Difference between revisions of "New Zealand party systems"

Revision as of 14:34, 22 February 2019

The NZ Party System is a term that has been used by some New Zealand players and past players to explain and identify the different periods in NZ's political history. The term is not widely used but has been identified by many veteran players as being appropriate when describing the different periods in NZ political evolution.

Defining a Party System

In New Zealand politics, many players have come to identify what they term party systems in the NZ political community. This term did not come into wide use till late 2011, when updates to the NZ wiki page began to denote the various cycles of party systems in NZ. With time many of the editors came to recognize a pattern, with each party system being identified.

A party system is used to describe different periods in NZ history where editors and players have identified fairly stable and concrete political conditions. This is typically embodied by the presence of similar parties, relatively same electoral results and social/military patterns that are common to this era. In New Zealand players have basically identified 3 party systems and two transitional periods.

1st Transitional Phase (October - November 2011)

The first transitional period in NZ politics has been identified with the period from the emergence of NZ in the New World on day 1051 in October 2011 to the election of Don KronoX in December 2011. It marked the early months of NZ history and therefore was a period of major political shifting and change. Few things were concrete during this period, as governments reshuffled, parties remained in flux and the NZ community was only beginning to establish itself.

Period Characteristics

During this period, NZ was governed by two different administrations. At first, it was led by the Provisional Government of New Zealand throughout October and later by the Calbe administration from his election in November. Both governments were "national unity" and included all the various parties in NZ (notably Aotearoa and the New Zealand Union Party). The government ran relatively well, although disputes between the "English" and "Serbian/Slovenian" communities continued to develop during this time.

Socially, NZ was marked by a linguistic division between the "English Community" and the "Serbian/Slovenian" community. Both groups attempted to cooperate together but on many occasions, they merely focused on developing their communities and remain aloof from the other. This had a major effect on party development, as they quickly came to be identified with their community.

Major Parties

During this phase, there were two major parties who dominated the political landscape of NZ, Aotearoa and the New Zealand Union Party (NZUP)

Aotearoa was formed by the "Serbian/Slovenian" community upon their early migration to NZ. The party drew nearly all of its support from their respective communities and was therefore early on identified with them. The party was highly organized, with a dedicated presence on the forums but especially on the IRC chat. This enabled it to help coordinate voting, immigration and also to begin taking over the NZ political system. Leading figures of the party included Don KronoX, Sigmundsg, Koska de STRAH, kurojca, Jockaye and Ava-Imperator. The party won the largest share of seats in the October Congressional election (19 of 40).

New Zealand Union Party (NZUP) was formed by members of the Provisional Government to act as their political vehicle in NZ. The party was a coalition of figures within the English Speaking community. Compared to Aotearoa, it was less organized and was riven by factional issues between the supporters of EDEN and Phoenix. The NZUP did benefit from having the largest share of support of English Kiwis but it was hindered by splinter parties and its long-standing rivalry with the Kiwi Independent Party. The party won 16 seats in the October Congress elections. Leading figures in the party included Fionia, Bass Junkie, Calbe, Myles Robinson and Carr De Vaux.

Minor Parties

During this period a host of minor parties, nearly all of them splinters from the Provisional Government or the NZUP. The parties were either pro-NZUP or seen as being hostile to it. Few were neutral.

The Pro-Kiwi Kontrol parties included the Peace 'n' Prosperity Party (a party of veteran eRepublik players), the Kiwi Social Democrats (left-wing Kiwi Kontrol members) and the Kiwi People's Party (neutral players). All of these parties supported the NZUP in October elections except the KPP.

The Kiwi Independent Party was a different matter. It had bitterly opposed the creation of Kiwi Kontrol and therefore consisted of players who wanted nothing to do with it. The party remain neutral during this period, but had positive relations with Aotearoa and a negative view of the Calbe government.

Administrations

• Calbe (NZUP) (November 5 - December 5, 2010)

1st Party System (December 2011 - March 2012)

The beginning of the first party system can be traced either to the November congressional/December presidential elections to the collapse of Aotearoa following the take-over by Bass Junkie in March 2012. This era featured relatively weak electoral competition as Aotearoa held a near monopoly on power and the opposition was reduced to a minor political presence. This period witnessed the polarization of NZ into two opposing camps and led to a period of bitter political challenge.

Period Characterization

Socially, the government was dominated by Aotearoa and therefore by extension the Serbian/Slovenian community. Token representation from the English community existed but that was all. Both Presidential and Congressional, Aotearoa had near complete power thanks to its strong numbers and control of citizenship passes. This made for a near impossible environment for the opposition. Emigration from the English community was massive during this period.

Parties

Aotearoa

During the first party system, the dominant political party was Aotearoa. The party controlled the Presidency throughout this period, held a majority in Parliament and was constantly the #1 ranked party in NZ. It owed much of this success to its dedicated and active membership, which was primarily split between Serbian and Slovenian Kiwis.

The party's organizational strength lay in its extensive use of the IRC chat system. The party had its own chat room and most of the day to day party matters were discussed here. This is where Presidential candidates were chosen, where the Congressional candidates were designated and where major party/government decisions were made. The role of the Party President was to keep stability, help organize elections and ensure the party remained secure in power. However, on many occasions, the PP was overshadowed by the more senior party figures.

Throughout its history the party was generally considered to be have been made up of three factions, two Serbian and one Slovenian. These groups shared power within the party. The Serbian groups were split between a faction centered around figures like Koska de STRAH, DaRkO 206 and Kemis, and another focused on kurojca, loader and IvanMiletic. The Slovenian group was centered on Don KronoX, KrMa and Jockaye. These groups operated together but there was internal tensions. Especially as some Serbian elements were less cohabiting with the opposition than others. However, early on they cooperated for the best interests of the party. Around February, the Slovenian group decamped to their new party, Ranginui.

