Liberal Democratic Party (Frankenland)

The **Liberal Democratic Party** (Lungarian: *Liberaldemokratisch Partei*, *LDP*; Maldonian: *Parti Liberale-Democraté*, *PLD*; Regian: *Partito Liberale Democratico*, *PLD*) is a classical liberal and social liberal political party in Frankenland. Since 2018, the party has been the fourth-largest in the National Council and second-largest in the State Council. It is a Frankish affiliate of the Eurean Party of Liberals and Reformists.

The party was formed on 4 June 1956, following a merger of the Liberal Party and the Free Democratic Party. As of 2020, the party has approximately 50,000 registered members.

## Political positions

The party is described as both classical liberal and social liberal. While social liberalism has always been part of its political platform, some members of the party towards the beginning of its foundation used to lean more towards liberal conservatism than social liberalism. Since the 1990s, however, the party has fully embraced social liberalism. The party is typically placed in the center of the political spectrum.

The party supports neutrality, state sovereignty, direct democracy, anti-militarism, and federalism. The party has been described as "apathetic" to immigration issues, believing that there are more pressing issues to discuss than the topic. Members of the LDP have supported both left-wing and right-wing immigration-related proposals.

### Economic policy

As a liberal party, the LDP supports the classical liberal tenants of deregulation, *laissez-faire* economics, and the free market. They believe that the government interfering with the economy is overreach, and that economic freedom is a necessity for a fair and just society. Because of this, the party typically opposes heavy taxation, restrictions on spending, and big business regulations. According to the party, self-regulation, responsibility, and competition should dictate the actions of individuals' spending rather than government policy.

As a whole, the party stands for simple tax codes, low taxation, and easing regulations, in addition to opposing deficit spending and wide levels of bureaucracy. Many members of the party also advocate for the privatization of a number of government services.

### Social policy

With social liberalism being a cornerstone of the party, the LDP believes that it is not the government's place to regulate what an individual can do in their private life. The party supports safe access to abortion on request and legalizing same-sex marriages, while they have also been supportive of methods to "fairly introduce women and racial minorities into the upper-tier of the workforce."

The party is also a strong supporter of the Frankish private education industry, believing that it should be expanded in order to bring in revenue from abroad for the Frankish economy. While they have reaffirmed their support for public education, they believe that private education should be valued just as much. The LDP also has supported the legalization of all drugs, believing that individual restraint should deter people from victimless crime, not government policy.

The party supports the current Frankish healthcare system, where individuals may choose to opt-into a universal government-run plan or purchase their own private plan. They strongly oppose abolishing private healthcare, believing that it goes against the free market and that those with the ability to pay more should receive better quality care, like in any other industry.

### Foreign policy

The party supports Frankenland's official policy of neutrality, believing that involvement in international wars and conflicts is wasted spending. They believe that taxation should go to benefiting the citizens of a nation, not the nation's international influence as is in the case of military conquests. The party also supports strengthening relations with Frankenland's neighboring nations, while also maintaining its territorial sovereignty.