March 1953 - A year to go until the next Presidential election,
and women mobilize to vote for Congress for the first time
Prelude: While weakened by internal divisions, failed domestic reforms and a constant struggle against the labor unions and over land reform, President Alessandri has nonetheless presided over victory in the 2nd Beagle War, an economic recovery and the full expansion of women's suffrage. Left with only a year in office and with many would-be presidential candidates using the Congressional election to set up their campaigns, what will happen?
Bonuses: Due to dice rolls the Government narrowly avoids the coveted 3% bonus. In order to simulate the early impact of full Women's Suffrage the four parties perceived to be strongest on the issue (PCA, PL, PDL and PSP) will receive a 1% bonus each.
The Government (Concentración Nacional)
Liberal Party (PL) - Despite tensions over Alessandri's moderation and technocratic attitude, the Liberals continue to stand as the bulwark of Alessandrismo and continue to promote the government's economic achievements. Promoting Finance Minister Arturo Matte - architect of the recovery - as their candidate, the Liberals continue to promote themselves as "the voice of social and economic liberalism" in Chile, and support further reductions into the size of the government, upholding law and order, supporting women's rights and participation, and aiding the government in Argentina against the Eva Perón insurgency.
Conservative Agrarian Party (PCA) - Hoping to benefit from their unyielding push in favor of the successful 2nd Beagle War and despite the loss of the Social-Christians, the PCA enters the race promoting Interior Minister Jaime Larraín (chief promoter of the intervention) as their candidate. Arguing the victory of the left or of the unions would mean disaster for Chile, the PCA continues to fight for foreign policy nationalism, strong law and order stances, regional decentralization, support for women's participation, anti-communism and anti-peronism and greater investment in the armed forces.
Women's Party (PL) - After the successful passage of full women's suffrage several women's organizations gathered into the new Partido Femenino, an electoral vehicule to support integration of women into politics. Led by the passionate and moving orator María de la Cruz - one of Chile's most colorful personalities - the PF has decided to support President Alessandri government on this election due to his agenda, and its platform calls for "justice and social harmony", promotion and integration of women and moderate economic and foreign policy nationalism.
The Centrist Parties (Bloque Democrático)
Radical Party (PR) - Having withdrawn from the government after three years of collaboration (49' - 51'), the Radicals have now struck an alliance with the Social-Christians. Focused on expanding their support to contest the coming presidential election - possibly under the strong-willed and experienced Arturo Olavarría -, the Radicals have updated their platform, which includes promotion of meritocracy, industrialization and increased government involvement in the economy, expansion of public sector spending, anti-communism and social liberalism.
Social Christian Party (PSC) - After years of internal struggles the Social-Christians under Dr. Cruz-Coke have finally abandoned the Conservatives to form their own party (1952). Inspired by the notions of Christian Democracy and the works of Jacques Maritain and following a trend of new Social Christian parties in Latin America, the PSC promotes Christian Humanism, progressive catholicism, a reformist outlook towards politics and support for progressive economics while directly rejecting both capitalism and marxism.
The Ibañist-Socialists (Alianza del Pueblo)
Democratic Labor Party (PDL) - Having survived the 1949 disaster and the semi-retirement of General Ibañez, the PDL has reassembled itself under a younger generation of populist and semi-socialist Ibañistas, all of which continue to dismiss the lefist Frente del Pueblo due to the strong influence of the PCCh to instead champion the PDL as "the true voice of the popular masses". Thus the PDL maintains its platform of anti-corruption and anti-establishment politics, pro-women's rights and participation, nationalism and foreign policy neutrality and economic protectionism.
Socialist Party (PS) - Following 1949 the rump PS has survived thanks to its twelve Senators elected in 1945 - and up for reelection now -, and has also found new leadership after prominent labor union leader Bernardo Ibañez (once an ally and then an enemy of Schnake and Rossetti) took control over the party and attempted to give it a strong link to the labor unions while keeping the alliance with the PDL. Stating that both the PSP and PSA cannot claim the true mantle of Socialism, the rump PS aspires to stage a combat with a new platform which emphasizes socialism with syndicalist leanings, economic and foreign policy nationalism and political and economic empowerment of the unions.
The Leftist Bloc (Frente del Pueblo)
Communist Party (PCCh) - Having constantly fought the government on land reform and with the unions, the Communist Party aspires to retain its role as the largest opposition party. Locked in a struggle for supremacy over their PSP coalition partners the PCCh still led by Ricardo Fonseca maintains its support for Stalin and the Soviet Union as the "anti-imperalist" superpower and its known plank to "replace the bourgeois state" with a Constituent Assembly, while promoting full-nationalization and land reform, empowering workers and peasants and opposition to US influence in the Americas.
Popular Socialist Party (PSP) - Competing against the PCCh inside the same coalition over the right to field a presidential candidate, the PSP hopes to make 1953 the graveyard of the rump PS to become the single Socialist party. Led by Ampuero and with Marxist humanist ideologue Eugenio González as their likely presidential candidate - which could signal a dogmatic conflict with the PCCh over Stalinism -, the PSP champions democratic socialism, an anti US and pan-american attitude, civil liberties, women's rights, centralization of the labor unions and resumption of land reform.
Radical Democratic Party (PRD) - Despite the perceived failure of the Radical splinter force in 1949, the PRD has geared for revenge and remained in the coalition between the PSP and the PCCh, perhaps in the hopes of becoming its presidential kingmaker. With firebrand González Videla still leading the party, the PRD has denounced the PR from taking part of Alessandri's government and now being an ally of the Social-Christians, arguing the PRD is the true heir of the decades-long Radical heritage and the ideal vehicle for progressive, democratic and pro left-wing unity policies.
Other
Authentic Socialist Party (PSA) - Former President Óscar Schnake has made a surprising return from self-exile to form his new "Authentic Socialist Party". Denouncing the rump PS and Rossetti as "traitors" over their Peronist financing and the rising PSP as a "slave to authoritarian communists" and casting himself as the true Socialist heir, Schnake is trying to revive his political career by championing his "Social-Democracy Agenda" of socialism under a strong government, promoting nationalization, protectionism, land reform, pro-US foreign policy and anti-fascism / anti-communism.
Two days.
Poll
