Constitutional Liberal Party (Grundhavn)
Constitutional Liberal Party Forfatnings Liberalepartiet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | FLP |
| Leader | Hjalmar Frederiksen |
| President | Mathias Jespersen |
| Deputy Leader | Rebecca Borg |
| Founded | May 10, 1867 |
| Preceded by | Constitutionalists |
| Headquarters | 2 Central Square, Grundhavn |
| Student wing | FLP Students (FLP Studerende) |
| Youth wing | Constitutional Youth Association (Forfatnings Ungdomsforening) |
| Membership (2021) | 57,000 |
| Ideology | Conservative liberalism Market liberalism |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| Colors | Blue |
| Slogan | Prosperity for all (Velstand for alle) |
| Anthem | "Free men, unite!" (Frie mænd, foren jer!) |
| City Council | 9 / 56
|
| Quarter Councils (in government) | 0 / 8
|
| Quarter Council Seats | 0 / 78
|
The Constitutional Liberal Party (Grundhavish: Forfatnings Liberalepartiet), also known as the Constitutionalists, Liberals, or Independence Party is a Grundhavish centre-right, conservative-liberal political party. Founded in 1867, the CLP have elected many Lord Mayors and Supreme Councillors, including the current Lord Mayor [[]] and the current Supreme Councillor Hjalmar Frederiksen and have been one of the dominant parties of the City Council almost continually since their founding. Their current leader is Hjalmar Frederiksen, elected in 2013. They trace their roots back to the Constitutionalists, a political grouping that argued for a constitution and for independence from Denmark.
As a bourgeois party, the CLP support free markets and free trade while opposing socialism. They generally prefer lower and flatter taxes and fewer regulations on industry. However, their support for the free market is not absolute, as they support some regulation and also propose many tax incentives, especially for exporters. The party is socially moderate, supporting civil unions, legal abortion up to 12 weeks, and a modest number of immigrants. They advocate for balanced budgets, and are seen as a responsible governing party, which contributes to their electoral support. Although they continue to be the top vote-getter in recent elections, they have seen their seats in the City Council decline from double-digits for most of the 20th century to just below in the 21st century.
History
Following the establishment of the Second Allied Provinces of Laeral, the Laeralian National Congress was the dominant political force on the right. A broad-tent party consisting of those opposed to the Rose Revolution and Gramontism, the Congress was hampered while in power by internal dissension, as evidenced by the infighting that led the moderate, incumbent Congress President Georges Auriol replaced as nominee by the more hardline Henri Laniel ahead of the 1968 presidential election. Under the presidency of Progressive Joseph Carlier, Congress split dramatically over the issue of whether to oppose the civil code reform being supported by Progressives, which included liberalization of divorce and abortion law. In addition to a similar intra-party debate over a proposal limiting pensions for former military and civil servants, this led influential Congress politicians such as former Prime Minister Paul Evrard to defect and form the Conservative Party.
The Conservatives initially became quite popular among rural Arrivée voters, particularly Catholics, who bore loyalties to Evrard from his tenure as Prime Minister and from whom the Conservatives sourced many of their members and leaders. As conservative voters began to drift from Congress to the Conservatives, the Conservative vote share increased rapidly, culminating in Paul Evrard's narrow victory in the 1980 presidential election. Successive Conservative governments during the 1980s focused on economic growth coupled with decentralization of public functions and desecularization efforts. The Conservatives were however marginalized on the right by the Laeralian People's Party, which arose in a backlash against the Meihua Movement. By the late 80s, the Conservatives had been forced into minority government status and eventual junior partnership in coalition governments with the People's Party.
The Conservative share of the vote held steady around 25% throughout the 1990s and 2000s, although the Conservatives continued to perform well in the General Assembly due to that body's inherent tilt towards rural provinces. The Conservatives, though rarely able to have a presidential candidate reaching the second round of the presidential election, nevertheless remained an integral part of various coalition governments, notably serving in coalition with the Progressives and Socialists from 2010 to 2018. In the 2018 election, the Conservative vote share reached historic lows, as the Conservatives were reduced to only 38 of 386 seats in the Assembly of Commons.