Libertarian Party (Aloria)

The Libertarian Party is a right-wing political party in the Gweriniaeth Ddemocrataidd Aloria. The party formed in 4284, after the former Alorian Libertarian Party (historically known as the Aloria National Party and the Alorian Independence Party) split. Half of the ALP membership joined a movement called the Alorian Conservative Front. The other half formed the Libertarian Party, led by Maredudd Rhydderch, who also led the ALP from 4278.

The Libertarian Party's platform involves Artaniascepticism, support for free market capitalism, free enterprise, fiscal conservatism, a strong national defence and deregulation. Like its predecessor, the ALP, their core aim is to stand against the Artanian Union.

The party is the fifth largest party with representation in the Senate, with 46 seats. They are currently in government, holding two cabinet positions.

Maredudd Rhydderch (4284 - 4287)
Maredudd Rhydderch founded the Libertarian Party on 13 March 4284, after leading the ALP from 4278. Despite pressure from many of his party's Senators to call a leadership election when the Libertarian Party formed, Rhydderch said there was no need, calling for more unity in the party. A lot of Libertarian Senators considered Rhydderch to be out of touch with the electorate and the rest of the party. In the hope it would reassure his critics, Rhydderch appointed former president Gerald Wehnert as deputy leader. At the Libertarian Party's first conference, where the party was launched, Rhydderch advocated for more emphasis on free enterprise and aspirational policies. He wanted the party to be firmly right-wing and uncompromising.

The first challenge facing the Libertarians was whether to support a cabinet proposal by the AFP to bring down the Revolutionary Students' Front/Labor government. Having been extremely critical of both parties, it was expected the Libertarians would support it, despite not having a place in it. The cabinet proposal still included the Labor Party, as well as the Partei für neue Wege and National Hosian Party. After weeks of debate, the Libertarian Party decided to vote against the proposal. Rhydderch described it as a "weak proposal" due to it still including the Labor Party.

In 4284, the Libertarians' omnibus bill, which aimed to reverse some of the communist policies implemented by the RSF, failed to pass the Senate by 9 votes. The bill would have passed with the support of the Labor Party, but they chose to abstain. After the bill failed, Rhydderch said the Labor Party were "just as communist as the RSF". However, critics of the bill said it would be impossible for Labor to support due to it including plans to reduce foreign aid and scrap corporation tax. Rhydderch insisted any party that did not vote in favour were "communist sympathisers".

In the same year, the RSF proposed a bill designed to make Aloria more open. It included a removal of all immigration restrictions and tariffs and increased foreign aid. The bill passed with the support of the National Hosian Party, as the Labor Party abstained. Rhydderch heavily criticised the National Hosian Party in the Senate, questioning why a party that calls itself Hosian and conservative would support the bill.After a party called the PRF formed in late 4284, an anti fascist campaign started, championed by the RSF. Rhydderch was critical of the campaign, calling it "laughable". The Libertarian Party defended the PRF and said the RSF were more fascist than them. In response to the campaign, the Libertarians launched their own campaign, which aimed to confront the far left for suppressing the views of others.

In April 4285, Rhydderch faced a vote of no confidence in his leadership. 23 out of the 38 Libertarian Party Senators voted in favour of the motion, triggering a leadership election. Notably, Gerald Wehnert did not vote in favour and refused to stand for the leadership, despite the majority of the 23 disenchanted Senators hoping he would. He said Rhydderch had his "full support". Rhydderch comfortably won the subsequent leadership election with 52% of the vote, compared to 30% for Glenice Pritchard and 18% for Rodolf Beck.

Rhydderch launched his 4287 election campaign on a promise to restore free-market capitalism to Aloria. Communism grew during the late 4270s and early 4280s, but Rhydderch hoped the 4287 election would bring an end to the communist government. During the campaign, the Libertarians also focused on immigration, as net immigration had skyrocketed during the early 4280s, due to the RSF-led government ending immigration restrictions. The election results were a disaster for both Rhydderch and the Libertarian Party. As a result, Rhydderch suffered a vote of no confidence in his leadership, with 29 out of the 31 Libertarian Senators voting in favour. Subsequently, Wehnert beat Rhydderch in a leadership election in December 4287.

Gerald Wehnert (4287 - Present)
Gerald Wehnert was elected leader of the Libertarian Party on 1 December 4287. He promised to widen the appeal of the party after two consecutive poor elections for the Libertarians. When he was elected leader, he said the Libertarian Party's agenda would revolve around liberalising the economy, cutting taxes and cutting immigration.

In June 4288, the "Unity Cabinet" passed the Senate, which included the Libertarian Party. The Libertarians controlled the finance ministry, trade and industry minister and the internal affairs ministry. Gerald Wehnert was appointed internal affairs minister, Rhydderch trade and industry minister, while deputy leader Glenice Pritchard was appointed finance minister.

