New Democratic Alliance (Laeral)
New Democratic Alliance Alliance Nouvelle Démocratique | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mandarin name | 新民主聯盟 |
| Executive Officer | Liu Mei-han |
| Assembly of Commons Leader | Jeremie Naudeau |
| General Assembly Leader | André Lin |
| Governor's Association Leader | Mina Delannoy |
| Founder | Liu Mei-han Mina Delannoy Nicolas Martin Jeremie Naudeau |
| Founded | November 18, 2017 |
| Headquarters | Laeralsford, Laeral |
| Membership (2018) | 1,300,000 |
| Ideology | Disputed: Liberalism, Social Liberalism, Populism |
| Political position | Center |
| Colors | Yellow |
| Assembly of Commons | 69 / 386
|
| General Assembly | 5 / 66
|
| Provincial Governors/First Ministers | 3 / 33
|
| Website | |
| nda.org.lr | |
The New Democratic Alliance (French: Alliance Nouvelle Démocratique, Mandarin: 新民主聯盟, Mandarin Pinyin: Xīn mínzhǔ liánméng) also known as the New Democrats, or the Alliance, is a Laeralian political party that was founded in 2017 and achieved significant success in the 2018 Laeralian federal elections. The party's ideology has been variously described as centrist, populist, and futurist, although the party eschews ideological labels, identifying as a 'movement' rather than a political party. In the 2018 federal election, party leader Liu Mei-han was elected as President of Laeral while the New Democrats became the third-largest party in the Assembly of Commons. On June 4, 2019, New Democratic Delegate Nicolas Martin became Prime Minister of Laeral at the head of a four-party coalition.
History
In 2017, Liu Mei-han, then Ambassador to the World Assembly in the Progressive-led Misra II government, and former Governor of Neidong, defected from the Progressive party along with various followers. These followers, including Mina Delannoy (Liu's successor as Governor of Neidong), then-Representative Nicolas Martin, and Liu's Chief of Staff Alexandre Herault, would form the core of the new party. They were later joined by defectors from the Conservative and Moderate parties, such as Representative Jeremie Naudeau. The founding of the new political party, in contrast to previous insurgent parties, caused a stir due to the new party's membership in the National Assembly and Liu's status as a well-known figure in the Progressive Party.
Liu and her followers claimed that they were dissatisfied with the "corruption" and "tired, partisan ideology" of the parties they had defected from, leading them to form the New Democratic Alliance. Leadership in the parties they had left reacted varyingly. Progressive National Committee Chairman Chen Ting-fei called the defections "senseless," adding that "once the members of this group return to the fold, their disloyalty will be remembered."
Liu Mei-han proved to be an effective campaigner, narrowly qualifying for the second round of the presidential race over establishment candidates such as the Progressives' Tanvi Misra. The NDA won four additional seats in the General Assembly, the greatest gain of any party in the 2018 elections. The NDA list for the Assembly of Commons, containing an equal number of male and female candidates and a great many first-time candidates, won 69 seats, a gain of 50, becoming the third-largest party.
Organization
As a young party, the New Democratic Alliance lacks many of the specialized organs of more established parties. The NDA Executive Council is the executive decision-making body of the party, comprising 14 members, largely the founders of the party. Liu Mei-han remains the Executive Officer of the party, presiding over the Executive Council. The Alliance lacks a province- or regional-level organizing apparatus, with grassroots-level groundwork being carried out by a network of local party chapters. Local groups are kept in contact with the national-level party through online channels, such as the NDA's Forward mobile app. As the party lacks an established fund-raising base, the NDA Victory Fund (the party's fundraising arm) receives extensive support from small donations. The New Democratic Alliance has been faulted for its lack-luster performance at the local and provincial level compared to Liu's campaign, with the party failing to meet its expectations in provincial elections since 2018.