Communist Party of Sereniérre

The Communist Party of Sereniérre (CPS), is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of Sereniérre. Sereniérre is a single-party state, as such, the CPS is the dominant entity within the government. Under the federative system, the Party maintains subdivisions at the state and municipal levels. The legal power of the Communist Party is guaranteed by the constitution.

The party was founded in April 1903, when the Student Marxist League managed to unify various leftist organizations under one organization. After a seven year civil war with forces of Second Republic, the Party defeated them in 1932 and consolidated its control over the country. The Republican government fled into exile and on 12 October 1932, the Party established the People's Republic.

Political power of the party itself has seen decline over time as successive generations of leadership have granted a greater role for the government and with the passage of the 2011 Constitution, the Party, itself, has adopted a background role in matters of state. The party has three internal blocs which have been recognized officially by the party leadership and are encouraged to "present diverse views and opinions to the proceedings within confines of our ideology."

The party has almost 3.5 million members, and is considered to be one of the largest political parties in the world. The party's official publication, The Daily Tribune is published daily and receives international circulation.

History
The Party has its origins in the Revolution of 1881, during which the monarchy was overthrown, when Marxist ideas first gained traction within Sereniérrese intellectual circles. The Communist Party of Sereniérre was initially founded by students at the University of Villesen as a study society and an informal network in 1886, though called the Student's Marxist League at the time. Other such informal groups also came into being in the last decades of the 19th century. At the same time, up to sixteen political parties were extant in the country with Marxist ideology or leanings, but were relegated to the fringes of national politics.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the dominance of the SML in student politics had enabled it to bring together the other university based groups under its umbrella, starting the consolidation of leftist organizations. During the Student Protests of 1900 - 1901, the SML led the opposition against the Republican Government's plan to cut subsidies to the public sector universities, which would impact severely on middle class students, who made a majority of the SML's support base. After seven months of protests, the Government caved in and the policy was dropped. Soon afterwards, SML membership doubled tenfold and its clout increased.

In 1903, the SML held its first leadership elections, ones in which Nicolas Sérazin and his faction within the SML gained majority of the vote, bringing a new generation into the senior positions. The victory alienated some of the original members of the SML, but due to the Sérazin bloc's popularity among the new membership and its pro-religion leanings, made it impossible for any attempt to topple them to go without repercussions. That year, seeing the successes of the organization, the Sérazin-led SML invited members of the various leftist political parties in the country to its annual Marxist-Conference. There, the SML announced its intentions to unify the left in a national political party. Though after some hesitation, the political parties agreed to merge with the SML and in April 1903 the Communist Party of Sereniérre was established.

Soon after, elections were held for the leadership positions of the newly established political party, and Sérazin was made the Chairman, and others of his bloc won senior positions in the CPS' Central Committee. After being barred from taking part in the 1904 general elections due to legal requirements, the CPS focused its attention on building a larger support base. Throughout the period between 1904 to 1909, the party slowly gained support in rural areas and among workers and membership rose from 4,500 in 1903 to 35,000 by 1908.

National prominence (1908 - 1920)
By the time the 1909 general elections came around, the economy has taken a nosedive and serious drought had left the country perilously close to a famine. Under these circumstances, the CPS published the first edition of the Daily Tribune, which became a controversial, yet highly successful endeavor. The Government reacted by raiding the Daily Tribune's headquarters and set fire to the building. The move prompted the Party to announce a peaceful demonstration against the government in Villesen. The demonstration soon received support from other opposition groups and saw a crowd numbering close to 80,000 arrive in the main square of Villesen. Under pressure, the Government was forced to issue an apology to the CPS.

Yet the Party was again blocked from contesting in the elections by the Government and its senior leadership was arrested during the campaigning phase of the elections, to be released after the ruling party had clinched a narrow majority. Though still blocked from entering Parliament, the Party continued holding rallies in the rural areas and in university campuses, which had seen steady increase in size. In the 1910 leadership election, Sérazin stepped down and took a seat in the Central Committee. He would use the time to compile and publish a series of books and other literature which would define Marxist-Sérazinism in later years. In 1913, the first volume of his books was published.