In May 4289, the Libertarians proposed an income tax proposal, which creates a flat income tax rate. It also took millions out of income tax completely, as the tax bracket was set at 5,500 ALO. Anyone earning over that would pay a 35% tax rate. This, in total, was a reduction of 10bn ALO in taxes. The bill passed quickly and easily, with both the PFR and RSF (the two largest parties in the Senate) voting in favour of the tax proposal.

In November 4289, the Libertarians proposed the Alorian Dream Recognition Bill. The bill included ten articles, which the Libertarians called the ten principles of the Alorian dream. The party proposed the bill after protests against the political establishment swept the nation, and Wehnert wanted to position himself as on the side of the protesters. The bill was delayed due to the May 4290 election and the January 4291 election. The bill passed in November 4291.

In May 4290, the Senate voted in favour of an early election, although the Libertarians didn't. The election result was great for Gerald Wehnert, as he won the presidency with then endorsements of the PFR and Partei für neue Wege. Wehnert beat Gloria O'nnel who had already served four terms as president. After winning the election, President Wehnert said the election brings hope in his speech.

Another election was held just 8 months later, after the Alorian Nationalist Party collapsed. Gerald Wehnert ran for the presidency again. He won the election, beating Gloria O'nnel for the second time in one year. His share of the vote increased to 53%. Wehnert was endorsed by the Partei fü neue Wege and PFR. The Libertarians also did well in the Senate elections, winning 53 seats, an increase of 20 seats, making them the third-largest party in the Senate. Shortly after winning the 4291 election, Wehnert announced he plans to run for the presidency for the last time in 4295, hoping to retire by 4300. He said he will resign immediately after the 4295 election if he loses.

The Alorian Dream Recognition Bill passed in November 4291, and it was seen as a defining moment of Wehnert's administration. The bill was proposed in November 4289 by Maredudd Rhydderch, under Wehnert's leadership, and it was described by Rhydderch as the "ten principles of the Alorian Dream". The bill passed with 311 votes for and 46 votes against. 188 abstained, including 172 RSF Senators.

Wehnert's government lost their majority after the Partei für neue Wege and the Conservative Party collapsed. As no new cabinet proposal could be passed by the Senate, an early election was called in June 4294. Gerald Wehnert was re-elected president for a third consecutive term, and the fifth term of his political career, however the Libertarians lost 7 seats in the legislative elections, leaving them with 46 seats. After being elected, Wehnert once again confirmed his intentions of retiring before 4300.

In September 4294, Wehnert promised to intervene in Beluzia, after the Beluzian president took control of the military and killed thousands of innocent people. Wehnert says it is "Aloria's duty to preserve peace on the continent". President Wehnert has even talked about the possibility of military intervention. During a Senate debate on the issue, President Wehnert and the DSU clashed a number of times. Wehnert was criticised for saying the best way for Aloria to preserve peace is "through a show of military strength".

In 4295, the Senate voted in favour of providing military aid to Beluzian opposition groups. The bill was supported by all parties, other than the DSU. In response to the bill, anti-government protests started, partly due to the right-wing economic agenda of the government and partly because of the willingness of the Wehnert administration to intervene in Beluzia. Despite the motives for the protests, the RSF supported them even though they also supported military intervention in Beluzia.

Economic Policy
The Libertarian Party believes that free markets and individual achievement are the primary factors behind economic prosperity. They believe in supply side economics - this theory holds that reduced income tax rates increase GDP growth and therefore generate the same or more revenue for the government from the smaller tax on the extra growth. This belief is reflected by the party's advocacy of tax cuts..

Social Policy
There is a divide in the party between those who believe in a more liberal social policy and those who believe in socially conservative policies. The official party position on most social policies, such as abortion and same-sex marriage, is unclear and often depends on who is leader at the time.

However, the party is united on immigration, as they believe mass immigration has a detrimental affect on working-class Alorians. They are strongly opposed to what Gerald Wehnert described as "state-sponsored multiculturalism" when talking about the RSF government in the 4280s.

Foreign Policy
The Libertarian Party advocates strongly for Aloria to remain outside of the Artanian Union. Its predecessor, the ALP, was formed for the sole reason of getting Aloria to withdraw from the AU, something which they did successfully. The Libertarian Party's stance is to negotiate bilateral trade deals with nations around Terra, but to remain outside of large trade deals, as they think it reduces Aloria's representation when there are numerous voices at the table.

Defence
The party is united in the belief that Aloria needs to retain a strong military. They are strongly against the 4284 Military Reform Bill, which would have scrapped Aloria's nuclear weaponry programme. The party thinks showing military strength is the best way to maintain peace. They also want to place restrictions on arms exports.

As well as this, the Libertarian Party aims to build bilateral defence relations with key allies, especially in Artania, and believes it is in Aloria's national interest to cooperate with defence organisations and close allies. However, they do not support any defence treaties which aim to control and restrict the Alorian military. This is one of the party's main arguments against the Artanian Union.

