Factions in the Chinese States
in Turn Around, Bright Eyes
In "Kweisui" (Guisui, the Chinese Socialist Republic)
The "Revolutionary Die-Hard Clique": Very eager to expand the revolution, currently in power and funnelling money, guns and support to the communist rebels in the benighted Jin Dynasty lands, sure that it will lead to the ultimate victory of the Chinese socialist revolution there. And then expansion to liberate the Manchu and the southerners from their monarchies and drive out the colonisers at last, an united socialist China!
The "Revolutionary Pragmatist Clique": The ones that originally accepted the deal with the Jin Dynasty back in the 2000s, they have been unceremoniously pushed out in the power struggle as the Jin Dynasty enters a period of weakness, causing the Die-Hards to acquire strength.
In Manchuria (The Qing Dynasty, the Empire of Great Manchuria)
The Emperor Kai-ping: Well-educated, deeply 'Westernised', went to Castreleon University, knows very much that Manchuria is a British puppet. When he was younger, he had radical ideas for a return of Manchurian power and prestige. But now? As he has said to a diplomat once - "In one's youth, one cannot help but rage against injustice. Later on, one has to accept it." Indeed, by the time he reached the throne, all those dreams were cast aside. He will continue the system, but some observers has noted that he has done more than previous emperors to reassert the old claim to reigning China.
The British Consulate: The
real power, some say, in Manchuria. They're fairly unhappy at present due to the benefit of propping up the Qing seemingly eternally futile. Sure, the country has a lot of industry,
but... there's not a lot there is it, for
British interest.
The Bannermen: The elite of the army, and some murmur that the Han Bannermen (as contrast to the Manchu, the Mongol or the Russian) have Goldshirt sympathies. The Emperor is notably nervous at this rumour, and has started a loose investigation in it. Will there be a second Goldshirt coup?
The Parliament: A relatively weak chamber, legally, but one that has more influence than it thinks, due to the
people sitting there.
- The Industrialists: Manchuria has for the last century or so been investing regularly in industry to stave off the Jin trying to end the last hold-out of the hated Qing Dynasty. This has led to considerable influence of the industrialists. Moneyed and international, they are the economic power.
- The Liberals: A Manchurian 'liberal' is a very nebulous thing, but broadly one sympathetic to the 'people', more willing to support welfare, minimum wage laws, workplace safety laws, and a 'sinicisation' of Northern Manchuria. They are by far most sympathetic to Chinese nationalism.
- The 'Northerners': The people from 'Northern Manchuria', aka the formerly Russian parts. They're more politically radical, broadly resent Manchurian control, but are ethnically divided into Russians, Jews, Poles, Chukchis, Koryaks, etc.
In the Chin Dynasty (Jin, the Empire of Great Chin)
The "Goldshirt Movement": A bunch of weird nationalists who have extensive links to the military. They've now tried a coup on the Jin government in Beijing declaring the start of the "Chinese Revival", declaring that just as the Manchu lost the "Mandate of Heaven" to the Qing and the Qing lost it to the Jin, so they will take over. The main problem is that they have not selected an emperor for their new rule and seem resistant to such. Still, they claim to reject the 'vile republicanism' of the communists and Kuomintang. What are they even for? An eternal regency or a puppet emperor or what?
The "Millions' Resistance": The Goldshirt coup did
not receive a nice welcome with many, especially the more working-class section of Beijing. The resistance isn't much ideologically coherent yet, but it does seem to be broadly a fed up, angry and
very radical one. Perhaps even republican, the patience with the Jin was running fairly thin before the Goldshirt coup, and now there's urban battles in Beijing itself between the Jin, the Goldshirts and the Resistance. Chaos!
The Imperial Court: Currently holed out in Zhengzhou and trying to rally troops against the Goldshirts and the Resistance
and the communists the blasted Guisui lot keep funding. Unsurprisingly, they're hopelessly divided on what to do in response.
