Ambrose Bauer

Ambrose Bauer (born December 8, 2741 in Kien, Hulstrian Crownland) is the current leader of the Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria, Parliamentarian from the Crownland of Hulstria, and the Socialist candidate for Governor-General of Greater Hulstria.

Under Bauer's term, the party has made a full recovery following the losses suffered under the leadership of Margaret English, and has been remarkably successful in improving relations with the other parties in the Diet, most notably with the Fascist Authority Party. The SP under his leadership ended their alliance with the Christliche Liberalen Allianz and joined the Hulstrian Monarchist Society. Bauer has also led efforts to abolish the Governor-Generalship and splitting its powers between the Staatsminister and the Emperor.

When he became party leader at the age of 35, Bauer became the youngest party leader in Hulstrian history, and became the first Lutheran to become Leader of the SP. He is also the father of Diet member Maggie Bauer-Chamberlain.

Early Life
Ambrose Bauer was born on December 8, 2741 in Kien, Hulstria, to Alvin and Gretchen Bauer. Alvin, a mill worker, died in a factory accident when Ambrose was only three years old, leaving Gretchen, a homemaker, to raise Ambrose, along with siblings Eddie, Jack, and Kim. In order to provide for the children, Gretchen took a job as a seemstress for the Royal Fabric Corporation. Despite being out of the home for long periods of time, the family was always close, and Gretchen, as well as the siblings, continue to be a major presence in Ambrose's life as well as constant companions on the campaign trail.

As he got older, Ambrose excelled in school, ranking top of his class at Emperor Franz I High School in Kien, and was admitted to the Royal Kien Academy for Boys during his junior year, again achieving top rank. He was latter accepted to the Royal University of Kien on a full scholarship, ranking second in his class, and later earning his Ph.D in Political Science. He would latter hold a number of major fundrasers for the school.

While in college, he met his future wife, Heather Acton, whom he married in 2762, at the age of 22. They would later have three children, William, Maggie, and Charlotte.

Career in the Diet
In 2764, at the age of 24, Bauer ran for a seat in the Diet. His opponent that year was Joseph Oswald, a twenty year veteran of the Diet. Bauer, who was seen as the underdog throughout the campaign, ran an extremely effective campaign that year, despite being outspent five-to-one by Oswald, who, by many accounts, ran a very poor campaign. In the end, Bauer pulled off a suprise victory, winning 52% to Oswald's 48%. He entered parliament as the youngest member since the independence of Greater Hulstria nearly seven hundred years prior, and was seen as a rising star within the Diet. Following this election, Bauer never faced any credible competition for his seat, either winning by margins of 15% or not facing an opponent at all.

Bauer latter came to support the reannexation of the Independent City State of Moroni, which was founded by Mormons exiled from Greater Hulstria in the 2460's. When the bill became law, Bauer joined the Mormon Socialist Party, becoming the first non-Mormon parliamentarian for the party in over three-hundred years. He led the successful effort in 2774 to transform the party into the Socialist Party of Greater Hulstria.

Leadership Contest of 2776 and Chairmanship
When the SP lost 45 seats in the general election of 2776, party leader Margaret English came under direct attack from many within the party leadership, and they actively recruited Bauer for the position. Although English still maintained a large amount of support from the base, her inability to come to an agreement with the other parties regarding a cabinet due to her insistance on proportional representation and her feud with FAP Chairman Erik Chamberlain led her to lose a great deal of credability. This convinced Bauer to challenge her during the party conference in Kien. Despite once again being a major underdog, Bauer won the leadership contest by a confortable margin, deposing English, who left her post in disgrace and without offering her support to Bauer's leadership.

The first task, and first success, of Bauer's term came soon after his election, when he concluded an agreement with the Fascist Authority Party to form a unity cabinet with equal representation, and in the process formed a close personal relationship with Erik Chamberlain. He also moved the party towards a strong royalist position, angering many hardline socialists, but gaining significant respect among others in the Diet. In the 2779 general elections, Bauer led the party to a four seat gain in the Diet, bring their total to 110 seats, coming in with the fifth largest number of seats, but only thirty seats behind the first-place Objektivismus Partei. Following the election the party broke its informal alliance with the Christliche Liberalen Allianz, and formed a much stronger and beneficial one with the FAP. It was during this time that Bauer began his campaign to eliminate the Governor-Generalship.

