List of political parties in Delkora
The following is a list of active political parties in Delkora. Delkoran politics is characterized by a multi-party system in which it is rare for a single party to win an outright majority at either the federal or state level, making coalition governments the norm.
History
First party system (1833-1880)
Political scientists often term the period of Delkoran politics ranging from the implementation of parliamentary government in 1833 up until the 1880 federal election the "first party system". Both federal and state politics during this period were dominated by the Liberal and Conservative parties, representing the political left and right respectively. This two-party system arose out of the majoritarian electoral system of the time, which ensured that the two major parties won nearly all seats and that one of them always formed the government. Still, a handful of minor parties, notably the Agrarians, were able to win some seats, but never enough to be influential.
The Conservative Party base primarily consisted of the aristocracy and wealthy urban merchants, while the Liberals represented rural interests, urban laborers, and the burgeoning Delkoran middle class. The Agrarians competed with the Liberals for the support of rural communities, often causing a vote splitting effect that helped elect Conservative MPs. Still, the Agrarians and Liberals often voted together on account of their shared support for land reform, small business, and limited government.
Other notable parties of the period included the Democratic Farmer's Party (later succeeded by the Rally for Community and Solidarity) and the Republican Party (later split between Left Republicans, who ultimately merged with the Radical Front, and Free Republicans).
Second party system (1880-1940)
The 1880 federal election marked a major shift in Delkoran politics, in that National Labor gained a large number of seats, displacing the Liberals as the largest left-wing party in parliament. The two governed in a coalition during the chancellorship of Magnus Brom from 1880 to 1888. Brom's government successfully passed legislation implementing proportional representation, which came into effect for the 1884 federal election.
This helped solidify a relatively stable three-party system in which National Labor, the Conservative Party, and the Liberals competed to lead government formation. The Liberal Party was frequently the junior coalition partner in governments of this period, often serving the role of centrist kingmaker, and participated in both National Labor and Conservative-led governments.
Unexpectedly, proportional representation caused a degree of consolidation among smaller parties, triggering the splits and reorganisations of the Democratic Farmers and Republicans among others.
Third party system (1940-1998)
The Liberal Party split of 1940 marked the induction of the third party system. The Liberal Party was reshaped as a solidly leftist social democratic party closely aligned with NL following the departure of the party's classical liberal Højre faction, which broke away to form the Reform Party and joined Veidnar Albendor's government.
Despite having an advantage at the start, Reform lost support and faded from politics (later merging into the Union of Technocrats and Reformists), forcing the Conservative Party to rely much more heavily on the Agrarian Party. Elections in this period were thus generally contests between the NL-Liberal coalition and the Conservative-Agrarian coalition, with smaller parties such as the Moderates occasionally playing important roles.
The 1953 Banking Crisis and subsequent economic depression caused a high-water mark of support for far-left parties such as the Communist People's Union and Rally for Community and Solidarity. These parties, as well as NL, would see a gradual increase in their seat share throughout the 1950's as public confidence in the Albendor government wanted.
The 1959 federal election produced a rare single-party majority in the Chamber of Representatives when National Labor gained an outright majority after right-wing parties experienced an unprecedented collapse in support prompted by the dire economic situation. Historians often credit the party's sweeping victory to the "Elvensar Coalition" forged by National Labor leader Mette Elvensar, an alliance of the party's traditional urban working class base and two social cleavages that had traditionally supported more moderate or right-wing parties, namely the rural working class, which had traditionally supported the Agrarian Party, and the middle class, which had normally supported either the Conservatives or the Liberal Party. Both of these groups defected to National Labor in response to deteriorating economic conditions caused by the depression of the 1950s.
Throughout its time in office, National Labor benefited from its new cooperation with the Liberal Party. Even when in the opposition, the Liberals often voted for key components of National Labor's New Kingdom economic reforms, and cast the deciding votes in favor of the Economic Rights Amendment of 1976. When National Labor lost its independent majority in the 1975 federal election, it entered into a coalition agreement with the Liberals, and the two would govern together until 1983.
Fourth party system (1998-present)
The pivotal development that marked the start of the fourth party system was the emergence of the Green Party as a major political force in the 1998 federal election. Founded in 1972, the party had been politically insignificant aside from a string of victories in state and local elections in the early 1990's. A key turning point came with the Halmodryn Lead Scandal of 1997, which helped the Greens gain a large number of seats in parliament the following year.