- The Reformers: The Emperor is slowly allowing them to persuade him around on some ideas. The empowerment of the National Assembly, the abolition of the 'imperial guidance' system, allowing the Assembly to select a Prime Minister who would be confirmed by the Emperor, etc. The reformers are more or less lightly optimistic, but is it at this moment too late to salvage matters for the benighted and mandateless Jin?
- The Establishment: With a good deal of their more vocal number now backing the Goldshirts, the old establishment is on the back foot with the government-in-internal-exile, but the Prime Minister is trying to salvage matters, gingerly reaching out to some of his old comrades to see if they can't come to an understanding. The Emperor isn't particularly happy about
that, and the Prime Minister may be looking for a new job.
- The Diplomats: In the complex web of diplomacy the Jin and Taiping play on the global stage, the diplomats have greater say than otherwise. One of the few saving graces the Jin Dynasty has is that it has managed to keep the diplomatic recognition and safety of the foreign diplomats while in exile in Zhengzhou. But such diplomacy is always so fickle, and the British chargé d'affaires (never ambassador or even minister, the British recognise the Qing) has been making... enquiries.
The "People's Revolutionary Guard": Flush with Guisui money and weapons, they have been causing havoc for a few years in the countryside, but rumour has it that they have started moving on to the cities in a dash to take advantage of the disorder in Beijing. The revolution is nigh, according to their very eager followers. The Jin will go, the Chinese Socialist Republic will triumph! Or at least that is what they claim will happen.
In Tientsin (Tianjin, the Concord of Nations Mandate of the Tientsin Concessions)
The Tientsin Mandate Commission: Currently in a rush to pack stuff up and flee, as the CoN has decided to revoke the concession and withdraw its people. There's a good deal of smoke coming out of the Commission's building's chimney, they're burning some compromising documents.
The Nationalists: Loosely associated with either the Goldshirts or the Resistance, or even the Kuomintang or communists, it's a very incoherent movement based around basically resentment at the CoN carving out Tianjin when they all thought the time of concessions was at least over. They're currently
very happy at present, and rallying a lot. I believe some of the local elite are trying to form a State of Tianjin as a stopgap before full incorporation. But in what? The Jin, Guisui, Taiping, Taiwan, Fujian, or just a full on "fuck it, we claim to be a China now"?
In Kiautschou (Jiaozhou, the Province of Kiautschou (in the German Empire))
The Landtag: SPD, Centre, NLP, etc., it's all a bit irrelevant. Sure, some endorse the Republicans, others the Princess-Regent, even some the Austrians. But in Kiautschou, such allegiances pale to the fact that the province may fall eventually. The Landtag is primarily made out of white Germans or collaborationist elite and hence profit greatly from the province being possessed by an European power. However, others disagree...
Yiguandao: Always a high presence in the Province, especially since the Jia clamped down on them and many fled to Jiaozhou. The Landtag has an uncomfortable co-existence with the extent and strength of the Yiguandao organisation among the poorer Chinese. Currently the patriarch of the sect is not taking the Landtag's calls and has expressed certain...
thoughts about the continuation of German control. Protests and strikes have grown as a result, and many in the Landtag are quietly worrying that the 2040s will see the end of the German 'weltreich'.
In Shanghai (the Grand Metropolis of Shanghai)
"Businessman's League": An informal caucus of the city's
very moneyed corporate elite, they are consistently hostile to Taiping for their more radical policies, and many wish to just see Shanghai stay a bastion of free-market capitalism. Unification? God no, why would they ever support that.
Patriotic Labour Party: Working-class, vaguely Chinese nationalist, ideologically socialist, managed to get the mayoralty after a strike forced the city to reform the system to be more democratic-ish. The Upper Chamber, helmed by business interests, are blocking a lot of their policies...
Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang): Not as strong as the ones in Fujian or Taiwan, the Shanghai KMT has evolved into a weird 'Third Way' position of fierce Chinese nationalism and more corporatist economics (not corporationist). Decidedly third in popularity to the League or PLP.
