frommel at the 1982 NKP party conference to declare for the party to "ready itself for government".
The 1983 election however was a disappointment for the NKP. Whilst the government lost its majority - with the OSAI seats halving from 143 to 62 - the SRPO was able to increase its seats from 177 to 198 whilst the NKP saw a modest rise to 202 seats, remaining the largest party but nowhere near enough to form a majority in the Volkstag. The main victors of the election were the PMZ who gained 92 seats, making them kingmakers. The PMZ leadership wary of Ostermann initially approached Frommel with the intention to form a coalition government with PMZ leader Rainier Gottwald as Foreign Minister. Frommel rejected this stating that "single-party government is a core principle of the NKP" proposing a looser confidence and supply agreement in its stead. Gottwald turned this offer down and formed a coalition with the SRPO, consigning the NKP to a second term in opposition. The new government would subsequently begin to promote a radical programme of reform supporting social and economic liberalism. This led to several progressive social reforms such as the legislation of homosexuality and divorce and economic reforms in the form of privatisation and deregulation particularly in the public sector.
The failure of Frommel to present a credible and attractive alternative to the Ostermann government caused many younger members of the party to start to challenge the ideological orthodoxy of the party with Sotirian democracy, agrarian populism and pork-barrel politics becoming increasingly unpopular. Neoliberal economics and populist nationalism became popular amongst party activists who advocated a radical shift from the old consensus driven, centrist Sotirian democracy to a more populist, free market direction. These activists believed the old system of nationalisation, strong labour unions, heavy regulation, high taxes, and a generous welfare state had led to Werania's economic malaise, recommending instead a programme of privatisation, deregulation and a reduction of trade union power being inspired by Patrica Flowers in Caldia and the Economic Reorganising Programme in Xiaodong. This faction was known as the neue rechte (new right) with proponents within the party including Egon Geisel, Oskar Schweidnitz Elisabeth von Neudeck and Dietrich Wittmann who became known as the "Gang of Four".
Prior to the 1985 NKP conference the gang of four plotted to forward a vote of no confidence towards Frommel's leadership with the intention of putting forward Geisel as party leader. Unwilling to allow the neue rechte to dominate the party Frommel unexpectedly resigned prior to the conference recommending his deputy Horst von Ingenohl as leader. Enraged that Frommel avoided a no confidence vote Geisel, Schweidnitz and von Neudeck alongside several other neue rechte deputies split from the party forming the Democratic Alternative (DA). The DA soon became popular with voters concerned about rising immigration and deeper Euclean integration as well as arousing the approval of the business community who wished for an economically liberal but anti-trade union party. Concerns were raised surrounding von Ingenohl, who was seen as an apparatchik with little charisma or vision. Unbeknownst at the time was that von Ingenohl was suffering from cancer which resulted in him to limit his public appearances which created an image of him as being aloof and out of touch. As well as this, the NKP's political machine - which had been adept at acting as a locus for matching interest group money and votes with bureaucratic power and expertise - weakened due to being in opposition.
An uptick in the economic situation and perceptions that the NKP was a divided party that stood for few core principles meant that in the 1987 election the SRPO was elected to a record third term in government (the only time a left-wing party in Werania has achieved this feat). The NKP suffered a catastrophic result falling from 202 to 98 seats, the only time the party has ever entered double digits and easily its worst result up until that point attaining the second most amount of seats for the first time in its history. Many NKP seats went to the DA which debuted with 54 seats along with the Ruttish Sotirian Democratic Homeland which gained 36 seats. As a result of the terrible result von Ingenohl immediately resigned from the party leadership and politics in general with Markus Müller serving as interim leader until the 1987 conference. The 1987 leadership election was seen as a defining one for the party as the centre-right candidate Edmund Blaurock faced off the neue rechte and former gang of four member Dietrich Wittmann for the leadership. By a narrow vote Blaurock became the party's leader partly due to his association with the party's hero Zollitsch having served in his government.
