National Party Taiwan (6.0)

## National Party

### Ideology

American Libertarian Conservatism, American Exceptionalism, Capitalist, Christian, Individualist, Militarist

### Religion

Protestant Christianity

The **National Party** is a large, conservative, Christian, and English organization that holds federal office, alongside the similarly-sized Reform Party and much smaller Xindang. It is currently lead by Governor John Leboeuf, of Okinawa Province, who was elected head of the Political Action Committee in 1995. It is the largest political party by membership in the Federation, and has dominated federal politics between 1955 and 1990.

## History

The National Party was organized by Major Christopher Andersen in 1951 during his tenure as the Lt. Governor of Okinawa Province, in Ryukyu. Federal politics at the time was run by MacArthur's military junta, but the first local elections in 1950 for the Civilian Administration saw huge victories for the centrist Democratic Party, and the left-wing Veterans Party. The lack of organization among right-leaning candidates was blamed for this result, with the National Party being established to fill the void and challenge for the upcoming 1954 Senate elections. The National Party failed to win a majority in these elections, but did form a coalition with independent-right wing members of the Senate, and established itself as a potent political force in the nascent republic. When MacArthur declared that elections would take place in 1956 and the federation formally seperated from the Philippines, Anderson identified General Wagner as a sympathetic candidate.

The National Party was organized by Major Christopher Andersen in 1951 during his tenure as the Lt. Governor of Okinawa Province, in Ryukyu. Federal politics at the time was run by MacArthur's military junta, but the first local elections in 1950 for the Civilian Administration saw huge victories for the centrist Democratic Party, and the left-wing Veterans Party. The lack of organization among right-leaning candidates was blamed for this result, with the National Party being established to fill the void and challenge for the upcoming 1954 Senate elections. The National Party failed to win a majority in these elections, but did form a coalition with independent-right wing members of the Senate, and established itself as a potent political force in the nascent republic. When MacArthur declared that elections would take place in 1956 and the federation formally seperated from the Philippines, Anderson identified General Wagner as a sympathetic candidate.

Andersen's greatest achievement would not be in 1956, with the election of Wagner to the Presidency, but rather in 1959 when he oversaw the successful integration of the Veteran's Party into the National Party, through emphasizing populist Christian values, and thereby establishing the combined organization into the largest single political entity in the country. The left-wing elements of the Veteran's Party were cast out entirely by 1962, effectively giving the National Party a political monopoly against the very weak and disorganized Democrats. Antonio Carcetti won the 1964 election with nearly 76% of the popular vote, with the National Party holding 20/24 seats in the House of Representatives and half the Senate.

The NP has dominated the politics of Taiwan-Ryukyu since, leading to an effective one-party democracy in the country. Under their tenure, the federation has achieved significant stability and low levels of corruption, though economic growth is best described as stagnant, and the country is marred by a high degree of income inequality. They have also been criticized for their highly conservative Christian outlook, and have been accused of mild white supremacy.

Their first major defeat came after the tenure of President William Grayson, when in 1994 candidate Michael Collins failed to win the Presidency - the first time since 1956 that the Presidency would be held by a non National Party member. Additionally, 1994 saw the National Party lose control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1954, though they retain a slim majority in the Senate. This is largely believed to be due to the role of the 1991 protests and the expansion of voting rights to non-English literate citizens.

## Ideology

The National Party tends to be very ideologically cohesive. The National Party believes that free markets and individual action are the primary factors behind prosperity, opposing state intervention in the economy or private lives of individuals. They tend to advocate for a small federal government with limited powers, and promote the unique American character of the Federation as the reason for its success. The party believes the role of government first and foremost is defense of the islands from foreign aggressors and preservation of social stability. They oppose organizations which they feel harm this stability - not just other political organizations, but social organizations and trade unions as well.

Arguing that the American democratic experiment was the greatest human achievement, the National Party tends to mimic Americanisms in its party organization and promote American influence on government and society as benefiting to the indigenous population and indigenous social organizations.

The National Party has come to be seen as very linked with Christianity in the Federation, and often promotes the virtues of Christianity when describing its position on social and moral issues. They oppose expressions of homosexuality, promote traditional Judeo-Christian gender roles, and argue that religion is a social good that should be actively promoted. National Party members are frequently overtly devout and tend to use Christian symbolism in their campaigns - though, since 1990, a strong secular movement known as the New Nationals has been established following the expansion of voting rights to traditionally non-Christian constituencies. Nonetheless, Christianity and indigenous Christian organizations tend to be very powerful within the Party, especially as it is one of the few indigenous constituencies that votes reliably National.

In foreign policy, the National Party promotes isolationism and militarism as key pillars of securing the independence of the Federation.