United Left

The United Left is a democratic socialist political party located in the Commonwealth of Rutania. It is currently the only left-wing party in the nation.

Ideology
The United Left believes in, above all, a government which protects the civil liberties of its People and provides for economic justice for all. In contrast the other majority parties in Rutanian politics, it takes left wing viewpoints on both social and economic matters and advocates tirelessly on behalf of the workers of the Commonwealth. Their major goals at the moment include: getting the public more involved in political affairs, improving the quality of and increasing accessibility to health care and education in the Commonwealth, and working towards a strong economy through regulation of corruption and a redistribution of wealth.

Organization
The United Left is ultimately governed completely by its members, which make up the General Assembly of the United Left. The Assembly convenes every month (with the site rotating throughout the five regions of Rutania) and discusses the Party's Manifesto, policy priorities, and financial matters. Party members also elect Regional Councils, made up of five members, which direct Party actions and campaigns in each of the five Rutanian regions. Lastly, the Party is governed on a national level by the Central Committee of the United Left, made up of five members, one from each region. The current Central Committee is led by Co-Chairs Liam Spektor and Maren Hensley. Also seated are Marek Collins, Cairo Fitzgerald, and Helena Guylos.

History
The United Left was formed in February 2737 by a group of radical leftists led by Liam Spektor and Maren Hensley. At the time, the politics of Rutania were dominated by the Classical Liberal Coalition for Rutania (CLCR), an alliance between the powerful right-wing Republican Elitist Party (REP) and the "libertarian" Orange Party. The CLCR had solidified its control over Rutanian politics, losing some of their seats in the Federal Parliament to the even farther right-wing extremists of the Rutanian Heritage Party (RHP) during the 2726 elections. However, the CLCR maintained their majority in Parliament and their control of the Presidential Palace. Any legislation without the support of the members of the CLCR had no chance of passing. Becoming increasingly frustrated with the one-sided nature of Rutanian politics as well as the concentration of power into the hands of the wealthy and seemingly unstoppable forces of the CLCR, Spektor and Hensley began to set the ground work for a new political movement.

In the years following the 2726 elections, the pair gathered followers and held numerous town hall meetings, rallies, and coffeehouses to discover whether their was serious interest in the views which they believed were correct. There was. The economic crisis experienced by the Commonwealth led to a rise in populist attitudes among the people. They had little trust in their current government and economic institutions. They were looking for someone to fight for them. They were looking for a change. By the beginning of 2737, the party had been officially recognized by the government and had setup headquarters in all five of the Rutanian regions. Liam Spektor and Maren Hensley became co-chairs of the Central Committee of the United Left and focused all of their efforts on recruiting members and candidates, spreading their message, and developing legislation to present before the Federal Parliament.

Before a single member of the United Left was elected to office, they scored two major legislative victories with the passage of the Amnesty Bill, which provided aid to refugees seeking shelter in the Commonwealth and opened the borders of the nation, and the Energy Reform Bill, which broke up a corrupt monopoly over energy production in the Commonwealth. With the passage of these bills, the Central Committee of the United Left, along with the Chairs of the five Regional Councils and a large crowd of supporters, announced that Liam Spektor would be the Party's first nominee for the Presidency. The UL also announced a massive electoral campaign to gain seats in the Federal Parliament in all five regions. The theme of the campaign was "United Left: A New Value."