Campaign to eliminate the Governor-Generalship
It was during this time that Bauer began his campaign to eliminate the Governor-Generalship. In May, 2781, Bauer proposed the Constitutional and Imperial Family Reform Act, which sought to eliminate the Governor-Generalship. It would give some of the Governor-General's powers to the Emperor, but most of them to the Staatsminister. Bauer argued that the Governor-General was a weak and pointless post and that allowing it to exist was more a hinderance to progress than it was worth. He also argued that having the Governor-General, Staatsminister, and Emperor at the head of the country caused a great deal of confusion and that the Diet had failed to create a clearly defined chain of command within the government. The issue of granting more powers to the Emperor also was debated, with Bauer arguing that the Emperor would serve as a unifying figure, and that he would remain above political fighting.

The resolution has also become famous for its heated debate between Bauer and CLA party leader Lukas Adenauer, who advocated a much weakened monarchy. The other parties in the Diet accused Adenauer of trying to stonewall all legislative efforts of the Hulstrian Monarchist Society, and, after the debate spilled into other issues, acting in a dishonest way during previous legislative efforts. During the debates, pundits praised Bauer for his skill in advancing the legislation.

Socialist Party Chairman
During the party conference of 2782, the delegates agreed to reform and streamline the structure of the party, including eliminating the position of Socialist Party Leader and replacing it with a Chairman. After it was enacted, Ambrose Bauer won 95% of the delegates and was elected as the Chairman of the Socialist Party. During the 2782 election the party made major gains, picking up 27 more seats, and becoming the second largest party, right behind the CLA. Bauer also made it to the second round in the Governor-Generalship election, but only gained 37.89% of the vote, losing to the Nationale Partei, who had the backing of both the FAP and the KHP.

In 2785, the party gained 2 more seats, but it proved just enough to knock the CLA out of the top position and the SP became the largest party in the Diet for the first time since 2457. In the election for Governor-General, Bauer gained the endorsement of the Fascist Authority Party for the first time, and won the first round of voting with 33.13%. But in the second round it lost to the Nationale Partei, with 44.91% compared to the NP's candidate Joseph Karcher, who recieved 54.98%. It was still managed to be the best results the SP has recieved in the Governor-Generalship elections.

In the general election of 2788, Bauer led his party to another gain, picking up 17 more seats in the Diet, bringing their total up to 156 seats. With 21.51% of the Diet under it control, the Socialist Party achieved its highest seat count since 2431. He once again made it to the second round of the Governor-General race, but once again lost in the second round to the Nationale Partie. Following the election, Fascist Authority Party Chairman Erik Chamberlain retired. Bauer paid tribute to his dear friend in an emotional speech, while welcoming new FAP Chairman Friedrich Ewald II. Also during that election his daughter, Maggie Bauer-Chamberlain, was elected to the Imperial Diet, representing the district of Kien-North Central, at the age of 24.

Foreign Policy
Bauer has argued that Greater Hulstria remain neutral in most foreign matters, saying that it would be in the best interest of the nation. As the Socialist Party Leader, he introduce the Foreign Assistance Act of 2784, which would mandate that the country give out large amounts of foreign aide to countries in need.

Military
As a socialist, Bauer has urged every nation to show restraint and use military force only as a last resort. Bauer has also called for a ban on nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons in Greater Hulstria, but his legislative efforts on these issues have so far failed.

The notable exeption to this was during the Talmorian Civil War, in which he urged Greater Hulstria to intervene. In a passionate speech before the Imperial Diet, he argued that it was the country's duty to stop the killings of innocent civilians in the brutal war, and that to fail to act would forever tarnish the reputation of Greater Hulstria. The Imperial Diet eventually failed to approve the use of force and the war is still ongoing.

Gay and Lesbian Rights
Throughout his career in the Diet, Bauer has been a constant supporter of gay and lesbian rights, and has introduced legislation to allow gay marriage and allow them to serve openly in the military.

Economic Policies
Keeping to his socialist roots, Bauer has been a major advocate of increased regulation of the financial markets, including reigning the unregulated stock markets and holding corporations responsible for their actions. He has also argued for the nationalisation of the "commanding heights" of the economy.

Imperial Family
To the suprise of many across the political spectrum, Bauer has moved the Socialist Party towards a strong royalist platform, in contrast to many socialist organizations and its own roots in the Mormon Socialist Party, which had a strongly republican platform. The party's policy regarding the Imperial Family have become the main focus of its campaigns, with an emphasis on abolishing the Governor-Generalship and opposing any republican parties in the country. When Bauer took over control of the party it was thought by many to be a risky move, but has proven to have overwhelming support among grassroots supporters and has attracted new voters to the party.

Healthcare
Bauer has been the most consistant and vocal advocate among party leaders for a public and universal healthcare system, and often introduces legislation to increase the health budget and improve patient care and quality of service.