Although being associated with the old guard of the party Blaurock recognised that the NKP needed to reinvent itself if it was to credibly challenge the SRPO and maintain its position as the leading party of the right over the DA. Blaurock also recognised that the party was seen by voters as being out of touch with modern Werania and that it appealed solely to rural, conservative Catholics. As a result Blaurock committed several institutional reforms within the party instituting an age limit of 75 for parliamentary candidates and promoting more women within the parliamentary party including the newly elected Rasa Šalaševičiūtė. Blaurock also shifted the party to the right, promoting a more stringent form of economic liberalism declaring in 1989 that "there is no alternative to an economic based on entirely free-market principles" whilst also differentiating the NKP from the SRPO-PMZ government by promoting an explicitly souverainist policy regarding the Euclean Community. Nevertheless the issue of whether to accept coalition government remained divisive within the party with the old guard refusing to accept the idea on principle. In 1990 Blaurock announced that in the 1991 election the NKP would be willing to offer coalition agreements with "likeminded parties if the NKP attained less then 200 seats heralding a major shift in NKP policy.
In the latter half of 1990 there were indications that the government would lose its majority at the next election vindicating Blaurock's reformist platform. However in early 1991 Ostermann after 12 years was dramatically ousted as Chancellor by his finance minister Wolfgang Löscher who saw the SRPO rise again in the polls. As a result shortly before the 1991 election Blaurock and his advisers already wrote it off as a loss and began formulating a strategy for the 1995 elections. As expected the 1991 election the government was re-elected albeit the NKP made a recovery from their disastrous 1987 election attaining 156 of 598 seats with the DA's fall to 37 seats assuaged fears it could overtake the NKP as the main right-wing party. Although still the second worst result the NKP achieved up to this point Blaurock was credited for ensuring the NKP survived as a viable party and so faced no real threat to his position as party leader.
The 1991-1995 legislature saw Blaurock continue to modernise the party placing more power in its executive and reaching out to opposition parties such as the SDT and the DA which were seen as potential coalition partners. Continued divisions within the government meant that the NKP began to lead in the polls consistently with Blaurock being seen as a more honest leader then Chancellor Löscher. In the runup to the 1995 election the NKP were confident they would become the largest party and form government for the first time since 1979. Blaurock's campaign focused on vague platitudes and avoiding gaffes so to be certain of victory; this contrasted with a vigorous campaign by Löscher. Although the NKP would get the most amount of votes their seat count - 187 - was exactly the same as the SRPO who formed a coalition with the PMZ and SDT. As a result Blaurock resigned as party leader in 1996 stating two electoral losses meant "it is clear that I do not hold the support of the Weranian people" retiring from politics completely.
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Following Blaurock's resignation party elites soon supported Rasa Šalaševičiūtė for leader. Although never serving in the federal government Šalaševičiūtė had been a minister in the Ruttish government and was respected for her consensus driven style. She was elected unopposed as party leader making her the first person of Ruttish descent to become NKP leader and the first female leader of a major Weranian political party.
The SRPO-PMZ-SDT government during the late 1990's was marked by infighting and fatigue after 20 years in government. Chancellor Löscher was forced out of the Chancellorship in 1998 and his successor Heinrich Schuberth was viewed as a political lightweight. The PMZ left the government in early 1999 over a corruption scandal leading to a successful vote of no confidence and an early election which saw the NKP achieve 226 seats. Šalaševičiūtė formed a government with the green liberal Ecological Reformists party, marking the end of the NKP's 19 years in opposition and the first time the NKP formed a coalition government.
Modern history
The Šalaševičiūtė government came to power under a context of healthy economic growth but a poor employment rate with Šalaševičiūtė declaring that conquering unemployment would be the government's priority. Šalaševičiūtė herself was seen as fiscally conservative supporting a restraint on public expenditure and tax cuts whilst also being socially conservative. However Šalaševičiūtė was also seen as being pro-Euclean supporting deeper integration and due to her governments alliance with the OR also endorsed green policies.