There was initially concern among left-wing activists that the presence of three strong leftist parties in parliament would make it easier for right-wing governments to form, as the political right was much more unified under the Conservative Party and its junior coalition partner, the Agrarians. This proved to be the case in the 2002, 2006, and 2010 federal elections. In all three elections, the Liberals, National Labor, and Greens collectively won more seats than the Conservative-Agrarian coalition, but the only left-wing government that could be formed was a barely viable minority government led by the Greens and a handful of minor parties from 2002 to 2006.
Led by its moderate faction, the Liberal Party was hesitant to work with the Greens for fear its radical agenda would alienate the party's moderate base. This changed with the election of Adric Azengaard as party leader in 2010, who sought to forge the country's first traffic light coalition, succeeding in the lead up to the 2014 federal election. The coalition was subsequently returned with a larger majority in the 2018 federal election, and the three parties continue to govern in a stable coalition arrangement.
The defining features of the fourth party system have been the increasing unity of the Delkoran left manifested in the stable electoral alliance of the Liberals, National Labor, and Greens, as well as a general leftward shift in the Delkoran political spectrum as the moderate New Conservatives have gained power in the Conservative Party, moving it to the left on a number of economic and social issues.
Parties in the Federal Parliament
| Political Party | Current Leader | Ideology | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Party (Liberale Parti) | Adric Azengaard | Social democracy, social liberalism | Centre-left | |
| National Labor (National Arbejdskraft) | Andreas Støvring | Democratic socialism | Left-wing | |
| The Greens (De Grønne) | Margrethe Heldenvar | Green politics, eco-socialism | Centre-left to Left-wing | |
| Conservative Party (Konservative Parti) | Thorbjørn Gundersen | Liberal conservatism, economic liberalism | Centre-right | |
| Agrarian Party (Agrariske Parti) | Frans Kjær | Agrarianism | Centre to centre-right | |
| Alliance (Alliance) | Elsa Tolstrup | Delkoran nationalism, right-wing populism, nativism | Far-right | |
| Radical Front (Radikal Front) | Olbren Brødsgaard | Anarcho-communism, libertarian socialism | Far-left | |
| Lebøvian People's Party (Lebøvesk Folkeparti) | Bjarnfríð Pedersen | Regionalism, social conservatism | Centre-right | |
| Free Republicans (Frie Republikanere) | Erik Holdergaard | Classical liberalism, libertarianism, republicanism | Right-wing | |
Other parties
| Party | Ideology | Political position | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pirate Party (Pirat Parti) | Civil libertarianism, direct democracy, E-democracy | Far-left | Jonas Ovesen |
| Eco-Anarchist Alliance (Økologisk Anarkist Alliance) | Green anarchism | Far-left | Sabiyya Rahmani |
| Syaran National Party (Syarsk National Parti) | Minority politics | Centre | Zvonimir Dodlek |
| Communist People's Union (Kommunist Folkeunion) | Left communism | Far-left | Emil Thøgersen |
| The Moderates (Moderaterne) | Centrism, economic liberalism | Centre | Jon Lund |
| United Leftist Front (Forenet Venstreorienteret Front) | Authoritarian socialism | Far-left | Brette Kalbenfjorn |
| Rally for Community and Solidarity (Samle for Samfund og Solidaritet) | Libertarian municipalism, agrarian socialism | Far-left | Ingrid Jeppesen |
| Uprising (Opstand) | Left-wing populism, left-wing nationalism | Left-wing | Jakob Daerensen |
| Feminist Action League (Feministisk Handling Liga) | Feminism, anarcha-feminism | Left-wing | Sara Birk |
| Christian Alliance (Kristen Alliance) | Minority politics, Christian democracy | Centre-right | Viktor Laska |
| Social Justice Rally (Social Retfærdighed Samle) | Spiritual left, Vallyar socialism | Centre-left | Klara Fordgrensen |
| Union of Technocrats and Reformists (Sammenslutning af Teknokrater og Reformister) | Neo-liberalism, radical centrism | Centre to centre-right | Mads Nielsen |
| Freedom and Liberty Party (Fraeher og Rettigheder Parti) | Anarcho-capitalism | Far-right | Felix Berg |
| Traditionalist League (Traditionel Liga) | Traditionalist conservatism, national conservatism | Far-right | Herbert Hedegaard |