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The Conservative Party is the centre-right ruling party in Wiltshire. The party has been in power since January 1, 3019 under Prime Minister Audrick Hill and now Samantha Schrӧder. The Conservatives, led by Hill, went onto win a surprise majority in the January 3019 Wiltshire General Election, to form the first Conservative majority government since David Loynd.
Origins
The Conservative Party was founded following the election of Thomas Shore as the Socialist Prime Minister after Jaresh Inyo's first government. The Socialist take-over in those elections saw radical change in the new city. However, Inyo's National Coalition was unable to forge forward to win an election.
Inyo saw the problems with the National Coalition, mainly due to their lack of ideology and drive for economic certainty. The party was unable to forge enough support because many didn't know what they believed in. The Socialists wore their ideology on their sleeves, the Jaresh Inyo believed that was the way forward. So, following the election, Inyo (along with Edward Jellico and Martin Banks) founded the Conservative Party.
History
The Party, under Jaresh Inyo, went onto win the election in 3010 to see the first Conservative Government. Inyo continued to lead the government for almost a year with two general election victories before his resignation. Inyo's resignation came as a shock to the party, due to his high popularity. Inyo's Deputy Prime Minister, Edward Jellico took the leadership and became the fourth Prime Minister. The Conservatives saw major victories under Edward Jellico and almost obliterated the Socialist Party
Jellico's leadership was unique. It saw Wiltshire join organisations such as the Monetary Alliance and got involved in conflicts around the globe. Jellico took Wiltshire's new strength to lead Doggerland for two years. Jellico was unable to maintain his position when in 3013 he lost his government's majority and required the support of the Liberal Alliance Party to remain in government. He resigned as Leader and, for a month and a half, Renly Stork became Prime Minister as the Socialists formed a weak government with the Communists. Following this, the Conservatives returned to power under Prime Minister Martin Banks. Banks had been Chancellor of the Exchequer since the Conservative victory in 3010 and was well placed for the Leadership. However, he was seen as an old politician by many, with many wanting a fresh face in power.
Baker's government was, for the most part, ineffective. He served from August 3013 until January 3015, in which time he was a crucial part of Wiltshire's withdrawal from the War in Morocco. This move made Banks popular among moderate voters, which helped him maintain power in the October 3014 election. Banks' re-election saw political change in Wiltshire. Many were angry with the extremely long terms (with the record being just over a year), and so in January, Banks' government introduced the Elections Act. The Elections Act would restrict Assembly terms to 4 months at a maximum and designated the date of elections to be the first Thursday following the dissolution of the National Assembly. This law is still in effect today.
In January 3015, Martin Banks resigned as Wiltshire's Prime Minister following over a year in office at the age of 70. His successor was supposed to be Dr. Karen Hayes, however, due to a number of mistakes in the leadership election and a potential investigation into ethical violations, she lost the Leadership to Environment Minister David Loynd. Loynd became the 7th Prime Minister of Wiltshire in January 3015 and served until January 3016 when he lost the January 3016 election to Frank Eddington's Socialist Party in a landslide election.
Under the years of the Socialists, there were four unsuccessful Conservative Leaders (Pete Bus, Andrea Drum, Walt Krussteg and Peter Hay) who all lost elections to the Socialist Party. This was because during their term they introduced massive social programmes such as the Universal Healthcare Act and Social Security for All Act. These laws made them incredibly popular throughout 3016 and 3017. However, in 3018, Wiltshire began to feel the strain of higher taxes and a decrease in International Trade and corporate activity in the region. This led to an increase in poverty and a rise in unemployment. Frank Eddington managed to maintain his party's position, however they began to lose more and more seats to Peter Hay's Conservative Party. The Conservatives were fast gaining on the Socialists in the run up to the November 3018 General Election, coming within less than one percentage point of them in the election (and only 1 seat behind them). The Socialists were forced into a coalition with the Communist Party to remain in government.
This did not last long however, as in December 3018 the Socialists lost 2 seats in by-elections. Following this, Frank Eddington announced his resignation. This caused the Liberal Party (who were vital in keeping the Socialists in Government) to abandon them and form a government with the, now largest party, Conservatives.
Audrick Hill became Prime Minister after three straight years of Socialist rule in a Coalition with the far-right Wiltshire First party and the Liberal Alliance. This caused major problems however as the Assembly was severely divided. There was a government shutdown in January 3019 which left Wiltshire in the weakest position in it's history, due to disagreements over the budget. The election of January 3019 saw the Conservatives win it's first majority in years and dealt a crippling blow to the Socialist Party. The Conservatives, since the election, have planned for repealing the Universal Healthcare Act and to lower taxes for all.
Conservative Electoral History
| Election | Leader | Opposing Leader | Seats | Seat % | Vote | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 3010 | Jaresh Inyo | Thomas Shore (Socialist) | 20 | 39.2% | 44.5% | Conservative / Liberal Coalition |
| February 3011 | Jaresh Inyo | Karl Krussinich (Socialist) | 26 | 50.9% | 46.2% | Conservative |
| October 3011 | Edward Jellico | Karl Krussinich (Socialist) | 30 | 58.8% | 50.1% | Conservative |
| January 3013 | Edward Jellico | Thomas Shore II (Socialist) | 23 | 45.1% | 38.2% | Conservative minority |
| May 3013 | Martin Banks | Renly Stork (Socialist) | 24 | 47.1% | 40.9% | Conservative minority |
| November 3013 | Martin Banks | Renly Stork (Socialist) | 26 | 50.9% | 45.4% | Conservative |
| October 3014 | Martin Banks | Renly Stork (Socialist) | 28 | 54.9% | 44.9% | Conservative |
| May 3015 | David Loynd | Keir Krussinich (Socialist) | 25 | 47.2% | 40.1% | Conservative minority |
| September 3015 | David Loynd | Keir Krussinich (Socialist | 24 | 45.3% | 38.2% | Conservative / Liberal Coalition |
| January 3016 | David Loynd | Frank Eddington (Socialist) | 8 | 15.1% | 23.5% | Socialist |
| May 3016 | Pete Bus | Frank Eddington (Socialist) | 10 | 18.9% | 24.0% | Socialist |
| September 3016 | Pete Bus | Frank Eddington (Socialist) | 9 | 16.9% | 22.9% | Socialist |
| February 3017 | Andrea Drum | Frank Eddington (Socialist) | 6 | 11.3% | 20.1% | Socialist |
| June 3017 | Walt Krussteg | Frank Eddington (Socialist) | 14 | 26.4% | 30.5% | Socialist |
| October 3017 | Walt Krussteg | Frank Eddington (Socialist) | 12 | 22.6% | 28.7% | Socialist |
| February 3018 | Walt Krussteg | Frank Eddington (Socialist) | 13 | 24.5% | 30.2% | Socialist |
| July 3018 | Peter Hay | Frank Eddington (Socialist) | 12 | 22.6% | 31.9% | Socialist minority |
| November 3018 | Peter Hay | Frank Eddington (Socialist) | 16 | 30.2% | 33.2% | Socialist / Communist Coalition |
| January 3019 | Audrick Hill | Rita Smith (Socialist) | 28 | 52.8% | 42.0% | Conservative |
| April 3019 | Samantha Schrӧder | Walton Baker (Communist)
Rita Smith (Labour) Harry Melbourne (Socialist) |
9 | 23.7% | 25.3% | Labour / Socialist Coalition |