Upon coming to power Šalaševičiūtė implemented a programme of tax cuts and a raise in public expenditure due to the budget surplus left by the prior government. The government also lessened some of the liberal policies of the previous government tightening drug laws and implementing tough new laws regarding immigration, with the system being transformed into a skills based points system for non-EC migrants. The government also slashed the capital gains tax in 2000 leading to a housing boom. In the initial years of Šalaševičiūtė government the NKP benefited from good polling and the weak state of the opposition, enabling it to easily win the 2003 election with 234, forming another coalition with the OR.
In 2005 at the start of the global financial crisis Werania's economy entered a severe recession with the collapse of the Stiemark Investment and Savings Bank and the bursting of the housing market bubble resulting in sales and property values collapsing. As a result of the recession the government in 2005 announced a 2 year unlimited guarantee of all debt for 4 leading banks, with the debts totalling €700 billion at the start of the guarantee. To ensure it could take on such debts, the government announced severe cuts to education, healthcare, defence, welfare and pensions as well as reversing income tax cuts and beginning to run a deficit. These measures were unpopular with the NKP's support dissipating and anti-austerity protests being held around the country. The economic situation worsened as the government refused to apply for a bailout from the EC.
In the 2007 election the NKP again came first with 204 seats whilst radical parties on the right and left rose in seats. The NKP formed a coalition with the OR and the SDT continuing a programme of austerity to prevent any need for a bailout from the EC. During her preimiership Šalaševičiūtė built a close relationship with her Gaullican counterpart, Alexandre Lévesque.
Despite her popularity still being strong in 2009 Šalaševičiūtė announced she would resign as NKP leader to take a role in the Euclean Commission. The party elected finance minister Dietrich Wittmann as her successor. Although formally a major figure in the neue rechte faction Wittmann since shifted to a more moderate position albeit still being a strong advocate of further economic liberalisation. His government continued austerity measures but without the popular figure of Šalaševičiūtė the reforms were seen as increasingly unfair with the NKP losing popularity. The OR as a result of poor polling voted to dissolve itself in late 2009 albeit its members still supported the government whilst in 2011 Wittmann announced his retirement from politics and not contest the 2011 election. The NKP chose Wilhelm von Merkatz, considered to be on the right-wing of the party, as its leader to replace Wittmann although Wittmann remained Chancellor. The 2011 election saw the NKP predictably lose seats getting only 135 once again entering opposition.
Von Merkatz remained as leader following the 2011 elections where he emphasised the party's fiscal responsibility against the SRPO-PMZ coalition whom he accused of "reckless tax and spend" policies urging fiscal restraint. The party also became more overtly Euclesceptic with von Merkatz declaring that he would hold a referendum on the Euclo if Werania was forced to finance a bailout for countries such as Amathia or Florena.
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Von Merkatz had been the Minister-President of Wolfsfled and as a result concentrated power amongst his colleagues from his time in Wolfsfled, leading to much of the party to actively agitate against his leadership, especially the party's reformist wing. Von Merkatz was unable to increase support for the NKP especially following the Kleinmann Affair where von Merkatz was accused of taking undisclosed political donations from the construction company Kleinmann. At the 2014 Euclean elections the NKP got 27 seats - whilst this made it the largest party in the EC elections the NKP lost seats compared to the 2009 election. With general concern of von Merkatz's leadership in 2014 the centre-right faction led by Günter Schaefer successfully challenged von Merkatz for the party leadership with Schaefer becoming NKP leader.
Schaefer attempted to present the NKP as a "party of the progressive centre-right" whilst continuing to support austerity policies in order to maintain fiscal credibility to the Euclean Community. Schaefer's election as NKP leader saw them regain their place in the polls leading to the SRPO to oust their leader and Chancellor Ellis Koopmann and replace her with Viktor Oberhauser. This led to the SRPO to regain their place in the polls getting 157 seats in the 2015 election with the NKP actually losing seats, going down to 127 seats. Oberhauser formed a government with the PMZ and SDT whilst Schaefer tendered his resignation as party leader.
