Democratic Party (Imagua)

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Democratic Party

Partito Democratico
Founded1 July, 1945
Dissolved11 July, 1979
Split fromDemocratic Party of Imagua
Merged intoNational Labour Party
HeadquartersCuanstad, Imagua and the Assimas
IdeologyLiberalism (1945-1968)
Conservatism (1968-1979)
Political positionCentre to Centre-right
National affiliationDemocratic Party (1945-1948)
Colors  Gold
AnthemThe Land
Legislative Council
0 / 60
House of Commons
0 / 70

The Democratic Party (Etrurian: Partito Democratico d'Imagua) was a political party in Imagua and the Assimas. Established in 1945 when the Liberal Party renamed itself to the Democratic Party in order to affiliate itself with the Democratic Party in the United Provinces, the party would exist until its merger with the National Labour Party in 1979.

Its zenith was under the leadership of Rupert Cox from 1968 to 1980, when in the 1976 general elections, the Imaguan Party of Democrats were able to take one seat in the House of Commons, and won a by-election in 1978 which increased their presence to two members of Parliament. Due to the creation of the National Labour Party in 1978, the Democratic Party voted to merge with the National Labour Party the following year in order to avoid splitting the opposition.

History

In 1945, the Liberal Party, under the leadership of Abraham Halfacre, renamed itself to the Democratic Party, and affiiated itsef with Pierre Voloix's Democratic Party. All Liberal MPs in the parliaments of Imagua and the United Provinces became Democratic MPs.

However, as relations between Imagua and the United Provinces deteriorated, tensions grew within the Democratic Party, with many within the party, led by Herschel Ahern, seeking to merge the party with the Labour Party, while Ahern sought to preserve the party as a centrist force, and as the "voice of Imagua" within the union. In 1947, the Democratic Party split in two, with Ahern's faction voting to merge with the Labour Party to create the Democratic Labour Party. However, Halfacre remained the de-jure leader of the Democratic Party, maintaining the loyalty of five legislative councillors and himself.

In the 1948 elections, the Democratic Party lost its remaining seats in the House of Commons, despite finishing second in many Cuanstad seats. That year, after Imagua was expelled from the United Provinces, the Imaguan Democratic Party cut ties with the Democratic Party of the Golden Isles. After losing the 1952 elections, Halfacre resigned as party leader, and was succeeded by Reginald Wheeler, who was the first Bahio-Imaguan to lead an Imaguan political party. Howver, following a poor result in 1956, Wheeler was succeeded by Enoch Saunders as leader.

In 1961, Otto Newman was expelled from the Democratic Labour caucus, and affiliated himself with the Democratic Party, making him the first Democratic MP since 1948. Due to his prominence within the party, Newman took over the party leadership in 1963, and would lead the party into the 1964 election. However, after losing his seat, Newman was succeeded by Rupert Cox, who would reorient the party to be a "conservative alternative" to the Sotirian Democrats, who were associated with the "racist system" that existed on Imagua.

The party would improve their results in 1968 and 1972, but still failed to secure a seat in the House of Commons. However, in 1973, former DLP MP Clelia Pavon joined the Democratic Party, and in 1976, the Democratic Party elected its first MP since 1948 when Rupert Cox won election to his own seat, and two years later, a by-election saw Ted Branson elected for the Democratic Party.

However, in 1978, Travis Marshall and four other DLP MPs crossed the floor and formed the National Labour Party. Not wanting to split the opposition, and due to widespread support for the National Labour Party threatening the Democratic Party, the two parties merged in 1979.

Political positions

The Imaguan Party of Democrats was a centre-right political party, based on the traditional ideals of classical liberalism. However, from the late 1960s onward, the Democratic Party became a more conservative party as it sought the votes of Bahio-Imaguans who were aligned with the Sotirian Democrats, but "detested the racist policies that they had espoused."

Election results

Election Leader Candidates Seats +/- Position
1948 Abraham Halfacre 22/66
0 / 66
Steady Extra-parliamentary opposition
1952 63/63
0 / 63
Steady Extra-parliamentary opposition
1956 Reginald Wheeler 61/63
0 / 63
Steady Extra-parliamentary opposition
1960 Enoch Saunders 63/63
0 / 63
Steady Extra-parliamentary opposition
1964 Otto Newman 65/65
0 / 65
Steady Extra-parliamentary opposition
1968 Rupert Cox 64/65
0 / 65
Steady Extra-parliamentary opposition
1972 67/67
0 / 67
Steady Extra-parliamentary opposition
1976 67/67
1 / 67
Increase 1 Third party