The published works of Sérazin revitalized the CPS and saw its ideology and philosophy gaining support even among some Church leaders, who spoke in favor of the writings. Confronted by public pressure, the Government relented in 1917 and allowed the Election Commission to register the CPS as an official party, clearing the way for the party to compete in the 1920 general elections.

Legitimacy and elections
After gaining legitimacy, the CPS found universal support from labor unions, something which had eluded them up till that point, and saw their membership become increasingly active in disseminating the party's message, to a point where the party was able to command crowds equally as large as those of the main opposition party. By the time of the 1920 election, the party was already in control of some city governments and planned on contesting 40 of the 500 seats, out of which it won 30. Its MPs, in the Parliament of Sereniérre, pursued land reform and social equality policies, much to the consternation of the establishment.

Road to power
In 1925, alarmed by its continuing popularity, supported by the opposition, the Government banned the Party, expelled its members from the Parliament and ordered the military to move against the leadership. Segments of the military refused to carry out the order and mutinied, joining the ranks of the Party. Though the support bolstered the morale of the remaining leadership, it was thought wise to pull back and move to the south, where the party enjoyed the greatest support. With majority of its senior elected leadership either imprisoned, exiled or dead, the Party's leadership went into the hands of Sérazin - for the second time.

The following year, in 1926, the Party launched an armed struggle against the government, bombing government buildings and attacking law enforcement authorities. The CPS' armed wing saw its strength increase as rural communities began rebelling against their feudal masters. During the next five years, Republican and Communist forces were involved serious fighting in the countryside. The total casualties of the civil war are estimated to be 430,000. By 1932, the Republican government had faced several mutinies in its military, due to communist infiltration and sympathies in that institution. Coupled with civilian agitation led by the labor unions, the economy was brought to a standstill, causing the Republican government to flee the capital, leaving the road open for the CPS to seize power.

Ruling party (1932 - present)
On 12 October 1932, the CPS announced the end of hostilities and established the People's Republic of Sereniérre, with Nicolas Sérazin as its leader.

Organization
The governing body of the CPS is the Central Executive Committee, which is elected by delegates attending the Party Conferences, held every five years. The CEC, in turn, elects the Politburo, separate from the parliamentary body, which in turn elects the General-Secretary and is the leader of the party. The party is organized in the following manner:

Other central organizations include:
 * Central Executive Committee
 * The General Secretary, which is the highest ranking official within the Party and the de-facto leader of the country.
 * The Politburo, consisting of 24 full members (including the members of the Politburo Standing Committee) and one alternate.
 * The Secretariat, the principal administrative mechanism of the CPS, headed by the General Secretary of the Central Committee;
 * The Central Disciplinary Action Commission, which is directly under the Central Executive Committee and on the same level with the Politburo, charged with rooting out corruption and among party cadres.
 * General Office
 * Press Office
 * Party Liaison Department
 * National Financial & Economic Department
 * National Rural Infrastructural Affairs Department
 * Party History Research Center
 * Party Research Center

Headquarters
The Old Parliament building was built in 1823 and till 1932 served as the meeting place of the Parliament of Sereniérre. It was built by Royal Proclamation issued by King Nicolas VI after the constitutional reforms initiated after the 1817 uprising. In 1932, after the Communist Party declared victory over Republican forces, the building was requisitioned by the Politburo to be used as the new ruling party's national headquarters.

The building was besieged during the 1979, during which students seeking reform and economic liberalization began protesting around it. Since then, the headquarters have seen tightened security and tight controls over entry points into the Government quarter.

The following offices are present in the building:
 * Secretariat of the General Secretary
 * Secretariat of the Politburo
 * Directorate of the Central Executive Committee
 * Press Office

While other offices of the national party are located at a new compound just across the road, connected to the main building through an underground tunnel.