Following Schaefer's resignation former Defence Minister Otto von Hößlin was elected as the NKP incumbent leader. Von Hößlin's leadership has seen a shift to right-wing populist rhetoric calling for a more Euclesceptic foreign policy, tougher immigration policy and economic nationalist measures such as a promotion of Weranian goods, welfare chauvinism and ending the neoliberal policies of the SRPO-PMZ-SDT government. Von Hößlin's leadership in opposition saw support for the NKP increase due to a rightward, Euclesceptic shift in Weranic public opinion partly in response to the unpopularity of the Oberhauser government. Much of the shift to the right was promoted by NKP deputy leader Jörg Bullmann who was close to the Etrurian Tribune Movement.
The 2019 election saw the NKP attain 244 seats, the party's best result since the NKP's all time best in 1975. Von Hößlin form a coalition government with the Democratic Alternative with von Hößlin becoming the eighth NKP Chancellor.
Ideology
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The National Consolidation Party is seen as a catch-all party identifying as a "broad church party of society". The NKP was formed to represent the predominantly rural Catholic community and as such adopted policies in spirit with Sotirian democratic and agrarian philosophy. Over time it has developed into a centre-right conservative party. The NKP tends to be more conservative in social matters and interventionist in economic matters then the majority of centre-right parties in the ACDE. The NKP is a strong proponent of subsidiarity.
On economic matters, the NKP is strongly influenced by ordoliberalism, being the main party responsible for the creation of Werania's social market economy. Since the 1980's the NKP has promoted neoliberal economic policies such as privatisation and deregulation. Generally the NKP's economic policies have been described as populist due to their support of high agricultural subsidies, low taxes and generous social spending.
On social policy, the NKP has been traditionally seen as conservative opposing legalised euthanasia, supporting greater restrictions on abortion, favouring tight immigration laws and supporting nationalist policies. However, the NKP has generally been pragmatic in certain areas promising in the 2015 election not to amend the current laws surrounding abortion.
On foreign policy the NKP for much of its history has been moderately Euclesceptic party, with their position being described as supporting souverainisme. The NKP currently support reforming the Euclean Community to be more focused on economic rather than political integration. They strongly support increasing defence spending.
Factions
Due to the nature of the NKP's creation - that of a merger of parties intending to represent the broad right-wing spectrum of Weranian politics - the party contains several informal ideological factions ranging from liberals to populists. Factions tend to overlap with each other and are often informal descriptive rather then institutionalised.
- Sotirian democracts - Traditionally seen as the mainline faction within the party, tracing their heritage to the Catholic Social Party. Traditionally they opposed both free-market capitalism and socialism, instead promoting a "social market economy" based on the principles of sphere sovereignty and subsidiarity. In the 1980's they became more economically liberal and now are seen as supporting free-market economics and small government whilst maintaining a welfare state. Sotirian democrats in the party tend to support the Euclean Community with a minority favouring Euclean federalism.
- National liberals - Coming from the former National Liberal Party national liberals tend to emphasise economic liberalism combined with Weranic cultural nationalism. They are considered the most pro-business faction and largely support free trade, privatisation and individualism. On the issue of the Euclean Community they historically were in favour of greater integration although in recent years have been characterised by Euclescepticism. National liberals tend to be moderate on social issues and support secularism.
- New right - Sometimes referred to as "neoconservatives". The new right are characterised by support for free markets, financial discipline, firm control over public expenditure, tax cuts, Weranic nationalism, traditional values, privatisation, populism and hard Euclescepticism. They also support an interventionist policy abroad and are adamantly anti-socialist, with new right politicians sometimes mooting the idea of regime change on neighbouring Swetania. The new right faction declined following the creation of the Democratic Alternative although remain an influential faction within the party.
- Traditionalist conservatives - Associated with the slogan "Gott, Kaiser, Vaterland" and mainly descending from the Conservative Party. Traditionalist conservatives tend to be the most socially conservative and nationalist with some supporting völkisch politics. They tend to be moderately Euclesceptic.
