Socialist Question (Seketan)

The Socialist Question is a Seketese political paradox surrounding the left-wing Socialist Party and Seketan post the 1978 Seketese revolution. It was first described in political scientist Simeon Braja's 2000 book The Socialist Question: Authoritarian rule after the Kjedorates, published soon after the 1999 Seketese election which had resulted in the defeat of the short-lived James Marksonn Conservative government. In his book, Braja poised that despite the fall of Seketan's authoritarian Kjedorate regime in 1978, the unbroken electoral success of the Socialists from 1978-1996, plus their quick parliamentary toppling of Marksonn's government, raised questions about whether they had just become a new Kjeodrate regime.

Today, Braja's theory has been largely disproven by the wider Seketese political science community and the electoral success of opposition parties at the state and national levels. The "question" was widely viewed as resolved after the National Conservatives under Tomas Serdoa won three elections in a row, 2005, 2006, and 2010. Despite the Socialists returning to power between 2014-2021, the victory of the anti-establishment party Our Revolution in 2021 has been viewed by political commentators as finally putting an end to the "question".

Background

Seketan has a long history of authoritarian and single party rule. Like many European nations, it was originally born as a feudal monarchy in the 11th century, eventually becoming a semi-absolute monarchy with a largely toothless legislature by the 18th century. The Kingdom was absorbed into the Nelbec Empire in the late 1800s, with its legislative Hérvynsken earning more powers under the empire, though still remaining largely under the thumb of the Nelbec Emporer. Seketese language and cultural rights were largely respected under the Empire, with the language of day-to-day politics being in Seketese. Minority & non-Nelbec languages and cultures like Fjeskan and Trjebian were suppressed by the imperial system. An Imperial decree in 1902 permitted only the use of Nelbec languages (Alquiyan, Seketese, and Wilsk) in public life. With the outbreak of World War 1 the imperial government cracked down hard on anti-war and anti-government speech to promote the war effort.

The Cross Pattee Alisee, the symbol of the Kjedorate Regime

Riots in the Fjeska sector of Loria

With the Nelbec Empires' defeat in the First World War, the newly independent Republic of Seketan would be the nation's first stint with democracy. After defeating the rebel Sosymet Republic, a parliamentary democracy was established by the victorious Kjedorate Party with the Hérvynsken at the centre. The first Republican government would prove to be short-lived, and shortly after the civil war, a new Federalized Seketes Republic would be established, bringing Wilskland into the fold with a strong presidency and a Federal Assembly, though it mostly existed to echo legislation passed by the Hérvynsken in Seketan. Simmering tensions between Wilsk Nationalists, pro-democracy parties, and the Nelborne War would lead to the eventual restructuring of the federation into a unitary-presidential system, with the Kjedorate Party at the top, known as the Third Seketese Republic. The new government elected its President and Prime Minister through the Kjedorate-controlled National Assembly. With these measures in place, the Kjedorates had near full control over the government, starting their 53-year authoritarian rule over Seketan.

The Kjedorate regime committed many human right abuses during their 53 years against political opposition and non-nelbecs, such as the Fjeskan Genocide, segregation of Trjebians, and the arrest of political opposition leaders. By the 1970s Seketan's economy began to stagnate, and previous ethnic tensions started the Fjeskan conflict, in a period known as Zemasy. By 1978 protests against the Kjedorates expanded into the 1978 Seketese Revolution, and by August free elections were promised for the fall. With this, the Third Republic had fallen and a democratic Fourth Republic had been established.

The Question

Moulette in an interview with Jorgi Raemes

Seketan's first fully democratic election was held on 13 November 1978 and resulted in split parliament between the Socialist Party (SY), Democratic Party (DY), and Kjedorates. The two biggest pro-democracy parties formed a grand coalition (SY and DY) along with the smaller Liberal Party, with Socialist leader Patjik Moulette becoming Prime Minister. The Kjedorate Party formed Chief Opposition for the first time in its history, and it was the first time since 1950 that the Kjedorates were not in power. This coalition though would prove unstable and by 1980 new elections were held, which resulted in a Socialist majority government. This victory is described by Simeon Braja as the start of the Socialist Question, as it kickstarted nearly 17 years of an unbroken Socialist majority government. Braja notes that the Socialist government did not restrict civil rights or consolidate power in nearly the same fashion as the Kjedorate party, however small actions like reforming political financing to favour themselves were aliberal.

