Coburan Socialist Party

The Coburan Socialist Party (CSP) is a socialist and communist political party in Cobura, founded in 3380. It describes itself as the rightful successor of the Left Party, which was dissolved 99 years prior to the establishment of the Socialist Party. The party's founder and leader since its foundation is Silas Francisco.

Party ideology
The Socialist Party is officially a socialist party, not using any other labels. The goal of the party as stated in its manifesto is to transform Cobura into a democratic socialist country. However, the CSP is skeptical to the idea of state socialism, and instead seeks to establish a syndicalist form of economics, based on workers' self management and grassroots democracy rather than state planning. Alongside the more moderate syndicalists and socialists are the communists and anarchists, represented at party congresses by the Communist Refoundation League and the Libertarian Appeal respectively.

Despite promoting a more libertarian socialist set of ideas, the party opposes privatisations and tax reductions for the wealthy, though when it comes to the poor, the party has been a heavy advocate of reducing their taxes. The CSP also remains in opposition to private healthcare and education, and seeks to gradually remove private property and make land commonly owned, though with respect of personal property. Most members of the Socialist Party are also in favour of environmental and animal protection, gay rights, legalisation of abortion, an unregulated internet and direct democracy.

Achievements
Among the party's legislative and executive achievments are nationalising power stations, fully socialise the agricultural industry, and introduce universal child benefit. Also, adding to the CSP's pacifist image, the party was able to remove all forms of compulsory military service, and ban the use and construction of several weapons of mass destruction

History
The Socialist Party was founded in 3380 at the initiative of the Social Federation of Labour (SFL), at the time headed by Silas Francisco. The SFL was a trade union which primarily consisted of radical and socialist industrial workers. The party's first congress was held the same year, and about five hundred workers from across the country, who represented different trade unions, attended. At the first congress, six different trade unions, including the Social Federation of Labour, merged into the National Labour Confederation, which in turn proceeded to found the Coburan Socialist Party as its political and electoral wing.

Electoral victory of 3386
Following the general election held in Cobura in 3386, the Socialist Party became the largest party in the country, with 44,3 per cent of the votes, winning two more seats than the right-wing Republican Party. Within the Socialist Party controversy soon emerged, and a battle started between the left-wing and (relatively) right-wing factions of the party, seeking to form a Socialist-Populist government and a Socialist-Republican unity government respectively. A third group wanted the Socialist Party to remain in opposition. The Populist Party was the only third party represented in parliament at the time, and was centrist in nature, thus to the left of the Republicans.

Red-Green Coalition
On February 25th Silas Francisco, thrice the party's unsuccessful candidate for president, followed the wish of the CSP's left-wing and began negotiating with the Populist Party on forming a coalition cabinet. The negotiations succeeded on March 1st, and the government was sworn in on March 9th, with Silas Francisco himself as Prime Minister, as the first partly socialist Coburan government in decades. During the Coalition's first years, the nation's space industries were nationalised, homosexuality was legalised for soldiers, the remaining nuclear power plants in Cobura were shut down and replaced by renewable energy sources, the nobility was removed and over eight hundred workers' councils were established in Cobura's western regions to promote direct economic democracy.

Following the 3390 elections, the Socialist Party saw its main opponent's influence in parliament be heavily reduced as the Republican Party came third, behind the red-green Populist Party, with one hundred seats, down 115. The government however, was altered, as the election marked the end of the Red-Green Coalition, when the Populists were replaced by the Reason Party of Cobura as the Socialists' coalition partner. The office of the Prime Minister was still held by Silas Francisco.