Heavenly Society: The society representing God Worshippers in Shanghai. Obviously broadly for unification with Taiping, not
always on the same line as Taiping itself, with Dissenters having a good deal of presence in Shanghai.
The Foreigners: Shanghai is an international city, and hence many foreigners live and work there. They're very uneasy about the recent developments outside of Shanghai, but it's not quite "time to flee" territory yet.
In the Heavenly Kingdom (Taiping, the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace)
The Imperial Court: A swirling maelstrom of whispers, doubts and intrigue.
- The Emperor: The descendant of the man who Taipingers believe to be a deity, he is a deeply arrogant man who has just received his first backlash after ten years fully indulging his father's clique in their radical policies. Time will tell how he replies.
- The Centralists: The governing clique, and one that has made waves in Taiping for good or for ill. Originally ushered into power fifteen years ago in the waning days of the previous Emperor, they successfully persuaded the current Emperor to let them continue. Economic reform after economic reform, slowly dismantling the state of the economy set out by the Heavenly King in favour of a centralised and 'stronger' one. This has brought controversy.
- The Traditionalists: A strange mixture of would-be socialists and deeply religious people who oppose the Centralist policies on a bunch of different reasons. Not Dissenter, but certainly the people who would dare brook that the Emperor has allowed himself to be...
misled.
The Agriculturalists: The farmers who have taken up sticks in anger against the current Taiping Emperor and his corrupt clique's policies which has damaged farmers' livelihood. Many already murmur that divinity is not hereditary and the current Emperor is just a man, even if one with divine descent, and that his policies run contrary to the Heavenly King's ideas. Classic Dissenter theology, and ones that may spread like wildfire if things worsen.
Miscellaneous Dissenters: The non-rebelling ones. Broadly the people who would be considered "dissenters" in a God Worshipper context are those that unhesitatingly accept the Heavenly King as the son of the Heavenly Father, the brother of Jesus, and one of the Holy Quaternary,
but do not agree with the orthodox interpretation that His descendants are similarly divine, or speak for their ancestor. It's a theology that grows when the Court is more unpopular, but markedly shrinks when the Court reclaims legitimacy with the people. It's not doing badly at the moment.
In Fukien (Fujian, the People's Revolutionary Government of the Republic of China)
The Revolutionary Committee: Currently not sure if they should take advantage of Taiping's disorder to stab further in, or if they should wait.
- Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang): The Fujian chapter, barely pays attention, if at all, to the one in Taiwan. Markedly more left-wing.
--
Left-Kuomintang: The head honcho faction in Fujian, they're the ones who led the 'Great Liberation' and established themselves firmly in charge, and were the ones to lead Fujian to declare that it carries on the
real Chinese Republican ideals of Doctor Sun Yat-sen, not Taiwan.
-- Right-Kuomintang: A rump after opportunist defections to Left-KMT and some careful purges, they're still sympathetic, somewhat, to the idea of reunification with Taiwan, which the left-KMT dismisses as enabling sellouts. More cautious than Left-KMT on war with Taiping.
- Chinese Democratic Party (Minchutang): The Minchutang are basically the mushy centrist liberals that the more corporatist KMT just isn't, and apart from objecting to harsh 'liberation laws', has been a quiet part of the Committee, mostly there to make the Committee look less one-party.
The God-Worshippers: The Committee hasn't exactly been
that kind to them, but while the Left-KMT continues publicly to 'crusade against religious delusion', the Committee as a whole has tried to reach out to the dissenters, with mixed results.
- Orthodoxes: Currently the ones most targeted, and as Taiping grows more embroiled in internal feuds this has only increased. Over MCT objections, it is now a crime to 'publicly venerate as a deity any currently serving head of state, or to imply that they are in any way infallible'. Why yes, the Catholics are fuming at this and the Left-KMT has managed to somehow bridge a giant schism between the two communities. Amazing.
