Commonwealth Politics

The Commonwealth is an institution born out of democratic, meritocratic and egalitarian values, following a governance style of direct democracy and free speech to all citizens found within its borders. In the past, the Ortus Council of Nations comprised several nation-states within the surface of Ortus, and even then, they found union in councils, assemblies and voting institutions. That way of thought has since permeated throughout all corners of the Commonwealth and its society, branching out into several ways of thinking that led not only to the creation of independent political parties, but also the formation of factions, wings and, most importantly, organised groups of citizens wanting to enact changes to the nation from their political views.

Such presence of multiple parties has always brought diversity of thought within the OCN, and then the subsequent Commonwealth. At the birth of its foundation, the Ortus Council of Nations thrived with a myriad of different political parties, all seeking to shape the young worldwide council to its own model of rule. Ultimately, however, it was with the ascension of the Exile Party that the OCN carried on its history - Come decade after decade of an increasingly decadent and corrupt rule though, and the people once more rallied for change. After a series of scandals and a number of popular demonstrations, the Exile Party was voted out, and in came the Innovation Party. Under the leadership of Drahoslav Tesar, it was during that time when the OCN began looking to the stars. In the following decades, a number of factions branched out of the Innovation party’s wings, bringing some of the political movements that can be found to this day in the Commonwealth.

## **Core Political Parties**

Formed under the pretext of unity and stability, the Exile Party officially came into power in 2047, and remained as such throughout almost 150 years of rule. This group was composed of several different leadership figures, and was oftentimes riddled with corruption, nepotism and borderline ineffectiveness when actually dealing with political matters within Ortus. Characterised by a hands-off approach when dealing with national affairs, the Exile Party preached for isolationism, free-market capitalism and a maintaining of Old Earth traditions. Overall, this movement swept up popular support during the first century not because of its agenda, but mostly because of its stabilising effect within the council and the nations found within them. It gave enough freedom for said nations to engage in projects at their will and interact at their own leisure, faced with intervention only when diplomatic tensions neared a state of war within Ortus. For the people, it provided enough freedom and encouragement to live on in their new homes, and as such continue to work for the benefit of humanity.

Such stability began fading in the latter half of the 22nd. Century, however. Beset on all sides by corruption and political blunders, as well as an increasing pressure both from popular and the growing presence of other parties in the council, the tensions eventually erupted with the Frostpeak Riots of 2189, and the Exile Party quickly lost all of its power once the elections of 2190 had arrived. Since then, the party is extinct in all but name, as the historical pretence for the formation of such a group is no longer viable neither for Eastern Humans, nor any species currently residing within Commonwealth borders.

Capitalising on the downfall of the Exile Party, the Innovation Party rose to the position of power and elected the position to Chancellor Drahoslav Tesar, who would guide the OCN for the following mandate. Following the beliefs of meritocracy, direct democracy and reason above all, the party enacted a series of changes that swooped the entirety of Ortus and its nations - Bringing not only a renewed sense of unity, but beyond that; Unification. Under two mandates without any political opposition, the Innovation Party brought humanity to the stars, with the unveiling of the Expanse Project, and initiated a series of interstellar expeditions that would lead to the Planetary Exploration Missions known today. The political movement expanded citizen rights and provided academic privileges to researchers and scientists of Ortus, as well as a change to the voting method of the Ortus Council of Nations entirely. In terms of its outreach, the OCN began a far more controlling and direct way of rule over the nations of Ortus, the basis of which paved the way for the unification of all nations in the future. The party remained until the birth of the Commonwealth, as it soon began losing ground to the newer political movements that sought to expand from the basis built by the Innovation Party. As such it cannot be said that the party really died, for the newer political factions are merely expansive branches, descending from the core beliefs of the Innovation motto. The direct rule of the party came to an end after the 2250s Election, giving way to the political factions of the Commonwealth known to this day.

## **Present Factions**

THE FOLLOWING ARE ALL MAJOR COMMONWEALTH POLITICAL PARTIES PRESENT IN PARLIAMENT TODAY:
 **New Beginning Faction** | Founded in April of 2261, this faction is composed primarily of Queptillians, who at first followed a similar way of thought to the Aramathi isolationist party, but afterwards began shifting towards a regionalistic agenda. It was founded by Governor Stalk of Maroon, the vice-leader of the Alliance of New Beginning before annexation, and remained somewhat directionless for the first few years due to the overshadowing Great Southeastern War. Nevertheless, the party advocates for rule of the Queptillian sector, by the Queptillians themselves. Although straightforward when it comes to its goals, the very existence of this group is derived from the appointment of first governor of the sector, Professor Suclien cur'Padam, a Grollferp refugee who, despite being popular and effective at her work, was not the face many queptillians expected to see charge of their regions. To this day, a select few ministers still answer to the will of this party, making it a small, yet interesting part of the Commonwealth’s political spectrum.

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## **Disbanded Political Groups**

THE FOLLOWING ARE ALL MAJOR COMMONWEALTH POLITICAL PARTIES THAT HAVE BEEN DISBANDED DUE TO LACK OF POPULAR SUPPORT:
 **Human Future Movement** | Ascended to parliament in October of 2308, tallying two Billion humans in Commonwealth territory. The party was composed of several populist orators who sought to spread the concept of human supremacy throughout the nation, whilst outlying their xenophobic attitude, genetic purity, jingoistic attitude, state interference and - Above all - the supremacy of the human species above all else in the Commonwealth’s territory. The movement gained traction shortly after the events of the Last Light terror attacks, reaching enough voters to ascend into the parliament on October 5th, 2308. It immediately sparked outrage throughout the nation, and an executive order by Chancellor Shen Kuo delimited a voting session to be taken by Parliament to ban the party from politics. The next day, the *Human Future Movement* was banned through majority vote, yet speculations have since surfaced as to how such an extremist group gained so much popularity in such a short notice - Some theorising that the movement was secretly sponsored by the Solarian Syndicate, though that is something which cannot be certainly proved nowadays.

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