Chartist Bloc

Chartist Party Partit Chartistes
Leader	Lucatiel Lorett
Deputy Leader	Ferran Artigas
Senate Leader	Christian Boissieu
Founder	Alexis Oyonax Henri de Châtelier Patrice Malouines
Founded	1791 (1791)
Headquarters	Capetia, Lotrič
Youth wing	Chartist Future
Ideology	Classical Liberalism Conservatism
Political position	Centre-right
Aeian Parliament	Democratic Bloc
Colours	Buff
Public Assembly	182 / 600
Senate	29 / 100
Election symbol
PC
Political parties Elections

The Chartist party (Midrasian: Partit Chartistes), is a Midrasian classical liberal and conservative political party formed by a number of more liberal inclined politicians following the Midrasian Revolution, but most notably Alexis Oyonax, Henri de Châtelier and Patrice Malouines. 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. In the early Twentieth Century however the party's vote base began to slip, with the party first suffering a split with a number of social liberals breaking off to form the Liberal League and secondly to the Social Democratic Party. The party was soon relegated to the tier of third-party, and was increasingly isolated during the tenure of the National Coalition government.

However, with the decline of the red scare and the increasingly authoritarian streak of the Coalition, the Chartists saw a revival in their fortunes. The party was bolstered by a number of defections from the Nationalists and the rise of neoliberal economics in the democratic world. The Chartists formed a majority government in 1973, governing successively until 1994. Despite defeat in two elections, the Chartists returned in 2002 under the leadership of Julia Le Bonn. The Chartists retained their position in 2013 when they lost out to the Social Democrats. Today the Chartists remain in opposition, however were able to make considerable gains in the 2017 election under the leadership of Lucatiel Lorett, winning 182 seats in the Public Assembly and 29 in the Senate.

History

Chartism

Chartists were individuals who supported the creation of a constitutional charter to limit the power of the Midrasian monarch and codify a set of rights to be enjoyed by the subjects of the Midrasian Kingdom. The Chartist movement played an integral role in the outbreak of the Midrasian Revolution and the creation of the modern constitutional monarchy enjoyed today. The Chartists were opposed to the Feuillants who supported a strong monarchy, with a social contract between the subjects and the monarch. Whilst a number of chartist were initially republicans, an increasing number advocated constitutional monarchy following the disorder of the revolution, eventually playing a role in drafting the constitution itself.

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 individual rights and liberties for citizens. The Chartists would govern Midrasia unopposed for twenty years when they were ousted by the Feuillants. The Chartists would regain the Premiership in 1816 however the increasing popularity of the newly formed Conservative Party saw the Chartist reform into an official political party along modern lines.

Bourgogne era

At the 1961 election, the Chartists officially overtook National Coalition to be confirmed as the second largest party in Midrasian politics, with 117 seats. This was still considerably short of the Social Democrats 268 seats. In spite of this over the following years the Chartists were able to greatly increase its share of the vote, absorbing the vast majority of the former CN vote, allowing the party to represent the mainstream Midrasian right-wing. The party was also greatly aided by the wider financial crisis taking place across Asura. With an increasing number coming to denounce the existing keynesian economic status quo, more neoliberal approaches gained significant traction within the party throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. At the 1973 election, the Chartists were able to secure a landslide majority with 272 seats to the PSDs 149, allowing the party to enter government for the first time in its existence.

François Bourgogne led the Chartists to four consecutive election victories

Under François Bourgogne the Chartists entered a period of unparalleled dominance of Midrasian politics, significantly aiding the party's program of economic liberalisation and reform. The Bourgogne government sought to improve the country's ailing economic situation by privatising unprofitable government assets and industries, clamping down on trade unions and orienting the country toward a more low-tax, free trade economy. Bourgogne's government succeeded in greatly bolstering the Midrasian economy and its competitiveness over his four terms in government. The Chartists also reformed labour laws under Bourgogne's tenure as leader and greatly revised the Midrasian tax system. The Bourgogne government also intervened within the ASU Civil War playing a vital role in the downfall of the Aeian Socialist Union.