- Dissenters: Historically not much in Fujian, but has became the majority of God-Worshippers since the 'Great Liberation' and KMT policies. Even if mostly out of fear at Left-KMT hard-handed policies, a good deal of people have abandoned the idea the Emperor is divine or speak infallibly.
The "Taiwan Group": The Fujian Revolutionary Committee declaring that Taiwan no longer is the legitimate Chinese republican government did not go down well with everyone. The Taiwan Group, as they presumably call themselves, is a very secretive organisation associated in some way with the Right-KMT and the MCT, although there are murmurs that there are some high-ranking members of Left-KMT among their ranks. It is by far the President of the Revolutionary Committee's obsession, fuelling his paranoia that his committee's project is being undermined.
In Taiwan (the Republic of China in Taiwan)
The Government: Apart from quietly bribing the British to protect their seas from potential enemies and the customarily shaking of their hands at Fujian, the present Government is very much Taiwan-focusing.
- Green Party Taiwan: The party of the young, the aspirational, the liberals, and those who just want to get on with making Taiwan great instead of trying to retake China. Since the "Fujian Betrayal", 'Taiwaniser' parties like the Greens have benefited big.
- Taiwan People's Party: The 'old-style' Taiwaniser party, eclipsed by the Greens now, but the Taiwanisers all have great respect for the party that fought for multiparty democracy and got it after fighting a KMT that was clamping down on dissent to create a base to reclaim China.
- Chinese Democratic Party (Minchutang): The Taiwan version, the only explicitly 'Chinese' party in the government at the moment. They ironically have more power and more say in a government disinterested in China than in one based around the fight to reclaim.
- Hakka Party: The most conservative of the parties in government, it primarily represents the Hakka people of Taiwan. There is some Taiping sympathies circling around there, but most of the Hakka in Taiwan ultimately descend from people who moved there during the fall of the
Ming.
The Opposition: Try finding some coherency in this lot.
- Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang): The party of Sun Yat-sen, Wang Ching-wei and Chiang Kai-shek, originally an underground pan-Chinese organisation, managed to kick the British out of Liangguang in the late 1910s, fled to Taiwan once they returned, etc etc. Now they're stewing in opposition as a government seemingly completely disinterested in the idea of a reunited China runs the show. What a fate.
- Public Interest Party of China: The Taiwan branch of the Liangguang party, it is a fairly new party that nevertheless fills in quite neatly the 'left, but not Taiwaniser' niche. Still, it isn't much popular outside that small niche.
- Taiwan Indigenous Party: Since the 2000s Accord as part of the wider 'shift' in Taiwanese politics, the indigenous populace of Taiwan have enjoyed special dispensation for elections to the Legislative Yuan despite their relatively small size. The Taiwan Indigenous Party tends aloof from government, preferring to draw out concessions on an one-to-one basis, rather than agree to a sweeping government manifesto.
In Liangkwang (Liangguang, the Viceroyalty of Liangkwang)
The Viceroy: The office isn't what it once was. Once, it was basically
the office that could get everything done and order everything be changed without any legal blockade. Since the 1960s, the post have been chipped away by reform after reform after
yet another revolt proved the model infeasible. Now it's a toothless office most Liangguangers freely disregard and think of as an archaism. The current Viceroy well knows this.
The Government: A very nationalist one,
Chinese nationalist in fact, and wishes to end the concessions and fold the cities into Liangguang proper, which has been causing no short of diplomatic headache for Britain (also a bonus to the government!)
- Public Interest Party of China: A federalist, nationalist, and vaguely socialist one, it has benefited off urban working-class dissatisfaction with the status quo and has harnessed that into a genuine nationalist-labour alliance against all what they deem ills. The King has snubbed the Minister-President at the last royal tour, which indicates fairly well Britain's attitude to Liangguang those days.
-
Chinese Democratic Party (Minchutang): Even more recently set up than the Taiwan one, it has acquired immense support with young middle-class voters and has parlayed that support into being an indispensable part of the nationalist coalition governing Liangguang.
