User:Mscoree/History (Government Simulation)

This page details the history of the Government Simulation.

Formation of Liberal Parties
The Liberal Party was originally formed counter to the Conservative Party, and was to be the party representing those who advocated for change in the government, or from the status quo. Before the first election the broadness of the Liberal Party led to the development of several liberal parties, such as the Nullification Party, founded by Monster Pumpkin. Mscoree, chairman of the Liberal Party, negotiated a merger between these two parties, noting their similar ideologies, hoping to better unite the liberal voters. The two parties negotiated in the merger that Mscoree would serve as the party's presidential nominee, with Monster Pumpkin as his running mate, while in the following election Monster Pumpkin would be the presidential nominee. The newly formed, united party was called the Progressive Party, and quickly rose to become one of the major parties in the initial elections.

In the first election this merger proved beneficial, with the Progressive Party successfully winning the presidential election. Mscoree was sworn in as president on 8 January 2014, with Monster Pumpkin as his vice president. The Progressives also secured twenty-one seats in the senate, versus eighteen seats won by the Labour Party, and one seat won by the Independent Party.

Voting System Controversy
After the first election discrepancies in the government's voting system, unclear rules, and an inexperienced system led to the Voting System Controversy, in January 2014. The legitimacy of a mixed member proportional system was called into question, as many believed it failed to represent the votes as they were cast. Others claimed that the rules for mixed member proportional were not clearly defined, as there was no differentiating between senatorial and party votes.

Several pieces of legislation were proposed in order to remedy this crisis, beginning with the "Voting Amendment" by opposition member Local, which called for the separation of the senate and party votes. This measure passed unanimously, however debates soon erupted over the specifications of future ballots. As such, Mscoree later proposed the "Party Representation Claus", which officially set the procedures for voting in the future. This measure proved successful in ending the controversy, ending a turbulent period of the early republic.

Other Reforms
With a small senatorial majority, the Progressives were able to pass a number of reforms. President Mscoree largely championed reforms from both sides of the aisle, hoping to reach compromises in the name of keeping the fledgling republic alive and functioning. The passage of the "Extension Act" established a place dedicated to government procedure, stating "Content for the government simulation will be moved or linked to a new user extension page, and all future government simulation information will be presented there, or linked there", marking the first piece of legislation passed during the first senate.

During this time Senator LxCaucassus would propose the "Establishment of a Head of Government", stipulating that the "Position of Head of the Legislature will be established as the person who can best maintain the confidence of the Senate, the Prime Minister, First Senator, or whatever name we decide to give the position will be as a rule of thumb the leader of the Majority or Plurality factions or coalition." This amendment would also establish additional procedures regarding the executive offices.