Centralization vs. Devolution
Bauer has advocated for the centralization of most government business, arguing that to have many different policies by many different local governments only leads to great confusion and inefficiency.

Environment
The environment has always been a major part of Bauer's campaigns, and has led numerous efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, place strict pollution controls on industries, and protect our forests and natural environment. He has ofter proposed that the national government take the lead in the fight to protect the environment, and taking those responsibilities away from local governments.

Religion
The first non-Mormon leader of the Socialist Party, Bauer has had to walk a fine line when it comes to religion. While he is a strong believer in God, and has made numerous mentions of it, he has nonetheless advocated the separation of church and state. He has led the movement against requirements for prayers in schools, and has urged the government to end its practice of recording the race and religion of each of its citizens.

Privacy
Bauer has also advocated that the government should not intervene in the private matters of its citizens.

Private Life
Despite being a major politician, Bauer has vigorously defended his privacy, and has taken steps to keep the media out of his childrens' lives.

Bauer and his wife Heather have three children, including Maggie Bauer-Chamberlain, who became the Diet member for Kien-North Central in 2788.

In addition to this, Bauer is also an accomplished musician, famous for his public performances on his saxaphone.

Friendship with Erik Chamberlain


From the start, Bauer and FAP Chairman Erik Chamberlain formed a unique and unprecedented relationship that was both professional and personal. When Bauer became Chairman of the Socialist Party in 2776, the relationship between the SP and FAP was seriously damaged by his predecessor, Margaret English, who entered a coalition cabinet dominated by the Christliche Liberalen Allianz, while excluding others, including Chamberlain's FAP. Upon winning the Chairmanship, Bauer instantly agreed to a united cabinet with the other parties, which would turn out to be the opening move of the growing and evolving friendship between the two parties and the two men.

Within a few years, Bauer ditched the CLA for a more equal partnership with the FAP. The two men worked together on the front lines of the effort to reform the various government institutions, in an effort to make them more efficient and democratic. But the greatest accomplishment of the two was the establishment of the Hulstrian Monarchist Society and its subsequent dominance of national politics. Despite taking different positions on social policies, the two parties had similar economic views, and the FAP would come to endorse the SP for Governor-General for the past two elections.

Outside of the political arena, the two were extrodinarily close, often seen joking around together during breaks in the Imperial Diet. Their two families would have dinner together on a regular basis, and Bauer's daugher Maggie was rumoured to be romantically involved with Chamberlain's son Alfred, which later proved true.

It was later learned that Bauer was one of the first to be notified of Chamberlain's retirement, even before many senior FAP officials, a sign of how close they really were. When it was announced in 2789, Bauer gave an emotional speech in honor of his friend, and was seen fighting back tears while talking:


 * "Today, I bid farewell, not only to a truly great and noble citizen, but also to a great, personal friend. Over the past 13 years I have worked with Erik Chamberlain to improve the lives of the Hulstrian people and make the Imperial Crownlands great again. Although we have very different political views, me being a liberal and him being a conservative, he always put the best interests of the people before partisan gain. His retirement is a great loss to this great nation and will leave a void that will not be easily filled. I, my family, the Socialist Party, and the rest of the nation wish him the best of luck as he moves on to the next phase of his life. I now say goodbye and good luck to my dear friend."

In the meantime, Bauer's daughter Maggie and Chamberlian's son, Albert, had begun to date each other, and in June of 2789 announced that they would be married. The marriage marked the merger of two of the most powerful families in Greater Hulstria, and made the two old friends even closer.

Electoral Results
Parliamentary Election 2764

Parliamentary Election 2767

Parliamentary Election 2770

Parliamentary Election 2773

Parliamentary Election 2776

Socialist Party Leadership Election of 2776

Parliamentary Election 2779

Greater Hulstrian Governor-General Election of 2779, First Round

Socialist Party Leadership Election of 2779

Parliamentary Election 2782

Greater Hulstrian Governor-General Election of 2782, First Round

Greater Hulstrian Governor-General Election of 2782, Second Round

Socialist Party Chairmanship Election of 2782

Parliamentary Election 2785

Greater Hulstrian Governor-General Election of 2785, First Round

Greater Hulstrian Governor-General Election of 2785, Second Round

Socialist Party Chairmanship Election of 2785

Parliamentary Election 2788

Greater Hulstrian Governor-General Election of 2788, First Round

Greater Hulstrian Governor-General Election of 2788, Second Round

Socialist Party Chairmanship Election of 2788