Bourgogne stepped down in 1988 after winning four consecutive elections with sizeable parliamentary majorities. Citing his failing health as the reason for his departure, Bourgogne nominated Jean Portucale as his successor, who was quickly confirmed as Prime Minister following a leadership election the same year. Whilst the economically the party retained its neoliberal principals, in terms of foreign policy, the government began to engage in a rapprochement with its neighbour Veleaz in the aftermath of the ASU Civil War. Hoping to build new ties and see the Veleazan state emerge as a fledgling democracy, the Chartists began talks to hand over the island of Alzur which had been a Veleazan possession before the Great War. Violent clashes in the past between Midrasian settlers and Veleazan nationals on the island had contributed to a period of widespread political instability on the island for a number of years, and the Chartists viewed the handover as a notable gesture toward a new relationship. Despite somewhat warming relations, the return of violence to the island and the Veleazan government's refusal to democratise led relations to be severed, greatly damaging the Chartists' political reputation. The scandal led the Chartists to lose its majority to the PSD in the subsequent election.

Le Bonn era

Julia le Bonn was the first elected female Prime Minister of Midrasia, serving between 2002 and 2011

Despite falling into opposition following the 1994 general election, the Chartists remained in a powerful position. The slim majority of the Pegrant government, especially after the 1999 election allowed the Chartists to wield considerable power within the Public Assembly. Following the election defeat, party leader Jean Portucale stepped down to be replaced by Julia le Bonn, the first female leader of the Chartists. Whilst under le Bonn the party retained many elements of its neoliberal economic policy, the party softened its social attitudes somewhat. The emergence of a sex scandal involving Prime Minister Pegrant however allowed the Chartists to return to government in 2002, with Julia le Bonn as the first officially elected female Prime Minister.

The landslide majority won by the party in 2002 gave the party considerable power over the legislative agenda, however the Chartist government chose not to reverse the parliamentary reforms initiated under the PSD. Throughout le Bonn's three terms in office, the Chartists were notable for pushing for the legalisation of civil partnerships between same-sex couples and expanding social care to cover a number of mental conditions. The le Bonn government also broke somewhat with the traditional Capetist ideology of the Chartists, opting to bolster ties with Midrasia's neighbours, introducing a number of new customs agreements and paving the way for the creation of the Asuran single-market in 2016. In 2011 Julia le Bonn chose to step down as party leader, citing her three consecutive election victories and her belief that she had 'fulfilled all she set out to do'. le Bonn was replaced by Chancellor Mylos Ranieri in the subsequent leadership election, who became the first foreign born Prime Minister of Midrasia. Under Ranieri, the party dropped many of its more controversial economic arrangements in favour of a more balanced centrist approach and greater governmental intervention. Yet, despite the Chartists continued popularity throughout the early 2000s, the party was only able to secure 202 seats in the 2009 election, giving the party a very slim majority. This, in conjunction with increasing divisions between the party's moderate wing and traditional conservative backbenches is seen to have squandered the Chartists legislative agenda in the early 2010s. By 2012 the party had fallen considerably within the polls, and the Chartists suffered its worst election defeat in history, winning only 123 seats in the 2013 election. Party leader Ranieri resigned almost immediately following the election results.

Post-2013

Lucatiel Lorett on the campaign trail in 2017

Since the party's defeat in the 2013 election the Chartists has entered a period of division and uncertainty. Division within both the party membership and its elected MPs has appeared over the future direction of the party, with many backbench MPs favouring a return to the traditional conservatism and radical free market philosophy which characterised the Bourgogne era. By contrast more moderate members of the party have favoured the party moving toward a more centrist direction, playing down ardent neoliberal policy in favour of fiscal responsibility and an openness toward social policy. Whilst between 2014 and 2015 the party was led by Fabian Erarde, he stood down following a number of poor media performances. Erarde was also rather unpopular with the more moderate members of the party for his controlling leadership tendencies and his historical record regarding social policy and LGBT rights.

In 2014 Lucatiel Lorett was elected to the leadership of the party, becoming the second woman in history to do so. Lorett has focused on a moderate future path for the party, balancing the needs of backbench MPs with the reformist wing of the party. Despite efforts at reform, many within the party have suggested that much more needs to be done to allow the Chartists to be elected once more. The country's fatigue with successive Chartist governance in conjunction with internal divisions within the party have led many to believe the party would be unable to win the upcoming election in 2017. Despite this, the party made minor gains in terms of their share of the vote, however lost overall in terms of seats in both houses under the new electoral system, with the party winning 182 seats in the Assembly and 29 in the Senate. Since the election a number of backbenchers have openly criticised Lorett's leadership, however they remain in a minority, with a large number of Chartist MPs signing a letter of confidence in Lorett.

