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	FEDERALIST PARTY

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The Federalist Party was founded shortly before the creation of the Free Confederacy of Lendian Republics, the short-lived state which existed between the abolishment of the Lendian Empire and the creation of the modern Lendosan Confederation. The party first argued for a strong federation rather than the weaker FCLR, and later, having lost that fight, against the dissolution of the FCLR into its component states. After the FCLR came to an end, the Federalists promoted measures to restore it, and supported strong co-operation between former FCLR nations. The party failed to gain much success, however, and eventually merged into what it saw as the most pro-federal of the major parties, the Imperial Party.

Colour and Emblem

The official colour of the Federalist Party was a reddish brown. Its symbol was two sets of three parallel lines, interlocking with each other in a cross. This was intended to symbolise unity and federation.

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The party's official name in Lendian was "lo Partido Federalisto". For a period, it was officially known as "lo Partido Confederatiano", or "the Confederate Party", but eventually reverted to its original name.

Quote

"The thoughtless drive to splinter our country is reckless in the extreme. For no reason better than narrow-minded parochialism, we are destroying a country which could otherwise serve as a model of unity and co-operation to the world."

History of the Party

The Federalist Party was officially established in 296 AP. The major issue of the time was one of constitutional reform, with a major campaign underway to abolish the Empire and establish a republic. The previous year, the new Democracy Party had gained a major success, winning enough seats that the pro-republic coalition (consisting of the Democracy Party, the Communists, the Socialists, and the Ecotopians) had a majority in the Imperial Council. The single largest party in the Council, the Imperial Party, opposed constitutional reform, believing that it would lead to chaos.

Amid the discussions of constitutional reform, there were also increasing calls for autonomy or independence from some imperial provinces, prompting speculation than any new system would be much more decentralised. Tandro Coelo, a retired councillor for the Imperial Party, was alarmed at this, believing that unity was in the interests of all citizens. At the same time, he opposed the position of his former party, believing that a shift to a republic was both inevitable and necessary. Coelo founded the Federalist Party as an alternative to both camps, opposing the monarchism of the Imperial Party and the decentralisation of the Democracy Party. Instead, Coelo promoted "an equal but unbreakable partnership" between the different parts of the country under a Federal Republic of Lendia.

The process of change was already underway, however, and on 31 January 298, the Free Confederacy of Lendian Republics was born. Along with a strong emphasis on direct democracy, the FCLR had a highly decentralised political system, with each former province of the Empire becoming a "Free Republic". The Federalists contested the first (and, as it turned out, the only) election to the Council of Confederate Citizens on a platform of strengthening the FCLR's central government and weakening the powers of the Free Republics. Although there were a number of people who agreed with this campaign, many discounted the Federalist Party, believing that it was too small to have any effect - instead, they voted for the Imperials, still the largest party and the main opponent to the new political system, or the Loyalists, who also campaigned against separatism. The Federalists did not win any seats.

Quickly, the situation in the FCLR deteriorated. A minor communist insurgency in the Percevejan Peninsula, held in check by Imperial forces, flared up, and there were increasing demands for autonomy or independence from Free Republics that had only a minority of ethnic Lendians. By the beginning of 299, the situation was becoming untenable, with FCLR forces failing to contain the insurgency and with some territories taking open steps towards declaring independence. On 13 March, a referendum was finally held regarding the future of the FCLR, with some arguing for the dissolution of the confederacy into its primary components. The Federalist Party campaigned strongly against this plan, arguing that no matter how bad things might have become, disunity would make them even worse. In the end, however, fifty-five percent of the population voted in favour of dissolution, and the FCLR ended.

The Federalist Party continued to campaign in favour of federation in some of the FCLR's successor states. It strongly welcomed the decision by Lendia proper and the state of Piolsa to remain federated, a reversal of a decision taken at the time of the FCLR's dissolution. The Federalists campaigned in the first Lendosan election (held in 299) on a platform of strengthening this new union and of seeking to restore the FCLR - again, they won no seats, being overshadowed by other parties.

In the elections of 300, however, the Federalists met with more succeess. This perhaps owed something to the Imperial Party's decision to shift its focus, "looking to the present" rather than attempting to reverse what had already been done. Tandro Coelo became the first Federalist Party senator. In the 302 elections, he held his seat. Shortly afterwards, however, he suffered a major heart attack, and died. The leadership of the Federalist Party (and Coelo's senate seat) was taken up by Caro Candantrio.

Candantrio, however, was not confident of maintianing the Federalist Party's position, and was even more pessimistic about the chances of improving it. Many other members of the party agreed, believing that without Coelo, it would be difficult to make and progress. In 303, it was finally decided to merge the Federalists into the Imperial Party, which the party's members saw as the most pro-federal of the major parties. It is hoped by the former members of the Federalist Party that their aims will be better realised by working within the Imperial Party rather than competing against it.

List of Leaders

• Tandro Coelo (296 - 302)
• Caro Candantrio (302 - 303)