Liberal Party (Satavia)
Liberal Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Blake Goodwin |
| Deputy Leader | Silumko Malinga |
| General Secretary | Andrew Garnet |
| Founder | Jacobus Pienaar |
| Founded | September 1, 1906 |
| Headquarters | 136 Morwall Street, Port Hope |
| Youth wing | Young Liberals |
| Ideology | Liberalism Social democracy |
| Political position | Centre to left-wing |
| Colours | Orange |
| Slogan | "For a Fair Future" |
| House of Representatives | 48 / 152
|
| Senate | 43 / 96
|
| Province/territory governments | 4 / 8
|
| Province/territory legislative assemblies | 186 / 594
|
| Website | |
| liberals | |
The Liberal Party is a Satavian political party that encompasses a wide range of ideologies from centre to left-wing. The Liberal Party operates at all levels of governance in Satavia and is one of the two major political parties that have dominated Satavian politics since 1976, alongside the Conservative & Country Party.
The Liberal Party was first formed during the Crisis of 1906, a period of political and social instability in Satavia. The Satavian electorate was generally right-wing at the time, and consequently, no left-wing party had ever seen major electoral success. Jacobus Pienaar founded the Liberal Party during this time of political instability as a centrist alternative to the other major parties operating at the time; the Conservative Party, Country Party and United Party. Pienaar's Liberals soon gained popularity; in 1909 the Liberal Party were elected as the first majority government in four years. Pienaar's premiership was devoted to improving the quality of life for Satavians, and Satavia's government debt increased massively during this period. The Great Collapse in 1913 collapsed Pienaar's administration, and Pienaar was forced to call a snap election in 1915, which saw him lose a landslide electoral defeat to United's Sydney Warwick. The Liberals would return to power after Sydney Warwick's resignation in the run-up to the 1927 when Edward Limes won the election in a landslide victory. Limes' government was almost immediately encumbered with the Great War and the Fall of Satavia forced Limes to relocate to Caldia for the duration of the War. Following Limes' re-election in 1935 Satavian general election, and with the abolition of the Estmerish monarchy imminent, Limes proclaimed the Union of Satavia as an independent country, thereby completing the Liberal Party's stated aim of abolishing the monarchy in Satavia. Limes won re-election in 1936, and continued to govern despite his deteriorating health until he was deposed and removed from power in the February Coup of 1939 by Field Marshal Harrison and the National Party. After the coup, the Liberal Party would be banned but would continue operating underground for the entirety of the National Dictatorship's existence.
Following the 1976 Satavian coup d'état, the ban on the Liberal Party was lifted and they were allowed to contest the 1976 Satavian federal election. Eric Edwards was elected as the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Satavia since 1939, and began a period of reforms whilst fighting a low-level insurgency during the Satavian Crisis. Edwards would win re-election with a supermajority in 1980 but having negotiated an end to the Satavian Crisis chose to stand down in early 1984, handing over power to Leander Kokkinakis who had won the 1984 Liberal leadership election. Kokkinakis, who himself was elected with a supermajority in 1984, launched a series of progressive reforms during his tenure as Prime Minister that was cut short following the Scott Affair which forced Kokkinakis to resign from government. His successor, Maximilian Dumfries was a member of the extreme left wing of the Liberal Party and his disastrous economic policies and divisive politics exposed huge cracks within the Liberal Party that lead to the largest number of defections in Satavian political history, as 47 MPs and 35 senators crossed the floor to either become independents or joining the minor SSDP and even the Conservative & Country party. Dumfries' government collapsed and he was forced to call the 1987 snap election which resulted in a landslide defeat for the Liberal party. Nonetheless, the Liberals were returned to power with John Barrett in the 1994 election but would ultimately be forced to call for another election two years later after the effective failure of Barrett's government to enact their electoral promises. The 1998 election would see Milo Malan win the election by the narrowest recorded margin in Satavian history, but serious allegations of electoral fraud were made following the election. Malan would be forced to resign in 2001 after the Hope Post revealed evidence of major electoral fraud and malpractice across key divisions. Malan's replacement, Andries Kuiper would last only 20 days before calling for an election; one that he would lose in a record defeat, only lasting 65 days as Prime Minister. It would be sixteen years of parliamentary opposition before the Liberal party was returned to power thanks to the Van Schalkwyk debacle and the controversial removal of sitting Prime Minister Jago Elliot by factions within the Conservative & Country Party. Jan McKinley became Prime Minister in 2017 but would face serious challenges from within the deeply divided Liberal Party - in late 2019 to early 2020, McKinley defeated seven leadership challenges in six months. After many members of the left wing of the party crossed the floor to join the LSDP, McKinley lost his majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives, forcing him to call an election in 2020, which the Liberal Party lost.
Since May 2022, Blake Goodwin has been the leader of the opposition and of the Liberal Party, whilst Silumko Malinga has been the deputy leader.