[hider=Christian Democratic Party][b]Party Name:[/b] Christian Democratic Party [b]Party Acronym:[/b] CDP [b]Party Motto:[/b] [i]Guiding ourselves by faith.[/i] [b]Party Logo:[/b] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/tzfJR5N.jpg?1[/img][/center] [b]Party Ideology:[/b] The CDP has a very loose ideological agenda, although adhering strictly to the idea of Christian values, the interpretation of these varies from MP to MP. But throughout the years, the party has formed a focus around social welfare, religious freedom, conservatism (albeit only ideological) and recently, a focus on enviromental legislation. However, the doctrine is not strictly enforced within the party, which causes a lot of clashes between conservative and liberal MPs. [b]-Government Involvement:[/b] A central point in the CDP's agenda is solidarity between neighbors and the help to the disenfranchised. The CDP supports a heavy net to cover the needs of the people, albeit with some controls, to allow them to stand up back on their feet. Whether it is unemployement subsidies, social housing, food stamps or job-seeking (and training) programs, the CDP has always (almost) unanimously supported heavy government involvement to cover the needs of many. [b]-Economy:[/b] The economy must be in service of humanity instead of humanity being enslaved the economy. Albeit there is some divisions on whether nationalization was the right choice, most of the CDP MPs agree on a small degree of nationalization of the current market in order to generate enough revenue to carry through the fiscal year without pushing too much of a burden into the average tax-payer. The greatest split in regards to economic matters is between the degree of regulatory measures in the economy; about half of the party believes light regulations would ensure increased investing (both from international investors and nationals) and a growth in economy, while the other half believes that ensuring a fair, equal competition would revitalize opportunities for (mainly) national investors instead of foreigners while ensuring both big and small business treats their workers fairly. [b]-Taxes:[/b] Almost all of the party members agree that the current income tax is equal to extorsion to the people, realizing the clear disparity between the weight carried by the general populace in comparison to the powerful and rich. There is division and doubt as how to fill the gap that would be left with a greatly reduced income tax but several propositions are appearing slowly yet clashing with one another (corporate tax v. loose regulation, concessions of natural resources v. increasing exports of nationalized industries, etc.). The consensus within the party points to a reestablishment of the Mansion Tax and the Millionare Tax, which wouldn't touch corporations, along with the removal of the recent Fast Food Tax which affects consumers, workers and companies alike. [b]-Military:[/b] Albeit a strong army is a priority in a nation-state, the times of peace in the region and the low spending on social issues has led to a majority of the CDP taking a more pacifistic approach. The growth of the army isn't considered necessary, albeit buying new equipment is, perhaps a more diplomatic approach can be taken and the Army slightly reduced to redirect resources to more pressing matters. The investment on intelligence services is a divisive matter, as reactionary members argue that Leftist clandestine organizations need to be destroyed, as terrorists. Although reliance of international relations for defense has been a criticism on this position, the pacifist sector of the CDP argues that mantaining good relations diplomatically with neighbors and having allies ready to offer protection is not a bad deal for Civitas. [b]-Environment:[/b] One of the flags of CDP policy has been a conservation of natural resources and an investment in green energy, in order to avoid reliance on imports to keep the national electricity running. Strict enforcement and the closure of loopholes is a priority the whole party agrees on, even the more libertarian individuals. The main concern to the party is finding a balance between resource extraction, which may be necessary to keep the country afloat, and enviromentally friendly practices. A solution has yet to be found. [b]-Citizen Rights:[/b] The CDP was one of the parties that pushed the voting age up, under the argument of low political participation and swaying of the youth by mass movements. Aside from that, the CDP has also attempted several times to rise the age of consent to equate the age required to drink, some conservative members of the party arguing that it is immoral for the youth to do such acts at that age with the moderate sector arguing that at 16, teenagers have yet to reach financial security or a full awareness of their actions; youth pregnancy only adds to the economic struggles that a teenager must face. Aside from that, in regards to minority groups, the CDP is almost evenly split. The more progressive groups have sided with LGBT minorities fighting for their rights while more conservative sectors have fought back, citing that it goes against Christian values and it affects children. [b]-Education:[/b] The CDP greatly praises the current educational system in place, although it recognizes the struggles of teachers. In order to fix that, the CDP has proposed to defer funding from the Military towards education, faced with opposition by some reactionary sectors of the party and other parties. Overall, the CDP cites education as a great national concern and has called for higher standards of quality and investment in teaching. [b]-Health-Care:[/b] The CDP has slowly shifted