Forward Party of Dolgaria

The Forward Party (of Dolgaria) is a federal political party operating in the Republic of Dolgaria, with a focus on the coexistence of social-democratic functions and individual liberties.

As of 3796, the Forward Party is the largest party in Dolgaria. It has been the country's ruling party since the election that immediately followed the party's inception in 3752, and over its first decade of existence, rapidly transformed Dolgaria from a nobility-dominated empire into a democratic republic.

Policies
The Forward Party invests in the rights of an individual to be free from government or corporate intrusion. The party believes that large entities should be acting "behind the scenes," but should be regulated to act in the best interests of the individual citizen.

Under the Forward Party's ideals, the day-to-day lives of citizens are not the responsibility of the government or corporations. Therefore, the party has opted to never establish a policy that enforces a state view on religion, homosexuality, substance use, or media consumption, leaving these to the individual's discretion. With regards to topics that can be used by one person or entity to affect other people or entities (firearms, obscenity on TV, abortion, etc), the party may bring minimal policies to the table, based on the issue and current events surrounding them. The two exceptions to this rule in the party's official policy are the military and the environment, in which stronger policies may be instated to protect the former and appropriately scale the latter.

The Forward Party believes in a government or corporations that operate in the background, but can provide useful services or benefits to the citizens should they be necessary. Under the party's ideal state, people would have a choice between government and corporation-controlled healthcare, education, pensions, etc.

The Forward Party is rather strict on labor laws, and would require workplaces to maintain a federally decided standard of safety and benefits. The party's ideal policies would require able-bodied, non-retired, and non-homeless people to be working except in certain circumstances to be eligible for certain benefits, a policy which would be enforced on both corporations and the government.

Goals
The initial goal of the Forward Party was solely to deconstruct the Great Immortal Empire of Dolgaria, and depose the longstanding monarchy. They succeeded in this endeavor by 3760, and shifted their focus to technological and scientific advancement to the betterment of the citizens and possibly the world. This is a goal that may be achieved through more practical education and reallocation of funds.

Structure
The Forward Party is a democracy within itself and emphasizes the will of its members rather than only those with power.

The Forward Party is headed by the Party Leader, who acts as the "face" of the party; handling external communication, policy drafts, and campaigning. The Leader is the politician that the party will endorse for the President of Dolgaria.

Leadership elections are held every four years, exactly one year before the federal elections. Any party member can apply to be an option on the ballot, and the Leader is decided by a simple majority of the votes. Elected Leaders will take control of the party on the day of the federal election, regardless of whether or not they were elected federally, but are given campaigning power in advance if they are replacing the previous Leader.

Party History
The party was founded in 3752 by Randall Conagher, who - after being discharged from the Dolgarian Army for injuries - became disgruntled with the stagnant politics, declining economy, and poor prospects for Dolgarian workers. After delivering speeches across Dolgaria to spread the message of a future that he believed would benefit everybody, he formed the Forward Party in January 3752 on the platform of deconstructing the Empire and won the following month with a minority government. The next several years were spent drafting the founding documents of the Empire's successive state. Obstacles manifested themselves in the forms of political infighting, indecisiveness, and violent protests.

The party was near-unanimously elected in 3760, which served as evidence that most of the country was unified in their beliefs in the party's goals. Conagher's famous election speech was only a sentence long:

"Dolgaria has spoken, and we shall deliver."

- Randall Conagher - 3760 election speech

The party's efforts culminated with the New Dolgaria Declaration of 3757, which invoked two previously passed acts intending to dissolve the Empire and establish the Republic. In the winter of 3759, Conagher formally announced that the Republic of Dolgaria would be officially established on the first day of 3760. The party's goals achieved, their morale and the public's confidence soared, leading them to a third election in 3760, making the Forward Party the first party to rule the new Republic.

In 3762, Conagher implemented the party election system, which would allow all registered party members to vote for any other party members to become the leader of the party. He announced that he would not be standing for the first election, and stepped down as the leader during the 3764 federal election, ceding the spot to party co-founder and former defense minister Misha Malkovich, who had won the 3763 party election.

"My work here is done, and it is time to pass the torch. We have been extremely successful, and I want to wish Mr. Malkovich and all future leaders of this party and of this country luck in keeping up the political momentum of this great success."

- Randall Conagher - farewell address, 3764

Although Conagher and Malkovich had vehement disagreements during the formation of the founding documents on how the party and Republic would operate, Malkovich decided to run the country as Conagher would have, deciding that radical changes soon after a successful government replacement would create major problems among the people and party members.

"There have been many doubts among my opponents inside and outside of the party about what will become of the new state under my lead. I want to assure these objectors that I will keep Dolgaria on the successful course that Mr. Conagher has charted for us."

- Misha Malkovich - 3764 election speech

Despite Malkovich's assurances, he remained a controversial figure, with his status as a Telamonese immigrant only fueling the fire. In spite of this, Malkovich continued building the Republic on the foundation that Conagher had built, and lead a fairly quiet government which worked behind the scenes to help the country heal after the arduous imperial rule and rapid transformation.