Midrasia First
Midrasia First Mydrazia Premiére | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Claude Foucault |
| Deputy Leader | Jean Luc Renchamp |
| Founded | 4 July 2006 |
| Headquarters | Hemenstoir, Lotrič |
| Ideology | Nationalism Right-wing populism Anti-immigration |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Parliamentary Bloc | Chartist |
| Colours | Maroon |
| Public Assembly | 52 / 572
|
| Senate | 9 / 300
|
| Election symbol | |
| MP | |
Midrasia First (Midrasian: Mydrazia Premiére) is a right-wing populist and nationalist political party in Midrasia. The party is a member of the Chartist Bloc within the country's political bloc system. Formed in 2006 out of the various asurasceptic and nationalist movements opposed to greater Midrasian integration with its Asuran neighbours, Midrasia First has since become the largest asurasceptic force in Midrasian politics, boasting 52 seats within the Public Assembly and 9 seats in the Senate. The party also holds 1 seat within the Aeian Parliament. The party has also come to be the largest on the Midrasian right wing, especially following the merger of the Midrasian National Party with Midrasia First.
History
Early Asurascepticism
The wider Asurasceptic movement can be seen to have emerged in Midrasia in the late 1970s, when the government was seriously considering applying to join the West Asuran Concordat. Many believed that joining the organisation would be in violation of the Capetist ideology which had governed Midrasian foreign policy since the late 1930s. Whilst the government eventually did not opt to join WACO, due to its policy regarding neutrality, successive governments maintained a commitment to forming some sort of accord with Midrasia's neighbours. Eventually, when the UDA government announced that it was beginning negotiations with Asuran neighbours for some form of political union, a number of high profile Midrasian right-wingers banded together to form Midrasia First, in an attempt to assert Midrasian sovereignty and economic independence.
Midrasian National Party
The Midrasian National Party was created as a successor to the National Coalition in 1958. Whilst the party initially enjoyed considerable success, earning 45 seats in the 1961 election, this paled in comparison with the popularity enjoyed by the CN. Throughout the following decades the party quickly haemorrhaged support to the UDA, with the MNP only managing to secure six seats in the 1973 parliamentary elections. The party mostly saw itself as the direct descendant of the CN and the National Party which preceded it. Advocating for greater military spending and a harder line toward immigration, the party gained considerable support both from communities with high levels of immigration and some disaffected working-class communities. The vast majority of the MNPs support came from regions such as Argois and Elsouf.
Despite this, the party continued to decline throughout the 21st century, only earning 2 seats within the 2013 election, with the vast majority of the party's support lost to Midrasia First. With a number of high-profile donors also moving to back Midrasia First, the PNM leadership began to consider options for greater cooperation with other right-wing groups in order to maintain electoral relevancy.
Early Years
The party was able to gain considerable support from a number of Midrasian businessmen, giving the party considerable financial resources upon its founding. The party also gained considerable support from a number of Midrasian right-wing newspapers, such as Le Courrier which had been greatly opposed to the creation of an Asuran union. This newfound financial capital, along with the backing of a number of media outlets allowed the party to gain 8 seats in the 2009 election, mostly at the expense of the MNP and UDA who had embraced a more pro-Asuran policy under the leadership of Mylos Ranieri.
In the 2013 election the party was able to build upon its existing successes, earning 14 seats within the Assembly and increasing its Senate total to 2 seats. The party attracted a significant amount of support away from the MNP by expanding away from single-issue politics to focus on anti-immigration and Midrasian foreign policy.
MNP Merger
In April of 2015, the Midrasian National Party, amid falling poll ratings and support announced that it was to officially merge with Midrasia First. The general decline of the MNP has seen movements for greater cooperation between the Midrasian right emerge in the past. However, it was not until Patrice Noutale was elected leader of the MNP that talks intensified between the two parties. The agreement reached by the two parties would see both parties MPs sit together in the Senate and Assembly, whilst high ranking members of the MNP would gain high positions within the party. This merger saw the party increase its total from 14 MPs to 16. Within the Chartist Bloc's primary elections, Midrasia First candidate Claude Foucault performed very well, reaching the final runoff stages against Republican candidate Lucatiel Lorett. The party performed very well within the 2017 elections gaining 13 seats. Much of this boost in support has been put down to backlash against the Midrasian Spring and the rise in nationalist and identitarian movements across the country. The party gained a further 23 seats during the 2019 mid-terms, the single largest increase in seats during the party's entire history.
Ideology
Midrasia First identifies itself as a populist, asurasceptic party, however many of its policies have been regarded as nationalist and anti-immigrant. The party itself denies that it is anti-immigrant and far right, instead suggesting that the party is in favour of 'positive migration from culturally and politically similar nations'.
The party's platform as outlined in their 2017 manifesto is as follows:
- Referendum on Midrasia's membership of the Aeian Community
- Introduction of a points-based immigration system
- Tightening of Midrasian restrictions on Veleaz
- Constitutional provisions for national referenda on important issues
- Bolster Midrasia's ties with Newrey, Aramas, and Romellea
- Reform of the Midrasian tax system
- End government subsidies for inefficient industries
Electoral performance
Parliament
| Election year | Public Assembly | Government | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of overall votes |
% of overall vote |
# of overall seats won |
+/– | ||
| 2009 | 848,423 | 0.7 % | 4 / 570
|
 4
|
in coalition |
| 2013 | 1,992,162 | 2.5 % | 14 / 572
|
10
|
in opposition |
| 2017 | 3,312,954 | 5.1 % | 29 / 572
|
13
|
in opposition |
Aeian Parliament
| Election year | # of overall votes |
% of overall vote |
# of overall seats won |
+/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 144,156 | 0.9 % | 1 / 110
|