Political ideology and stances
The official ideology of the CPS, and of Sereniérre, is Marxist-Sérazinism – a strand of communism, that developed from the original writings of Nicolas Sérazin that were published between 1913 - 1956, that built upon certain aspects of original Marxism and deviated on certain points. Sérazin's teachings have developed a position second only to the Bible.

Relationship with competing ideologies

 * http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k480/imadaqu93/Serenierre/e5077f4c.png Republican Government in Exile – Having fought the Republican Government, there is severe animosity between the Party and the one formed in exile. Since the 1960s, the R.G. in exile has provoked peaceful demonstrations outside Embassy of the People's Republic in Arendaal. The R.G. in exile also continues to adversely influence the bilateral relationship between Arendaal and Sereniérre.

Internal factions
There are a total of three internal factions which have formed in the Party over time. Prior to 1982, the Party forbade members from factionalism and the Central Committee retained the maximum control of the party. In 1982, as part of the reformative spirit ushered in by the 1979 protests, the party conference held that year pushed through a series of reforms, which allowed the creation of blocs to allow for greater discourse in party policy.

The Red Society
The Red Society (officially called, The Elders Council) was formed in 1983 by many of the senior leaders of the Communist Party who had been swept aside amidst the popular protests in 1979 which breathed in new life to the leadership of the Party.

The Society propagates policies considered even more conservative than the national ideology of Marxist-Sérazinism and is closer ideologically to the strand of communism in existence in Batavië during the de-Graaf regime. The Society, while not atheist, remains skeptical of the power wielded by the clergy of the Catholic Church in Sereniérre; having urged numerous times for the government to strip priests and monastic orders of the state stipends disbursed annually. The Society disfavors the pro-business policies that have been initiated by the Government since 1979 and seeks a return to a completely planned economic model.

The Society is associated with the Revolutionary Defense Treaty Organization and sends delegations to its member states often. The Society, due to its long reaching ties with the De-Graaf regime, opposes the democratic government of Batavië and continues to hinder the government in building ties with that country. The Society has sought numerous times to limit the country's involvement in foreign bodies such as the Council of Nations. The establishment of the Northwestern Collective Security Coalition led to intense tension between the Red Society and the ruling Orange Society, a matter eventually settled by a vote in the National Assembly.

In defense matters, the Society is regarded as hawkish by foreign analysts and continues to support conscription schemes – support which has enabled efforts to axe those schemes to fail. The Society favors the policy of state subsidies for the domestic arms and ammunition industry and argues for increased budgetary allocations for the Republican Military Forces.

The Orange Society
The Orange Society (officially called, The 1979 Volunteers Movement) was formed, at least officially, in 1983 by the leaders of the reform movement that removed much of the senior party members from power during the 1979 protests. Since then, the Orange Society has maintained dominance over the party's internal politics – and by default to those of the country.

When first formed, political analysts and members of the party viewed the group to be far too liberal. But through the passage of time, the Society has continued the evolution of the Marxist-Sérazinist ideology and has gone on to absorb many members of the CPS who originally opposed the society. The Society urges for the upholding of central tenants of the national ideology. The Society seeks to continue the trend of decentralizing power and has succeeded in pushing through a federalist system.

The Society has broken with traditional Marxist ideals in economic matters and has initiated pro-business and private enterprise policies. The Society has gradually decreased the state's shares of numerous companies and now maintains minority shares in most of the previously state-owned companies. The Society was successful in scrapping the planned economy system and introduced a guideline based system in 1993, a system which allows for immense flexibility in economy, while ensuring certain rights for workers.

The Society's foreign policy outlook calls for a "pragmatic, involved and dignified" approach to diplomatic dealings. Since its creation, the Society has supported initiatives to join the Northern Council – all which have remained unsuccessful so far, due to the adversarial hostility with Suionia and faltering bilateral ties with Arendaal & Batavië, for various reasons. The establishment of the Northwestern Collective Security Coalition is considered the brainchild of the Chairman of the Orange Society. The Society's defensive policy outlook suggests introducing a capping of percentage of GDP spent of the military and revamping the military's doctrine to reflect changing circumstances.