The party was never effectively challenged during its hold on power from December to March. It's hold on Parliament and the Presidency ensured the government adopted its policies. The party increased its majority in each parliamentary campaign and squeezed out the opposition to a minimum of 5-7 seats. While it could regularly win 25-30 seats. It was never electorally threatened and could rely on Ranginui for support if needed. Its careful use of CS passes ensured that a steady stream of recruits to the party.

The Opposition

During the first party system, the "opposition" came to encompass a wide spectrum of parties that were publicly opposed to the rule of Aotearoa. They varied in their identity and lacked effective cohesion to challenge Aotearoa. However, throughout this era, there was a set group which consistently contested elections. They had no formal organization and were generally weak in provided opposition but they did attempt to create a public base of opposition.

The opposition was hindered by a lack of effective members, a weak number of citizens and an inability to unite behind one party. They were also split between collaborators and oppositionists. This division hampered any united front from being formed.

The Peace 'n' Prosperity Party (PnPP) was the leading opposition party during this time. The PnPP went from being a minor party to becoming the leading non-Aotearoa party in a short period of time. The party's ability to survive during this era was largely based upon its dedicated members and its organizational abilities. Leading figures like Marcos Arolia, Spud of Doom, Oboacer, Xanthar Zaiban and Mortalbeta played a role in its success. The party on average won 4-5 seats and came second in most Presidential contests. It was considered the #2 party in NZ.

The United N. Z. Independent Party (UNZIP) was the successor to the New Zealand Union Party. It was the PnPP's most consistent partner in opposition, regularly contesting elections and supporting the PnPP against Aotearoa. The party suffered from a weak organization and a small pool of active members. It declined throughout its life and was absorbed by the PnPP. Leading figures included Gaius Marcus and WahooBob.

The Kiwi Independent Party, historically unaligned in NZ politics joined the opposition in January 2011. It replaced the morbid UNZIP as the PnPP chief ally. The party however also went into decline with a portion of its members leaving for the PnPP and the remainder re-branding as the Spreights Supporters Party.

Policy Impact

Administrations

• 1st Don KronoX (Aotearoa) (December 5, 2010 - January 5, 2011)

• 1st kurojca (Aotearoa) (January 5 - February 5, 2011)

• Koska de STRAH (Aotearoa) (February 5 - March 5, 2011)

• loader (Aotearoa / RLP) (March 5 - April 5, 2011)

2nd Transitional Phase (March - April 2012)

• Ivan Miletic (RLP) (April 5 - May 5, 2011)

2nd Party System (April 2012 - February 2013)

• 2nd Don KronoX (PnPP) (May 5 - June 5, 2011)

• Crusadercarl (PnPP) (June 5 - July 5, 2011)

• 2nd kurojca (RLP) (July 5 - August 5, 2011)

• Splindza (RLP) (August 5 - September 5, 2011)

• mortalbeta (PnPP) (September 5 - October 5, 2011)

• DaRkO 206 (UIS) (October 5 - November 5, 2011)

• Helen Moon (L&P) (November 5 - December 5, 2011)

• Pedjata (UIS) (December 5 - December 6, 2012)

• 2nd mortalbeta (PnPP) (December 6, 2011 - January 5, 2012)

• Xanthar Zaiban (PnPP) (January 5 - March 5, 2012)

• Bybo (UIS) (March 5 - April 5, 2012)

• Spud of Doom (PnPP) (April 5 - May 5, 2012)

• Mister Terminator (L&P) (May 5 - June 5, 2012)

• E.L.E.A.N.O.R (PnPP) (June 5 - July 5, 2012)

• Milanovic Nikola (L&P) (July 5 - August 5, 2012)

• Strandloper (L&P) (August 5 - September 5, 2012)

• 2nd DaRkO 206 (UIS) September 5 - October 5, 2012)

• Valentyme (PnPP) (October 5 - November 5, 2012)

• Dr Mr Lazzy Ass (UIS) (November 5 - December 5, 2012)

• CrackShotNZ (PnPP) (December 5, 2012 - January 5, 2013)

• Franktastic (UIS) (January 5 - February 5, 2013)

3rd Party System (February - December 2013)

• kawala023 (L&P) (February 5 - March 5, 2013)

• Trtemrte (UIS) (March 5 - June 5, 2013)

• Tasmyn (L&P) (June 5 - July 5, 2013)

• Djeza (UIS) (July 5 - August 5, 2013)

• PsihoZV (L&P) (August 5 - September 5, 2013)

• 2nd Crusadercarl (UIS) (September 5 - October 5, 2013)

• M1TRO (UIS) (October 5 - November 5, 2013)

3rd Transition Phase (November - December 2013)

• Destroyer91 (BPNZ) (November 5 - December 5, 2013)

• Sor3naa (UIS) (December 5, 2013 - January 5, 2014)

4th Party System (December 2013 - October 2014)

• Sor3naa (PnPP) (January 5 - February 5, 2014)

• Krupanjac 1389 (UIS) (February 5 - March 5, 2014)

• 3rd kurojca(UIS) (March 5 - Mary 5, 2014)

• DOBRSbanovani (SPNZ) (May 5 - June 5, 2014)

• Arllina (PnPP) (June 5 - July 5, 2014)

• McGinty.dc (UIS) (July 5 - August 5, 2014)

• Mario A Morsik (PnPP) (August 5, - September 5, 2014)

• 2nd M1TRO (PnPP) (September 5 - October 5, 2014)

4th Transition Phase (October 2014)

• 2nd Destroyer91 (BPNZ) (October 5 - November 5, 2014)

5th Party System (October 2014- present)

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