In 1996 the Socialist Party under their new leader Jorgi Wethan finally lost re-election to James Marksonn and the National Conservatives, though only by a small margin. Marksonn formed a very small and fragile coalition government, which restricted his ability to make the sweeping reforms many conservatives wanted from him. A key piece in Marksonn's winning strategy was emphasizing his moderate stances, as many voters were afraid that a conservative government meant a return to Kjedorate governance. His coalition's small majority and lack of majority in the State Council made it difficult to pass legislation, and by 1999 his government was very unpopular. In 1998 his coalition partners, the Democratic Party and the Liberal Party, merged to form the Liberal Democratic Party and shortly afterwards announced they would be leaving the government, prompting another election just 3 years after the National Conservatives came to power. Due to their low popularity, the Socialists swept back into power with another majority government, thus putting them in charge with a majority government for 20 out of 23 years, and with a second minority government won in 2001, they would be the party in charge for 22 out of 25 years since the 1978 revolution.

Today

The Socialist Question was largely seen as resolved by 2010. Despite winning a landslide victory in 1999, the new Socialist Prime Minister Simeon Trejiak was only able to stay in power until 2005, after losing his majority in 2003 and his coalition falling apart. Tomas Serdoa of the National Conservative party won the subsequent election, and with a timely second election call in 2006, were able to secure a majority government for themselves in 2006. This re-election, plus a second majority term in 2010, put the question to bed for most political pundits. While Serdoa would eventually lose re-election to the Socialists in 2014, his long-term government was seen by the academic community as "solving" the question. Braja himself was unconvinced, calling the Serdoa government in 2016 the "Serdoa interlude". It would take until the 2021 election and the surprise victory of anti-establishment party Our Revolution for Braja to declare his question resolved.

Criticism

Many top Nelborne political scientists and historians criticize Braja's book for its oversimplification of Seketese politics and history. Some of the criticism comes from members and supporters of the Socialists, who disapprove of the comparison to the authoritarian Kjedorates. Former Socialist co-chair Harjison Tembal stated in 2002 that he found the comparison offensive, given the long history of organizers of the Socialist party and its precursor the Socialist Democracy Movement being persecuted in the years prior to the 1978 Revolution. A central figure in the Socialist Question, Patjik Moulette, was himself imprisoned and persecuted by the Kjedorates in the 1960s for his opposition activities. Many Socialist supporters cite the lack of any meaningful attempts to curb Seketese democracy of opposition parties during their long time in office and the place the party played in shaping the democratic democratic consitution.

Other criticism of the "question" arises from political specialists, largely based on Braja's lack of comparisons to the Socialist and Kjedorates other than their long-term control over the Seketese government. University of North Conelibek professor Kyilian Phanda disagreed with the book by using Conservative James Marksonns short term as Prime Minister as an example of the lack of authoritarian power in Seketan since the revolution. The existence of a peaceful & democratic change of power, he says, is a key example of why the Socialist Party is not the new Kjedorates.

Outside Seketan

Alquiya

See also: Alquiyan All-Military Organization and National Union for Alquiyan Rejuvenation

From 1920 to 1982 Alquiya was ruled by a Military junta through the Alquiyan All-Military Organization (AMO). In the 1980s, partially due to the revolution in Seketan, this military government was replaced with a democratic republic and Alquiya held its first free elections in 1983. Since then, the National Union for Alquiyan Rejuvenation (NUAR), a moderate offshoot of the AMO, has won every election except for 1993-1995. This has led to many opposition leaders to decry a similar situation into the Socialist Question in Alquiya, seeing the NUAR as a continuation of the AMO's government, just legitimized through democracy.

See also

• Kjedorate regime