Lendosan Confederation

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POLITICAL PARTIES

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There are currently fourteen political parties operating at the highest level of Lendosan politics. All such parties must be officially registered with the Senate Secretariat, the office which coordinates the functioning of the Senate. Among the requirements for registration are:

A membership of at least ten thousand voters.

A policy platform which is significantly distinct from any pre-existing party.

A name and emblem which does not mislead or confuse voters as to a party's nature or goals.

A committment to restrict itself to peaceful and lawful forms of political activity.

All political parties must nominate an individual to serve as Leader. The party's Leader has certain obligations under the law, additionally to whatever responsibilities they might be given by the party's own charter. Most parties also nominate a Deputy Leader (or, by Lendosan terminology, a Subleader), but this position is not mentioned in Confederate law. Each party will also nominate spokespeople on certain issues, generally corresponding to the twenty-five Sections (government departments).
Since mid-304, parties have been able to define and register official "subparties" within themselves. These are officially recognised factions within a larger party, and gain certain privileges. One such privilege is a guaranteed right to speak in the Senate without needing to go through the official channels of their party - previously, it was possible for a party's leadership to block dissident members of their party from speaking. Some parties (particularly smaller ones) do not have subparties.

A diagram of the Senate showing party standings as of July 307 is below.

Below is a list of the fourteen political parties currently operating at the confederate level. Each party's entry contains a logo, a description, and a link to a page with more information. There is also a page listing various historic parties.
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Balance Party
The Balance Party is a centrist egalitarian party, taking moderate positions on most issues. It sees its goal as "the creation of a society which is stable, equitable, tolerant, and fair", and believes that the pursuit of moderation in government is the best way to achieve this. The Balance Party holds twenty-nine Senate seats. (more)

Burovian Party
Founded to promote the ideology known as Burovianism, the Burovian Party supports the establishment of a meritocratic (rather than democratic) system of government. It also supports a neutral foreign policy and the establishment of a so-called "partisan free market". It does not currently hold seats in the Senate. (more)

Communist Party
The Communist Party is the most left-wing of the Confederation's registered political parties, working towards the eventual creation of a communist society. In preparation for this gradual transformation, it supports heavy state involvement in the economy and in people's lives. It has six seats. (more)

Ecotopian Party
A merger of the environmentalist Ecological Party and the pacifist Utopian Party, the Ecotopian Party persues a pro-environment, anti-war, anti-globalization platform. Its economic policies are generally left-wing, based around local-level planning and opposition to "big business". The party has five seats. (more)

Fascist Party
The Fascist Party campaigns on policies of strong leadership, political unity, and nationalism. It claims that Lendosa is in "desperate need of leadership and discipline", and believes that the country is being held back by the "weak and sentimental" ideas of liberalism and socialism. It does not currently hold seats in the Senate. (more)

Imperial Party
The oldest (and, for many years, the most powerful) party in Lendosan politics, the Imperial Party believes in caution, pragmatism, stability, and hostility to "unthinking ideologism". It is generally supportive of traditional Lendosan values such as rationalism, secularity, and the six Virtues. It has twenty-eight seats in the Senate. (more)

Independence Party
The Independence Party is a broad alliance of groups seeking autonomy or independence for various regions or ethnic groups within Lendosa. Since these groups were never actually in direct competition with each other, they have chosen to pool their resources and fight elections as a single front. It does not currently hold seats in the Senate. (more)

Libertarian Party
The Libertarian Party is dedicated to extending and protecting personal freedom, whether it be political, economic, or social. It believes that the state should have as little role as possible in people's lives, leaving them to make their own choices. The Libertarians currently have seven seats in the Senate. (more)

Nationalist Party
The Nationalist Party is dedicated to the protection and advancement of the Lendosan nation (defined by the party simply as "all those who are integrated into Lendosa", rather than as a race or ethnic group). It supports a strong central government and a proactive foreign policy. In the Senate, it has nine seats. (more)

Trade Party
The Trade Party is based around free-market economics - it supports economic deregulation, lower taxes, privatisation of state assets, and free trade with foreign countries. It also supports a reduction in the size of the government, and a decrease in spending on services. The Trade Party currently has eight seats in the Senate. (more)

Populist Party
The Populist Party believes that politicians should be chosen based on their willingess to follow the people's wishes, not their policies. The Populist Party, therefore, proudly proclaims that it has no policies at all - it will simply vote for whatever measures it believes have majority support among the public. The party has two seats. (more)

