Abwehran Progressive Party

One of the two main parties to be founded in AF 15, the Progressive Party has been a driving force of the Abwehran Star Empire since the nations founding.

When the Empire was founded in the fifteenth year of the After Freedom Era, proponents of the First Empress immeadiately formed a political party to continue her reforms and further the pursuit of individual freedom while keeping the fledgling nation as one. The Progressive Party was that political party and they were, and still are, the most powerful political party in Parliament.

Their power began to wane, however, during the middle of the Reformation Period. While the politicians at that time wished to continue to reform their society for the better, the party lost its cohesion. Due to this, political parties began to form from disguntled members of the Progressive Party. After the formation of the Abwehran Labor Party, leaders in the Progressive Party sat down and began to hammer out what would be known as the Progressive Charter. This document would be their “secondary constitution” in order to maintain some semblance of order and organized power.

While they are still powerful in the current Parliament, an uneasy stalemate has occurred between the four major parties. Each one makes temporary alliances on certain issues, but can never seem to maintain that united front for long.

The Progressive Party likes to believe itself to be the fore front of reformation and improvement in the Abwehran Star Empire. However, a political party can only be leading for so long.

The Progressive Party stance on current issues:

• Civilian Gun Ownership: The Progressive Party believes in allowing frontier settlers the right to own firearms in order to protect themselves from local fauna of the colonies as well as any raiders bold enough to attack. However, citizens of more developed worlds don't need firearms due to the presence of the Schirmherrschaft at its full complement.
• Dual Citizenship: It is an individuals right to be a part of a nation of their choosing. If they want to be a part of two nations, that's fine as well — as long as said primary/secondary nation is not hostile towards the Abwehran Star Empire.
• Immigration: “Immigration in the Abwehran Star Empire is not only an economic necessity, but also a humanitarian necessity in these troubled times.”

The Progressive Party stance on current issues:

• Trade: The Progressive Party is an advocate of free trade for the majority of its industries except for food production.
• Khorsovarolor: While a tragic affair, the Progressive Party believes the outcome is the best they could have hoped for and hope to better relations with the independent polity.
• NMX-Yamatai War: For most of the war, the Progressive Party believed that War with the NMX was inevitable. However, with the tide turning in favor of the Yamataian/Nepleslians, the Progressive Party is using the War mostly as an example of why expanding the Abwehran Armed Forces (AAF) is necessary.