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.
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 MFPs. Still, the Agrarians and Liberals often voted together on account of their shared support for land reform, small business, and limited government.
Second Party System (1880-1959)
The 1880 Federal Election marked a major shift in Delkoran politics, in that the National Labor Party 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 Jordlan 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.
Third Party System (1959-2002)
The 1959 Federal Election produced the country's first single-party majority in the Chamber of Representatives when National Labor gained an outright majority following the collapse of the Conservative-Agrarian coalition. 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 1950's.
Another important consequence of the 1959 Federal Election was a leftward shift in the Liberal Party, whose classical liberal wing was decimated along with the Conservatives and Agrarians. This enabled the party's social democratic faction to take over and reshape the party, which went from being a centrist kingmaker to a solidly centre-left party closely aligned with National Labor. 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 1969. 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. As a result of the Liberals becoming reliable coalition partners for National Labor, the Conservative Party now had to rely much more heavily on the Agrarian Party.
Fourth Party System (2002-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 late 1980's and 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.
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 were only able to form a barely viable minority government consisting of the Greens and National Labor supported on supply and confidence by the Liberals in 2002.
Led by its moderate faction, the Liberal Party was hesitant to govern 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 2012, 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 (Leberalet Partae) | Adric Azengaard | Social democracy, social liberalism | Centre-left | |
| National Labor (Nasjonet Arbeite) | Aerindel Faldyr | Democratic socialism, syndicalism | Centre-left to left-wing | |
| The Greens (Dus Groenen) | Margrethe Heldenvar | Green politics, eco-socialism | Left-wing | |
| Conservative Party (Konservatet Partae) | Tyrian Geldemar | Liberal conservatism, economic liberalism | Centre-right | |
| Agrarian Party (Agrariet Partae) | Gremwald Adelvyr | Agrarianism | Centre to centre-right | |
| Alliance (Allianze) | Gaerna Seibenholt | Delkoran nationalism, right-wing populism, nativism | Far-right | |
| Radical Front (Radikaletforsent) | Olbren Gastengar | Anarcho-communism, libertarian socialism | Far-left | |
| Faurelia First (Faurelya Forst) | Aesa Haldebryr | Regionalism, social conservatism | Centre-right | |
| Free Republicans (Fraet Republikanen) | Erik Holderbaard | Classical liberalism, libertarianism, republicanism | Right-wing | |
Other parties
| Party | Ideology | Political position | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pirate Party (Pyrate Partae) | Civil libertarianism, direct democracy, E-democracy | Far-left | Telgar Farnhelm |
| Eco-Anarchist Alliance (Eko-Anarkistet Allianze) | Green anarchism | Far-left | Sabiyya Rahmani |
| Syaran National Party (Syarsk Nasjonet Partae) | Minority politics | Centre | Zvonimir Dodlek |
| Traditionalist League (Traditionalistet Laege) | Traditionalist conservatism, national conservatism | Far-right | Herbert Dorschmund |
| Union of Technocrats and Reformists (Unien od Teknokraten ond Reformisten) | Neo-liberalism, radical centrism | Centre to centre-right | Telvenorn Darberzgaard |
| United Leftist Front (Forbenundet Vonstreforsent) | Authoritarian socialism | Far-left | Brette Kalbenfjorn |
| Rally for Community and Solidarity (Rally fur Komunitei ond Solidaritei) | Libertarian municipalism, agrarian socialism | Far-left | Ingrid Valderkar |
| Uprising (Oprestande) | Left-wing populism, left-wing nationalism | Left-wing | Jakob Daerensen |
| Christian Alliance (Kristianet Allianze) | Minority politics, Christian democracy | Centre-right | Viktor Laska |
| Feminist Action League (Feministet Aktien Laege) | Feminism, anarcha-feminism | Left-wing | Sara Bardeschunde |
| Social Justice Rally (Sozialet Raedvige Rally) | Spiritual left, Vallyar socialism | Centre-left | Klara Fordgrensen |
| The Moderates (Dus Moderaten) | Centrism, economic liberalism | Centre-right | Jon Karlzfar |
| Freedom and Liberty Party (Fraeher ond Lebertei Partae) | Anarcho-capitalism | Far-right | Aranorn Vystergaard |
| Federalist Party (Bondeseret Partae) | States' rights, limited government | Centre-right | Veidnar Haerenzvolt |