- Populists - first emerging under the leadership of Johannes Zollitsch populists tend to support forms of national conservatism and economic nationalism. They tend to be the most interventionist on economic issues and the most strongly anti-immigration whilst using nationalist rhetoric. They also tend to be souverainist supporting a "Euclea of nations".
- Fiscal conservatives - The pro-business wing of the party. Whilst considered moderate on social issues they are associated with economic liberalism supporting balanced budgets and free-enterprise, being strongly critical of the populists and economic interventionism. Fiscal conservatives tend to support Euclean economic integration whilst disavowing political integration.
- Social liberals - The left-wing of the party. Social liberals support a limited welfare state based on supporting the poor whilst promoting liberal policies in the social sphere. They tend to be the most pro-Euclean of all the factions.
- Agrarianists - Mainly concerned with rural issues and supporting agrarian positions. They tend to overlap into different factions and therefore remain influential in public policy despite maintaining a reputation for populism and corruption.
- Liberal conservatives - A more recent faction liberal conservatives tend to be socially liberal whilst supporting neoliberalism in the economic sphere. Liberal conservatives also support green conservatism and are seen as more amenable to multiculturalism. In regards to the Euclean Community they tend to range from soft-Euclescepticism to Euclofederalism.
- Neoliberals - Emerging in the 1980's, neoliberals tend to emphasise further economic liberalisation above other political issues. They tend to influence most other factions in the party (excluding populists and traditionalist conservatives) but on the whole are more socially liberal and soft-Euclesceptic.
Organisation
State Lower House Seats | |
|---|---|
| Bonnlitz | 26 / 105
|
| Cislania | 47 / 199
|
| Häfkopf | 20 / 95
|
| Kolreuth | 14 / 100
|
| Prizen | 38 / 117
|
| Ruttland | 18 / 125
|
| Rotenberg | 57 / 139
|
| Westbrücken | 14 / 83
|
| Wittislich | 35 / 77
|
| Wolfsfled | 38 / 111
|
The National Consolidation Party organises itself on a federal, provincial and municipal level running in every province. At the apex of the NKP's organisation its the party federal president. The NKP president when in government is the Chancellor and when in opposition serves as the party's leader in the Volkstag. The other leaders in the party include the vice-president and the party's leaders in the Herrstag and the Volkstag. The party president is elected by the parliamentary party in the Volkstag through preference voting whenever a vacancy appears or if the party leader loses a vote of no confidence.
The highest body in the NKP is the Federal Executive Committee (FEC), which serves as the highest executive body in the NKP. The FEC is made up of 20 voting members and 5 non-voting members and is elected by delegates at the annual party conference with the exception of the party president and vice-president who are ex-officio voting members.
Unlike other parties such as the Social Democratic Radical Party of Werania the NKP has a relatively centralised organisational structure with federal branches of the party having limited autonomy. Party policy is made almost entirely by the parliamentary parties, not by the party's rank-and-file members, although NKP members do have a degree of influence over party policy within the federal conference.
The key to the NKP's success is its highly developed network of patron-client relationships on both national and local levels. Within multi-member districts NKP representatives manage local support groups to keep in touch with public opinion and gain votes and financial backing. These local support groups often were connected to the Catholic Confederation of Labour, rural mutual aid groups and the Catholic Church enabling the party to act as a locus point for financial support and mobilisation of voters. Since the 1980's there has been a decline in these local support groups with the NKP's ability to utilise patronage and pork barrel spending to farm votes being weakened.
The NKP is a member of the Alliance of Conservatives and Democrats for Euclea joining the group in 1997 under Rasa Šalaševičiūtė. As of 2019 it is the largest party in the group holding 40 seats in the Euclean parliament.
