Political Parties of Muntenia
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The Political Parties of Muntenia have been many.
Pre-SNOR
TO BE CONTINUED
SNOR
Dissident parties were essentially outlawed following the Second Great War and the gradual stranglehold the country suffered at the hands of Russia. By 1960, only the National Party (or Partidul Naţional) could successfully field candidates or win approval for meetings. For the next three decades, the Chairman of the National Party was also by definition Chancellor of the nation, just as its Central Committee were nearly all members of the Royal Council and vice versa.
Officially, the National Party was Monarchist, ethno-centric, Pro-Orthodox, but in favor of maximum industrialization. Its official view was that the Non-Orthodox West and its "taint" of republicanism were decadent and full of hatred for the purity of the European East. At times this included government interference in science, where (for example) Lysenko's model of biological evolution was officially favored over Darwin. Not surprisingly, the Snorist government practiced widespread censorship.
This party dissolved after the Restoration, and many of its top officials were forced into retirement and/or exile. Many others, however, simply joined other political groups. Their past as "Nationals" has sometimes come back to haunt them.
Post-SNOR
Since 1992, elections within Muntenia have been dominated by four parties which coalesced at that time:
- The Unity Party (or Partidul Unităţii) which is ethnocentric, favoring a strong federal government (with Muntenia as the senior partner, or at least "first among equals"), but otherwise is divided into its own Liberal and Conservative Wings. They and the Constitutional party include those most concerned about the eventual succession of Crown Princess Anira.
- The Constitutional Party (or Partidul Constituţional) which is primarily dedicated to maintaining legal protections and stability for the nation. In general they are slightly right-of-center, and can be viewed as somewhat like Crown Loyalists, since they regard the monarchy (specifically the House of Cuza) as a vital institution, a bedrock upon which the country rests. In general however they are also Muntenia-centric and are somewhat suspicious of Romanian Federation as well as all foreigners. They are most powerful in the House of Lords and include many boyars. Many accuse them of being "SNOR in all but name."
- The Democratic Liberal Party (Partidul Democrat-Liberal) is left-wing, tending to side with the Diet against the Monarch, with workers against employers, with farmers and on behalf of ethnic minorities. Their policies favor socialism and ecotopism. They favor greater power to the Federation, including the Federal Defense Plan. Individually, this has been the largest party in Muntenia since the early 1990s.
- The Christian Alliance (Alianţa Creştin) is a right-wing party that is primarily concerned with preserving what it calls the "unique cultural heritage" of Muntenia and of the Orthodox Faith. It favors strong ties to any and all Orthodox nations or peoples, a somewhat rigid class system (with a sense of noblesse oblige) but tends to distrust major reforms--yet The Alliance (as it is known) has made common cause with all the other parties at one time or another. It would be a mistake to assume all of its members share identical agendas (although it is true this party seems to have the highest number of Pavelists).
Virtually every single Muntenian government since the fall of the SNOR have been coalitions.