Ideology

The Chartist Party identifies itself as a classical liberal political party with conservative elements, usually adopting more neoliberal economic stances with more conservative social policies. However, in recent years the party has begun to ease its attitude toward social policy and has indicated its support for a referendum on same-sex marriage. The party is generally Asurophilic, encouraging cooperation with other like-minded democratic Asuran nations. The party is regarded as interventionist in foreign policy and tends to uphold policies considered Capetist, specifically in its attitude towards Wallais and Veleaz.

The party's main platform as outlined in their 2017 manifesto is as follows:

• Introduce a 'triple lock' guarantee on national pensions
• Reduction in the headline rate of corporation tax to 25 cents
• Reform of the national curriculum to allow for the creation of free schools
• Abolition of local planning orders and reform of planning permission laws
• A commitment to balancing the national budget by 2020
• Introduce a 2-year residency requirement for migrants seeking to claim benefits
• Bolster police and cyber-security forces in an effort to combat terrorism
• Mandate that identification be required to vote in future general elections
• Maintenance of Midrasia's independent Capetist foreign policy outlook

Electoral Performance

Parliament

Election year	Public Assembly				Government
	# of overall votes	% of overall vote	# of overall seats won	+/–
1791			146 / 207	146	in government
1796			132 / 207	14	in government
1801			133 / 215	1	in government
1806			111 / 219	22	in government
1811			99 / 225	12	in opposition
1816			115 / 225	5	in government
1822			83 / 232	32	in opposition
1827			102 / 255	19	in opposition
1831			124 / 265	24	in opposition
1836			140 / 275	16	in government
1840			147 / 301	7	in opposition
1844			151 / 300	5	in government
1846			102 / 321	49	in opposition
1850			146 / 321	44	in opposition
1855			221 / 321	75	in government
1858			228 / 350	7	in government
1862			199 / 375	29	in government
1866	2,710,003	36.2 %	178 / 382	21	in opposition
1871	3,104,111	38.9 %	210 / 401	32	in government
1875	2,378,564	32.1 %	155 / 412	65	in opposition
1879	2,589,622	34.0 %	167 / 412	12	in opposition
1884	3,794,289	39.8 %	212 / 412	45	in government
1889	2,498,621	31.2 %	160 / 415	52	in opposition
1893	2,643,021	33.9 %	174 / 415	14	in opposition
1900	4,204,063	44.2 %	261 / 417	87	in government
1905	3,801,115	38.6 %	201 / 403	60	in government
1909	3,303,443	26.3 %	129 / 403	79	in opposition
1914	3,573,987	28.5 %	133 / 407	4	in opposition
1920	3,111,065	20.6 %	110 / 418	33	in opposition
1924	3,843,486	24.2 %	124 / 419	14	in coalition
1927	3,604,640	21.9 %	98 / 423	26	in opposition
1930	3,492,028	16.2 %	63 / 426	35	in opposition
1935	3,669,858	9.2 %	44 / 443	19	in opposition
1937	3,171,070	16.8 %	71 / 443	27	in opposition
1946	4,117,375	15.6 %	66 / 452	5	in opposition
1951	4,335,292	14.9 %	60 / 445	6	in opposition
1956	7,612,098	16.2 %	65 / 433	5	in opposition
1961	9,666,516	21.7 %	117 / 441	52	in opposition
1965	10,521,833	24.9 %	155 / 441	38	in opposition
1968	11,353,689	27.1 %	208 / 437	53	in opposition
1973	19,787,731	42.6 %	272 / 431	64	in government
1976	21,045,272	48.4 %	296 / 420	24	in government
1980	21,780,574	45.7 %	288 / 420	9	in government
1985	22,295,153	45.9 %	278 / 423	10	in government
1990	18,065,209	37.1 %	224 / 416	54	in coalition
1994	15,874,012	31.6 %	149 / 416	75	in opposition
1999	17,324,453	35.3 %	174 / 400	25	in opposition
2002	20,605,213	42.6 %	250 / 400	68	in government
2005	16,591,785	39.4 %	236 / 400	14	in government
2009	19,890,205	36.8 %	198 / 400	38	in coalition
2013	13,653,930	23.0 %	123 / 400	75	in opposition
2017	16,150,652	27.3 %	182 / 600	59	in opposition

Aeian Parliament

Election year	# of overall votes	% of overall vote	# of overall seats won	+/–
2016	3,924,239	24.9 %	27 / 110