Parliament
Parliament is the legislative body of the ASB. It meets in a venerable, rambling old building in the capital city of Two Forts. Representation is by state delegation; apportionment among the states is based on population. Keeping with the patchwork nature of the ASB, diifferent states choose their delegations in different ways: some through First Past The Post, some through Proportional Representation, some through arcane alternative methods that evolved from early non-democratic practices. Watauga even uses an outlandish "Electoral College" to indirectly select its MPs, if such a thing can be imagined.
Parliament is responsible for choosing the Grand Council of State, which acts as the ASB's executive body.
Since there is a confederation-wide Parliament, there is also a national system of parties that compete within it - and it's not like the EU Parliament parties, either; these have had two extra centuries to evolve. So what we actually have are distinct state- and confederation-level party systems. There is some interplay between the two but they do not completely overlap. Most state-level parties do not directly compete at the national level, though they might make endorsements and help campaign for those national parties that mostly share their ideology.
These are the political parties in Parliament. Like the ASB's other political content, they were written by Gwen "Turquoise Blue" of AH.Com.
MAJOR PARTIES (THE ONES THAT CAN ACTUALLY LEAD THE COUNTRY)
Democratic Party: Conservatism, centre-right to right-wing. endorsed by a fair lot of centre-right parties.
Socialist Party: Social democracy, centre-left to left-wing. Endorsed by a fair lot of centre-left parties.
MINOR PARTIES CURRENTLY REPRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT
Whig Party: Liberalism, Centre-to-centre-right. Endorsed by some centrist parties. Used to be a major party.
Progressive Party: Liberalism, Centre-to-centre-left. Endorsed by some centrist parties. Split off the Whigs in the 1920s.
Aboriginal Party: Anti-establishment, pro-Aboriginal, pro-"states' rights". Non-ideological. Endorsed by most native-based parties.
Bloc Francophonie: A "national" party that mainly represents the French-speaking people. Endorsed by CA and LA nationalists. Centrist.
Partido Colombiano: A party representing Hispanic interests, especially in Cuba, East Dominica, and the Floridas.
Liberation Party: Libertarianism, Economically laissez-faire, civic libertarian. Endorsed by most libertarian parties.
Green Party: Agrarianism, with growing urban environmentalist faction. Centrist-ish. Endorsed by most Green Parties (of both factions).
MINOR PARTIES NOT CURRENTLY REPRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT
Freedom Party: Far-left, Democratic socialism. Endorsed by a chunk of the far-left. Biggest party not represented.
People's Party: Far-right, Centralism, Endorsed by a chunk of the far-right. Used to be in Parliament in the 80s.
Radical Left Coalition: Direct democracy, radical left. Coalition of a number of small parties. Endorsed by some far-left parties.
Sunshine Lollipop Party: Satirism, Joke politics (like the UK's OMRLP). Endorsed by similar parties.
Conservative Party: National conservatism, Right-wing. Split off the Democrats in the 1980s.
REALLY MINOR PARTIES DEFINITELY NOT REPRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT
Earth Party: The original environmentalist party, polling promisingly in the 80s, but the Greens sucked away voters.
Moderates: Progressive conservatism. Centre-right. Split off the Democrats in the 2000s.
Your Movement: Centrist populism, personalism, small-l libertarianism. Very new, runs at both levels of government.
National Workers' Party: Far-left, *Marxism, Libertarian communism.
Republican League: Fascism, Ultra-nationalism, Totalitarianism, Law and order. FAR-right.
Parliament is responsible for choosing the Grand Council of State, which acts as the ASB's executive body.
Since there is a confederation-wide Parliament, there is also a national system of parties that compete within it - and it's not like the EU Parliament parties, either; these have had two extra centuries to evolve. So what we actually have are distinct state- and confederation-level party systems. There is some interplay between the two but they do not completely overlap. Most state-level parties do not directly compete at the national level, though they might make endorsements and help campaign for those national parties that mostly share their ideology.
These are the political parties in Parliament. Like the ASB's other political content, they were written by Gwen "Turquoise Blue" of AH.Com.
MAJOR PARTIES (THE ONES THAT CAN ACTUALLY LEAD THE COUNTRY)
Democratic Party: Conservatism, centre-right to right-wing. endorsed by a fair lot of centre-right parties.
Socialist Party: Social democracy, centre-left to left-wing. Endorsed by a fair lot of centre-left parties.
MINOR PARTIES CURRENTLY REPRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT
Whig Party: Liberalism, Centre-to-centre-right. Endorsed by some centrist parties. Used to be a major party.
Progressive Party: Liberalism, Centre-to-centre-left. Endorsed by some centrist parties. Split off the Whigs in the 1920s.
Aboriginal Party: Anti-establishment, pro-Aboriginal, pro-"states' rights". Non-ideological. Endorsed by most native-based parties.
Bloc Francophonie: A "national" party that mainly represents the French-speaking people. Endorsed by CA and LA nationalists. Centrist.
Partido Colombiano: A party representing Hispanic interests, especially in Cuba, East Dominica, and the Floridas.
Liberation Party: Libertarianism, Economically laissez-faire, civic libertarian. Endorsed by most libertarian parties.
Green Party: Agrarianism, with growing urban environmentalist faction. Centrist-ish. Endorsed by most Green Parties (of both factions).
MINOR PARTIES NOT CURRENTLY REPRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT
Freedom Party: Far-left, Democratic socialism. Endorsed by a chunk of the far-left. Biggest party not represented.
People's Party: Far-right, Centralism, Endorsed by a chunk of the far-right. Used to be in Parliament in the 80s.
Radical Left Coalition: Direct democracy, radical left. Coalition of a number of small parties. Endorsed by some far-left parties.
Sunshine Lollipop Party: Satirism, Joke politics (like the UK's OMRLP). Endorsed by similar parties.
Conservative Party: National conservatism, Right-wing. Split off the Democrats in the 1980s.
REALLY MINOR PARTIES DEFINITELY NOT REPRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT
Earth Party: The original environmentalist party, polling promisingly in the 80s, but the Greens sucked away voters.
Moderates: Progressive conservatism. Centre-right. Split off the Democrats in the 2000s.
Your Movement: Centrist populism, personalism, small-l libertarianism. Very new, runs at both levels of government.
National Workers' Party: Far-left, *Marxism, Libertarian communism.
Republican League: Fascism, Ultra-nationalism, Totalitarianism, Law and order. FAR-right.