Health Policy
The consensus in the party is to support a private healthcare system through subsidies for the poorest in society. The party want to see cuts to the healthcare budget due to privatisation. Furthermore, they argue a nationalised, universal healthcare system will never provide a good-quality service.

Those in the party who are closer to the centre would like to see more government involvement within the healthcare service, however they are a minority within the party. Glenice Pritchard, who is currently the deputy leader, has been a supporter of universal healthcare for years.

Education Policy
The Libertarian Party believes in a private education system, while providing subsidies to the poorest and most disadvantaged students. Like with their healthcare policy, there is a group of centrists within the party who would like to see the education system nationalised. The party does not believe in enforcing a national curriculum. Most of the party support selective education, although some think it should be left up to local governments.

In higher education, the Libertarian Party supports a means tested loan system, where students pay the money back after the earn a certain amount. They strongly oppose fully subsiding tuition fees, as they don't believe taxpayers who didn't go to university should have to pay for those that do.

Jobs and Welfare
The party supports a welfare system, although criticise the left for wanting to create an extremely generous welfare system. The party supports unemployment benefits and child benefits, as well as supporting a voluntary public pension.

The Libertarian Party's predecessor, the ALP, was the party that introduced the minimum wage. Now, the party still supports a basic minimum wage, although resist calls from the left for it to be risen above inflation as they fear it could cost jobs and stop businesses from investing in Aloria due to higher labour costs.

Justice and Crime Policy
The Libertarian Party believes both punishment and rehabilitation is important, and support more education opportunities for prisoners. The party believes the police should not have too much power, as they think it will make people view the police as untrustworthy. Many Libertarian Party Senators support widening the death penalty, although it is not official party policy.

Gerald Wehnert
Gerald Wehnert is a former president, as well as being leader of the ALP from 4268 - 4277. Despite leaving his post as leader of the ALP before the launch of the Libertarian Party, he was still involved in politics. When the Libertarian Party formed in 4284, Maredudd Rhydderch named Wehnert as deputy leader.

Wehnert was born in Sildar Urbem, Aloria's capital city, on 18 October 4227. He was born into a working-class family and he was educated at a state school. After leaving school, he attended university in Sildar Urbem, where he studied law. After graduating from university in 4248, he moved away from his home city to Ultran Stadt, Ultran. While living there, he worked as a lawyer and met his wife, who he married in 4255. In 4263, he moved back to Sildar Urbem and joined the Alorian Libertarian Party (ALP). In 4267, he was elected leader of the party, and a year later he was elected to the Senate, while winning 9% of the vote in the presidential election. In 4272, he was elected president.

During his time as president, he oversaw the worst election result in the ALP's history in 4277, which led to his resignation from his post as ALP leader. He was seen as a divisive president, loved by many and hated by many. While he was president, Aloria withdrew from the Artanian Union. Despite being hated by the left, he introduced a minimum wage and expanded the welfare state while he was president. However, there was a lot privatisation, including privatisation of the education system.

His presidency was also important because of the economic impacts. Leaving the AU caused inflation to rise rapidly, leading to wages falling. However, Wehnert is given credit for stabilising the economy quickly. By the time he left the office, the economy was stronger, wages were rising and inflation was falling.

During Maredudd Rhydderch's leadership, Wehnert was often accused of undermining and challenging him, although he said he was "fully supporting" Rhydderch after being appointed deputy leader. After the Libertarians' disastrous 4287 election results, there was a vote of no confidence in Rhydderch's leadership. Subsequently, Wehnert stood against Rhydderch in the leadership election and won.

Party Factions
There are three main internal factions or ideologies within the Libertarian Party: Free-market Libertarianism, Traditional Conservatism and Liberal Centrism.

Free-market Libertarians
This is the main grouping in the Libertarian Party, and their goal is to reduce the role of government. Notable people in this group include Maredudd Rhydderch and Gerald Wehnert. They became prominent after the rise of big government and communism in Aloria during the late 4270s and early 4280s. This group places emphasis on the economy, unlike traditional conservatives who focus mostly on social issues.

Traditional Conservatives
This group is the second largest faction in the Libertarian Party, and is a socially conservative right-wing grouping. It is associated with Alorian nationalism, and the importance of the family unit. They oppose same-sex marriage, abortion and high levels of immigration. Some members support the widening of capital punishment. Prominent members of this group include David Friedrich, Katharina Schmidt and Rodolf Beck.

Liberal Centrists
Liberal centrists believe in centrist economic policies and liberal social policies, although they describe themselves as centre-right. Unlike traditional conservatives, they are critical of socially conservative policies such as restrictions on abortions. They believe in the welfare state, and generally support policies that maintain harmony between different groups in Aloria (class, race or religion, gender). Like both traditional conservatives and free-market libertarians, they are opposed to the Artanian Union.