Progressive Party
The Progressives are a centrist group which promotes social reform, tolerance, and social freedom. It believes that social progress is best achieved by allowing people to find their own way, rather than attempting to legislate change. The Progressive Party currently has eleven seats in the Senate. (more)

Reform Party
The Reform Party is a centre-right party that advocates free enterprise and limited deregulation of most industries. It believes that the government should still provide basic services such as health and education, but that these can be made less wasteful. Its social policies are usually mildly progressive. It has twenty-two seats in the Senate. (more)

Socialist Party
A moderate left-wing party, the Socialist Party supports state regulation of commercial activity, but not state ownership or control. It is strongly progressive in its social policies, and it strongly supports extensive social welfare, free hospitals, and free schooling. The Socialists currently have twenty-three seats in the Senate. (more)

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	Balance Party The Balance Party is a centrist egalitarian party, taking moderate positions on most issues. It sees its goal as "the creation of a society which is stable, equitable, tolerant, and fair", and believes that the pursuit of moderation in government is the best way to achieve this. The Balance Party holds twenty-nine Senate seats. (more)

	Burovian Party Founded to promote the ideology known as Burovianism, the Burovian Party supports the establishment of a meritocratic (rather than democratic) system of government. It also supports a neutral foreign policy and the establishment of a so-called "partisan free market". It does not currently hold seats in the Senate. (more)

	Communist Party The Communist Party is the most left-wing of the Confederation's registered political parties, working towards the eventual creation of a communist society. In preparation for this gradual transformation, it supports heavy state involvement in the economy and in people's lives. It has six seats. (more)

	Ecotopian Party A merger of the environmentalist Ecological Party and the pacifist Utopian Party, the Ecotopian Party persues a pro-environment, anti-war, anti-globalization platform. Its economic policies are generally left-wing, based around local-level planning and opposition to "big business". The party has five seats. (more)

	Fascist Party The Fascist Party campaigns on policies of strong leadership, political unity, and nationalism. It claims that Lendosa is in "desperate need of leadership and discipline", and believes that the country is being held back by the "weak and sentimental" ideas of liberalism and socialism. It does not currently hold seats in the Senate. (more)

	Imperial Party The oldest (and, for many years, the most powerful) party in Lendosan politics, the Imperial Party believes in caution, pragmatism, stability, and hostility to "unthinking ideologism". It is generally supportive of traditional Lendosan values such as rationalism, secularity, and the six Virtues. It has twenty-eight seats in the Senate. (more)

	Independence Party The Independence Party is a broad alliance of groups seeking autonomy or independence for various regions or ethnic groups within Lendosa. Since these groups were never actually in direct competition with each other, they have chosen to pool their resources and fight elections as a single front. It does not currently hold seats in the Senate. (more)

	Libertarian Party The Libertarian Party is dedicated to extending and protecting personal freedom, whether it be political, economic, or social. It believes that the state should have as little role as possible in people's lives, leaving them to make their own choices. The Libertarians currently have seven seats in the Senate. (more)

	Nationalist Party The Nationalist Party is dedicated to the protection and advancement of the Lendosan nation (defined by the party simply as "all those who are integrated into Lendosa", rather than as a race or ethnic group). It supports a strong central government and a proactive foreign policy. In the Senate, it has nine seats. (more)

	Trade Party The Trade Party is based around free-market economics - it supports economic deregulation, lower taxes, privatisation of state assets, and free trade with foreign countries. It also supports a reduction in the size of the government, and a decrease in spending on services. The Trade Party currently has eight seats in the Senate. (more)

	Populist Party The Populist Party believes that politicians should be chosen based on their willingess to follow the people's wishes, not their policies. The Populist Party, therefore, proudly proclaims that it has no policies at all - it will simply vote for whatever measures it believes have majority support among the public. The party has two seats. (more)

	Progressive Party The Progressives are a centrist group which promotes social reform, tolerance, and social freedom. It believes that social progress is best achieved by allowing people to find their own way, rather than attempting to legislate change. The Progressive Party currently has eleven seats in the Senate. (more)

	Reform Party The Reform Party is a centre-right party that advocates free enterprise and limited deregulation of most industries. It believes that the government should still provide basic services such as health and education, but that these can be made less wasteful. Its social policies are usually mildly progressive. It has twenty-two seats in the Senate. (more)

	Socialist Party A moderate left-wing party, the Socialist Party supports state regulation of commercial activity, but not state ownership or control. It is strongly progressive in its social policies, and it strongly supports extensive social welfare, free hospitals, and free schooling. The Socialists currently have twenty-three seats in the Senate. (more)