Leaders
| No. | Name (Born–Died) |
Portrait | Term in Office | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Konstantin Vogel (1898-1980) |
 |
13 May 1957 | 16 March 1963 | Served as Chancellor from 1957-1963. |
| 2 | Adolf Stahl (1910-2002) |
 |
16 March 1963 | 25 January 1966 | Served as Chancellor from 1963-1966. |
| 3 | Rudolf Wiefelspütz (1892-1973) |
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25 January 1966 | 22 February 1969 | Served as Chancellor from 1966-1969. |
| 4 | Sigmar Welskopf-Henrich (1902-1986) |
 |
22 February 1969 | 7 May 1972 | Served as Chancellor from 1969-1972. |
| 5 | Johannes Zollitsch (1910-1984) |
 |
7 May 1972 | 14 March 1977 | Served as Chancellor from 1972-1977. |
| 6 | Albrecht Spaemann (1924-2007) |
 |
14 March 1977 | 30 March 1980 | Served as Chancellor from 1977-1979. |
| 7 | Maximilian Frommel (1931-2016) |
 |
30 March 1980 | 18 September 1985 | First NKP leader not to become Chancellor. |
| 8 | Horst von Ingenohl (1932-1990) |
 |
18 September 1985 | 4 May 1987 | |
| - | Markus Müller (1940-2018) |
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4 May 1987 | 17 September 1987 | Interim leader |
| 9 | Edmund Blaurock (1934-2003) |
 |
17 September 1987 | 24 May 1996 | |
| 10 | Rasa Šalaševičiūtė (1954-) |
 |
24 May 1996 | 12 July 2009 | Served as Chancellor from 1999-2009 |
| 11 | Dietrich Wittmann (1946-) |
|
12 July 2009 | 24 February 2011 | Served as Chancellor from 2009-2011. The only leader never to lead the party in a general election. |
| 12 | Wilhelm von Merkatz (1954-) |
 |
24 February 2011 | 15 June 2014 | |
| 13 | Günter Schaefer (1956-) |
|
15 June 2014 | 3 August 2015 | |
| 14 | Otto von Hößlin (1952-) |
 |
3 August 2015 | Incumbent | Serving as Chancellor 2019-present. |
Electoral results
Volkstag
| Election | Volkstag | Rank | Government | Leader | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Seats won | +/− | ||||
| 1959 | TBA | TBA% | New | 302 / 586
|
 141
|
#1 | Majority government | Konstantin Vogel |
| 1963 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 309 / 602
|
7
|
#1 | Majority government | Adolf Stahl |
| 1966 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 292 / 602
|
17
|
#1 | Minority government | Rudolf Wiefelspütz |
| 1970 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 314 / 602
|
22
|
#1 | Majority government | Sigmar Welskopf-Henrich |
| 1972 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 302 / 602
|
12
|
#1 | Majority government | Johannes Zollitsch |
| 1975 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 325 / 579
|
23
|
#1 | Majority government | Johannes Zollitsch |
| 1979 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 186 / 579
|
139
|
#1 | Opposition | Albrecht Spaemann |
| 1983 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 202 / 579
|
16
|
#1 | Opposition | Maximilian Frommel |
| 1987 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 98 / 598
|
104
|
#2 | Opposition | Horst von Ingenohl |
| 1991 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 156 / 598
|
58
|
#2 | Opposition | Edmund Blaurock |
| 1995 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 187 / 545
|
31
|
#12 | Opposition | Edmund Blaurock |
| 1999 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 226 / 545
|
39
|
#1 | Coalition government | Rasa Šalaševičiūtė |
| 2003 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 234 / 545
|
8
|
#1 | Coalition government | Rasa Šalaševičiūtė |
| 2007 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 204 / 545
|
30
|
#1 | Coalition government | Rasa Šalaševičiūtė |
| 2011 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 135 / 545
|
69
|
#2 | Opposition | Wilhelm von Merkatz |
| 2015 | TBA | TBA% | TBA | 127 / 545
|
8
|
#2 | Opposition | Günter Schaefer |
| 2019 | 11,057,365 | 30.14% | +8.67% | 244 / 545
|
117
|
#1 | Coalition government | Otto von Hößlin |
1Compared to the 1955 seats for the NLP, KP and the KSP.
2Attained more votes then the SRPO but the same amount of seats.