Liberal People's Party (Hulstria & Gao-Soto)

The Liberale Volkspartei (= "Liberal People's Party") is a classical liberal party in Hulstria & Gao-Soto. It is currently the second-largest party and main opposition in the Reichstag.

Ideology
While the LVP officially identifies as a party of the centre, it is generally seen as centre-right. It also describes "liberalism" as its ideology without further specifications, but can safely be labeled classically liberal with a strong emphasis on free-market capitalism.

Socially, the party is moderately permissive, supporting the decriminalization of cannabis and most other recreational drugs, private gun ownership, civil liberties and opposing most morality laws. Its views on marriage equality are mixed, some of the LVP's more conservative proponents reject gay marriage while mainstream members back it.

Factionalism
While not officially recognized, there are informally organized factions within the LVP. These include:


 * Classical liberals: The classical liberals are the largest ideological group in the LVP and are often considered the mainstream or establishment faction. They support economic and personal freedom, but are generally pragmatic on most policy issues.


 * Neoliberals: The Neoliberals strive for massive economic deregulation, large-scale tax cuts, less welfare and privatization of government services such as healthcare, infrastructure and media. Their views on social issues differ.


 * Libertarians: The Libertarians in the LVP are the most avowed advocates of personal freedom, supporting very permissive drug and gun laws and generally maximum civil liberties. They are also very pro-business, but oppose all kinds of corporate welfare such as farm subsidies. On defence and foreign affairs, they are generally non-interventionst and, in some cases, pacifist.


 * Social liberals: The social liberals are often portrayed as the left-wing of the LVP. However, they do support moderate economic liberalism. In sharp contrast to the other factions, they are less keen on dismantling the welfare state and often support policies such as minimum income and wages, public health care and the abolition of tuition fees.


 * Conservatives: A small minority within the LVP identifies as conservative. They are usually socially more restrictive than the other factions and oppose strict secularism, often openly embracian Hosian values. They are thus sometimes jokingly called "the HDV-wing of the LVP." Most of these members come from rural communities where the LVP is traditionally weak.

History
The LVP was founded by Aurelia Lamann-Spitzer, a publisher and journalist from Kien in June 3563 as a party with a "commitment to democracy, tradition and our national identity and (...) a truly freedom-minded vision for our grand nation."

Lamann-Spitzer's deputy, wealthy industrialist Markus Fahrengold provided funds for massive publicity efforts and administrative infrastructure in the early days of the LVP, enabling the party to reach the electorate quickly and effectively. Only a few weeks after its founding, Aurelia Lamann-Spitzer became the first Liberal member of the Reichstag by winning a by-election in Kien-West.

In its first general election held in 3564, the LVP won 35% of votes, a strong performance for a brand new party. However, the dominance HDV under Staatsminister Klaus Michels remained unbroken with 65%.