United Sordland Party

Flag of the United Sordland Party

The **United Sordland Party** (**USP**) is the founding and ruling political party of the Republic of Sordland. It is also the oldest Sordish political party. Founded in 1929 by Tarquin Soll, the party ruled since the end of the Sordish Civil War, effectively turning Sordland into a one-party state. Due to the USP's great influence in Sordish politics, the party has since become a big tent party, despite Sollism being the party's official ideology. As a result, incidents of infighting between its factions have occurred, intensifying since Soll's departure from Sordish politics.

The current leader of the USP is President Anton Rayne, ascending to the position following the March 1953 USP Congress.

## Ideology

While parties are normally founded out of unity between competing ideals similar enough to reach common ground, the USP, created solely to enforce the power of Tarquin Soll, has a bit of a problem maintaining solidarity between its members. The party can be divided into three major camps:

### The Reformists

These members wish to bring about democratic reform in Sordland, and to rebuild the hated Constitution of '29 from the ground up. While varying considerably in the degree of reforms they deem necessary to fix the broken Sordish democracy, they all agree that change is not just important, but vital to the survival of the Republic. However, their progressive ideals frequently conflict with the insular Old Guard.

### The Old Guard

Standing in direct opposition to the Reformist ideal, the Old Guard seeks to uphold the status quo of Sollism, and prevent any modifications to the Constitution. To them, Soll was the ultimate leader, and his Constitution cannot be replaced by any means. While their position has come under fire in recent years, following the failed first attempts at reform under Ewald Alphonso, they also regained some of their popularity. Fighting the Reformists tooth-and-nail, their colossal internal struggle not only threatens the stability of the USP, but also silences the typically outspoken Centrists.

### The Centrists and Conservatives

The moderate-conservative wing of the USP is the backbone of the party that seeks to preserve the Sollist traditions of the party while being more flexible and pragmatic than the Old Guards about potential changes under Rayne's new presidency. Although it is most likely that some of the moderates supported Alphonso during the leadership election, all of them fiercely opposed the privatizations efforts carried out by him and obstructed his agendas in the assembly. The speaker of the Grand National Assembly, Gloria Tory, is the current leader of this unspoken and fragile alliance.

Indeed, with all these competing schools of thought, it is hard to believe the USP has not already collapsed under its own weight. But there is one factor that cannot be ignored, and is at the center of the USP's enduring power; for nothing unifies disparate, squabbling factions quite like an external enemy. While once claiming near absolute control over the Sordish government to the point of being synonymous with the name of the Republic itself, as time wore on and they appeared weaker and weaker, new parties sprung up.

Professing support for new ideologies, from the ultranationalist National Front Party, to the liberal reformist People's Freedom and Justice Party, to even more still waiting in the wings, vying for enough votes to pass the 10% Assembly threshold and propagating ideals as niche as communism and Bludish independence, the contestants for power the USP faces are as innumerable and diverse as the beliefs within the party itself.

Even as they bicker over issues from which the watchful eye of history may lazily avert its gaze, the entirety of the USP agrees on one thing.

Change is coming. But, if the USP has proven anything over its decades in power, it has shown its ability to endure. For, just as the morning dawns, and Sordland claims its greatest victories, the United Sordland Party stands triumphant alongside its mother state, and retains its spot in the sun...for now.

## History

The United Sordland Party was founded by then-Colonel Tarquin Soll in 1929 following the end of the Sordish Civil War. It is the oldest surviving political party in Sordland, and has been dominant over the nation's government since its inception. The USP has inherently been a Sollist party (and thus fairly conservative, nationalist) since its creation, but has recently begun to fracture, as Soll's vice grip on the party was finally challenged due to his increasingly authoritarian policies. In 1946, Soll was ousted by business magnate Ewald Alphonso in an internal election for Chairmanship of the USP. The loss led Soll to resign from politics in general, though he maintains a permanent seat in the Assembly and total legal immunity due to his status as a Member of Honor.

Despite considerable internal struggles, the USP managed to triumph in the 1949 elections. Unfortunately, this only exacerbated the party's divisions, as the USP became divided between the Sollists, Reformists, and Centrists. Under Alphonso, the party pursued more liberal policies, attempting to transform Sordland into a free-market economy (in opposition of traditional state-planned Sollonomics).

However, these reforms, as well as Alphonso's personal failings and widespread corruption, culminated in a recession in 1951. This immediately caused Alphonso's popularity to crash, and the party swiftly looked to its existing membership for a new Presidential representative. Rising internal opposition eventually led to then-unknown candidate Anton Rayne winning an internal election against Alphonso to become the new USP chairmen in 1953. The party's choice was quickly vindicated, as Rayne went on to win the 1953 Sordish elections, alongside a decisive majority of 130/250 in the Assembly.

As of 1954, the USP stands as the dominant party of Sordland. Having won every Presidential election since 1929, the party seemingly appears invincible. Unfortunately for new president Rayne, this could not be further from the truth. In reality, the USP is on the precipice of hitherto unseen disaster.

Internal division is growing between Sollists and Reformists as calls for a change to the Constitution have taken root in most of Sordland's population. Reformists in the USP wish to heed these calls and finally change the nation, reforming the flawed Constitution of '29 set in place by Soll. The Sollist Old Guard, however, wishes to preserve Soll's original doctrines as much as possible, while the few Centrists in the party are caught in the crossfire. But, above all, there is one thing everyone in the USP can agree upon.

Change must come if the USP is to stand strong into the next decade. If it truly wishes to bring about great change and transform Sordland into the nation it was always meant to be, it must remain dominant in the Assembly and put forth excellent Presidential candidates. It cannot waver. It cannot hesitate. It must act now.

What they cannot agree upon, however, is just how.

## Assembly Seats

The USP, as of the 1953 elections, holds 130 seats out of the 250 in the Assembly. The party is led by Anton Rayne.

## Trivia

* The USP shares many similarities with the Republican People's Party (CHP) of Turkey.