Liberal Democratic Party

The Liberal Democratic Party (Zhenian: 자유민주당/自由民主党, pronounced Jayu Minjudang, can be shortened to 자민당/自民党, pronounced Jamindang), is a political party in Zhenia. With its precursors in the Liberal Democratic League predating the December Revolution, it is one of the oldest political parties in Zhenia that still uses the name that it was founded as. Although lagging behind the Union of Neo-Renism and the New Nationalist Party after the shift in the nation's political circumstances after the November Revolution, it remains the third-largest political party in the nation both by number of seats in the Zhenian Parliament and party members within Zhenia.

The Liberal Democratic Party has its origins in the Liberal Democratic League during the Empire of Zhenia, a pro-democracy organization of activists that pursued the conversion of the empire into a nation of the people, among other organizations. The League was spearheaded by several imperial Zhenian students who had studied abroad at institutions in Azora and western Tarsis, and had significant influences of Mutualism and Hamalism from western Azora and Abayad respectively. While the influx of imperial Zhenian students and intellectuals boosted the league's activity, it also divided it into several different branches in the Divide of Democracy in 1487 AC, when Pylius Seo reorganized what had been left of the league into the Liberal Democratic Party and continued. After being established, it was one of the leading organizations in the December Revolution, particularly within the Imperial Parliament. Several revolutionaries, including Kim Huicheol, Yang Byeongseok and at one point, Amasar Ren, that had led the December Revolution were affiliated with the party at the time.

After the December Revolution, it became one of the leading parties alongside the Nationalist Party during the First Republic, situated at the center of the left-wing, liberal political movements of the First Republic. When it became the ruling party of the Second Republic after the end of the Second Great War, it significantly increased tax rates for the wealthy and enacted several social welfare policies to alleviate innate social inequalities within the nation. It was banned from political activity alongside other left-wing parties after the Coup of 1549 and the Third Republic, although it remained in the forefront of Zhenian politics well throughout the Third Republic. It made a major comeback into the center stage of Zhenian politics in the 1583 general elections, when it became the second-largest party in both the Sangseowon and the National Assembly and even won the Chancellor elections in 1587 AC, although its rule over Zhenia's politics was short-lived. Nevertheless, it remains a prominent center-left party in Zhenian politics, accounting for 20 out of 170 Sangseowon seats and 66 out of 900 National Assembly seats.

First and Second Republics
Following Zhenian defeat in the Second Great War, the Liberal Democratic Party won the first post-war general elections in the nation under Allied oversight.

The Third Republic and onward
The Coup of 1549 and the Second Zhenian Civil War was

Having been the most significant political threat of the Third Republic and thus the most persecuted, the Liberal Democratic Party played a crucial role in the November Revolution and the subsequent demise of the Third Republic. It was the key organizer of several nationwide protests after the revealing of the Shinhang Papers, while it independently attempted the impeachment of then-Premier Park Jungho although its attempts were blocked. It was also significantly hit by the subsequent crackdown under the Third Republic, with 3 National Assembly representatives of the party being killed during the September Tragedy.

Symbols
The main symbol of the contemporary Liberal Democratic Party is an eagle in navy blue, the color of the party. The eagle, said to have taken inspiration from the Daeseo eagle, was chosen as the party's symbol to express the endless pursuit of democracy and equality, the two pillars upon which the party was founded upon to achieve.

Party-to-party relations
The Liberal Democratic Party prior to the November Revolution is considered to be the ideological predecessor of the Union of Neo-Renism; while the mainstay of the party was formed around Neo-Renists and November Revolution affiliates, several members of the Liberal Democratic Party were involved in the establishment of the party after the Revolution. While they differ in specific political stances, their overall political orientation shows great similarities.

The New Nationalist Party has been considered the political antipode of the Liberal Democratic Party since its establishment, but especially after the demise of the Republican Party after the Second Great War.