Political parties in Austenasia

Political parties in the Empire of Austenasia have existed as voluntary associations formed by some politicians to help promote their collective viewpoints within Austenasian politics.

On 14 January 2012, Emperor Declan I gave Imperial Consent to the Political Parties Act 2012. This permitted the creation of officially recognised political parties, which had to be registered with and approved by the Secretary-General. Two days later, the Theodorist Party of Austenasia (TPA) was founded, followed by the Social Democratic Alliance (SDA) on 2 April.

Although the SDA was registered in Austenasia, there were no Austenasians as members, the party having been founded by James von Puchow with the intent of promoting his political views within the Empire. When it became clear that there was no interest in joining the SDA from Austenasians, the party "migrated" to the Federal Republic of Francisville in August 2012. The TPA remained the sole Austenasian party until 20 February 2014, when its leader and founder - now Emperor Jonathan I - passed an Imperial Decree dissolving the party and repealing the Political Parties Act 2012. From then on, political parties became unofficial, unregistered, and unrecognised voluntary associations.

This state of affairs lasted until April 2018, when the Political Parties Act 2018 re-established the option for political parties to be officially recognised and registered entities. All existing parties were given two weeks to register in accordance with new rules regarding their composition, and the failure of all but the Austenasian Imperial Party to do so by 25 April resulted in it becoming the sole Austenasian political party.

The Imperial Party remained the only Austenasian political party for a year, but a move to left-wing politics in early 2019 resulted in the right-wing Fatherland Party being founded on 24 April 2019. The Whig Party was founded the following month as a classical liberal party, and the dissolution of the Imperial Party in February 2020 directly led to the creation of the Peoples Party to act as its successor.

Increasing division among Representatives eventually brought about the Political Parties Act 2020, which was brought into force on 26 May 2020 and abolished the official recognition of political parties. The Whig Party continued to exist as a private political group until December 2020, but political parties are no longer recognised on the national stage.

In November 2020, the Elections Act 2020 reversed the statute that candidates standing in elections may not run on behalf of political parties. 16 August 2021, the Arete Party was formed, marking the first new party since the Political Parties Act 2020 and the foundation of the Peoples Party on 13 February 2020.

List of parties

Current

• Arete Party: founded on 16 August 2021 as a non-ideological or politcally syncretic party, basing itself off of the political application of the moral virtues described in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Based in Nahona. Holds four Representatives and the Prime Minister as of 17 August 2021.
• Alliance Party: a syncretic party founded on 17 August 2021, based in Blue Ridge. Takes no ideological stances on economic issues. Supports civil rights, social equality, Athenian direct democracy, and Austenasian sovereignty. Has one elected Representative.

Former

• Theodorist Party of Austenasia: founded on 16 January 2012, dissolved on 20 February 2014. Based in Wrythe, but the majority of its 23 members were from the United Kingdom, USA, or Monovia.
• Social Democratic Alliance: founded on 2 April 2012, based in Landashir without any Austenasian members, and became a party of Francisville on 25 August 2012 after no Austenasians joined the party.
• Palasian Left Unity: founded on 9 February 2015 - based in Palasia - and went through four more names before becoming a party of Breckland on 12 May 2015, eventually becoming known as the Republican Party of Breckland before its dissolution in December 2017.
• Conservative Party of Austenasia: founded on 13 October 2014 and dissolved on 23 October 2016 by its sole remaining member, who had the previous day founded the Imperial Party.
• Austenasian Green Party: founded on 13 February 2015, based in Thanasia. Dissolved on 14 June 2017 with the cessation of Thanasia to the United Kingdom, having failed to expand outside the town.
• Imperial Party: founded on 22 October 2016 as the effective successor of the Conservative Party; became the official government party under the premiership of Lady Admiral Vera Hewitt after the passing of the Parliament Act 2019. Originally a militarist, expansionist party promoting a free market, it became more centrist in October 2017, and in early 2019 moved to the left to espouse democratic socialism and social libertarianism. Dissolved in February 2020 upon the secession of New Virginia, the towns of which it was based in.
• Ionathanopolis Voters Association - Ελευθεροφρόνων: founded on 1 January 2017, based in Ionathanopolis. Dissolved on 25 April 2018 due to its failure to register in accordance with the Political Parties Act 2018.
• Organisation of Austenasian Nationalists: founded on 2 September 2017, based in Jovanovo. Dissolved on 25 April 2018 due to its failure to register in accordance with the Political Parties Act 2018.
• Fatherland Party: founded on 24 April 2019 to counter the rise of left-wing Austenasian politics. Based in Theodosiopolis. Entered into government upon victory in the February 2020 general election. Dissolved on 27 May 2020 in response to the Political Parties Act 2020.
• Peoples Party: founded on 13 February 2020 as a party of democratic socialism and social democracy, with the intention of serving as a de facto successor to the Imperial Party. Based in Kingeston. Served as the Opposition for the duration of its existence, but was dissolved on 26 May 2020 in response to the Political Parties Act 2020.
• Whig Party: founded on 17 May 2019 as a classical liberal party, originally known as the National Liberal Alliance. Based in Palasia, followed by Nahona. Held a representative on the crossbench until parties were barred, and was later dissolved as a private institution in December 2020.