from the view of an entirely nationalized healthcare service to a semi-public health care service. The resources necessary to keep the current healthcare system running are not within reach (nor will they be, in the next fiscal year) so the stance of the CDP is one of a heavily regulated and monitored system, ensuring low prices and effective treatment for all while allowing companies to profit off a moderate monthly fee by medium and high income individuals. This would also serve to cover more costly and specialized treatments at a cheaper rate. Competition would ensure quality and accessible prices, accompanied by heavy regulation. Albeit it's not an unanimous support within the party (a couple MPs go towards fully public, while others towards fully private), the idea has gained traction among members of the CDP. [b]-Emergency Services:[/b] The increase in spending necessary to fund the police into a more effective force would be one that the country can't afford, although it is one sorely needed. In order to make use of what [i]can[/i] be increased, a centralized institution that can coordinate efforts between communities needs to be put in place; the coordination of investigations, operations and outreach can be maximized through cooperation between police forces, handled by a superior body. The funding of the firefighting forces could be, in some points, be decreased slightly and invested into a recruiting effort for the police but for the time being, not many MPs support this alternative and the CDP's position is one of keeping the funding intact. [b]-Immigration:[/b] There's a clear split in the CDP in regards to this matter. A majority of the party is pushing for deportations, more strict border security and stronger requisites to be able to immigrate into Civitas. A vocal minority decries this treatment as inhumane towards the right of the disenfranchised, arguing for naturalization and protection towards the men and women who can provide a stronger boost to the economy; although they also support more strict checks, they do not reject the idea of lighter requisites for immigrants to come into Civitas. [b]-Other:[/b] The CDP is one of the oldest parties on Civitas. Originally founded by Jesuit priests as a way to represent the interests of religious communities on the country, the party became an umbrella for every Christian denomination (and some more secular groups) in the country. As such, a great variety of views is contained within the party which also explains the constant infighting and divisions among them; however, the party started as one of the strongest, given that at the time of its founding, the religious numbered into a great majority in Civitas. The party has lost steam over time (as has religious participation in Civitas), particularly in the last five elections, but they still mantain a relevant force in the Parliament. Before the UTCSP and the CPC-ML appeared, the CPD was the one to push the most progressive social programs from the electoral battlefield, with several of its prominent politicians being adherents of Liberation Theology. However, with the creation of these two parties which expressively denounced religion and a capitalist economy as opressive, the CDP has taken a more cautious approach to what are considered Leftist policies. However, the tradition of social interests has remained strong within its ranks, rejecting mostly the idea that capitalism can't be put to the interests of the people and that religion can be a barrier for progress. Given this shift in ideology, in the most recent years there has been a split between the Progressive CDP members and the Conservative CDP members. The first, more adherent to the Left, a pacifistic approach to foreign policy and regulatory measures into the economy; the second, more adherent to lassez-faire, a nationalistic, traditionalist view and an agressive stance towards Leftist parties. [b]MP Name:[/b] Roger Conelly [b]MP Appearance:[/b] [center][img]http://ecosolidario.com.co/eco/ekeko/media/k2/items/cache/019c164a7249eb033dc2a912280a3ff0_XL.jpg[/img][/center] [b]MPs Party:[/b] (Progressive) CDP [b]MPs Position in his/her Party:[/b] Party leader [b]Home Territory:[/b] UTC Northwest [b]Biography[/b]: Born and raised among the labor movements developing on the North, Conelly found himself vouching for charity and social justice at an early age, through the word of Christ. Elected as an MP at the age of 30, he immediatly gained the media's attention by his oratory skils, defending social reform in the Parliament; a factor that made him rise through the Party ranks eventually reaching the lead in a fiery combat against the Conservatives led by Thomas Steffano. He has always flirted with the more left leaning sections of Parliament, although this has earned the ire of a growing sector inside the CDP. [b]MP Name:[/b] Thomas Steffano [b]MP Appearance:[/b] [center][img]https://revistagentecolombia.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/dsc_5582.jpg[/img][/center] [b]MPs Party:[/b] (Conservative) CDP [b]MPs Position in his/her Party:[/b] Party Vice-president [b]Home Territory:[/b] Central Eastern UTC [b]Biography[/b]: Born and raised in a fundamentalist family, Steffano achieved the position of minister in his local church at the young age of 24. From there, he saw the opportunity to launch himself into politics to represent his fray. Denouncing the influences that go against the founding values of the party, and the values of Civitas overall, Steffano has gained traction with older populations and more conservative members of the CDP. He has slowly started approaching parties aligned with the Right, taking the MPs that follow him along.[/hider]