The Opposition: Currently languishing, it's not as if they're even
popular those days with nationalism and populism in the air.
- Conservative Party of Liangguang: Sort of the Liangguang equivalent of the British conservative movement, widely seen as just the party of the coloniser to many Liangguang people, its base was always those more affluent and more connected to international trade, and the economic depression has currently led to well,
less people being economically affluent, for short.
- Labour Party: Once connected to the British version, it has radicalised since and now supports full Liangguang independence and republicanism. It however, remains distrustful of nationalism, being much more a Marxist party. The most you'll hear from them is vaguely 'Chinese socialism'.
- Zhuang Representation Committee: The province of Guangxi is an autonomous part of Liangguang as part of the democratic reforms Britain was forced to grant to Liangguang to stave off further collapse of its presence. The Zhuang make up a lot of Guangxi's populace, and are represented in the Liangguang Assembly by the Zhuang Representation Committee. By necessity, it is a fairly politically broad-tent party.
- Liberal Democratic Party of Liangguang: The Liangguang branch of the British LDP, they basically collapsed as a result of the Minchutang's surge in the last election, and seems to be just collapsing further in presence as many younger voters continue the flight to Minchutang.
- Party for Hainan: Hainan has a strange history as part of Liangguang, and as part of a series of 90s constitutional reforms, it was granted its own autonomous province. It is a quite corrupt one but one that seems to know when to use it to sustain long-term. This is obviously their party.
Banned and Underground Parties: Ooh boy.
- Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang): Banned since the 1920s, they're
still around. The current government has floated the idea in a circular or two of lifting the ban and allowing the party of Sun Yat-sen to compete legitimately. This has got blowback from the predictable people.
- Chinese Socialist Party: A radical party broadly aligned with Narodnik sentiment, banned early in the early days of the Cold War. Some murmur the Russians kept the underground party around and even that the people up in Guisui still give some money here and then to keep it around.
- Party of Heavenly Peace: A pro-Taiping party, banned as part of retrenching British control of Liangguang in the late 40s, still unofficially around as part of the God Worshipper communities deeply distrusted by Britain. The Public Interest Party got a
lot of their votes last time around...
- Chinese National Youth Party: A 50s or so party, was a fairly radical, even anarchist at times, party that made great waves for their protests and sit-ins, and when some of them turned to bombings, the hammer came out, and well, the 60s was when British control went down hill for a reason...
- Chinese People's Party: The Jenmintang (see what they did there?) was a revolutionary socialist party that participated in the 60s movement against British control, and even though banned, a lot of their members ended up formative in the growth of the Public Interest Party.
- Revolutionary Communist Party of China: A party that makes the Socialists look tame, they've done a fair few bombings in the 70s and 80s during the uneasy times after the 'Revolution of 67' was both crushed and negotiated with and British control was slowly reeled back.
- Anti-Imperialist Alliance: This one
isn't a Chinese nationalist party, but is broadly in the whole 'Sixtier' movement. Founded by white and Eurasian university students [the British broadly restricted applications to select universities to those racial categories] radicalised by the whole 'living in a country that is obviously there because an empire wanted a colony' (and reading Marx, that helps), it burnt short but bright as they successfully assassinated a Viceroy and most of his cabinet during a 'viceregal visit' to an university in 1965. Comprehensively banned and uprooted afterwards.
In Hong Kong (the County and Metropolitan Borough of Hong Kong (in the Commonwealth of England))
The Government: Currently in charge primarily because of the lower, popularly-elected, chamber superseding the upper. Although the chances at passing anything that goes against the old order is vanishingly small, much to the people's growing discontent.
- Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong: A left-liberal, vaguely populist, generally anti-colonial party that emerged as
the voice of Hong Kong democracy back during the struggles in the 80s. Enjoys much support with the lower-middle-class.
- Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions - Labour Party: Or Labour for short, it's a fairly left-wing party with deep roots in the trade union movement of Hong Kong. This is the first time it has been in government since the 2000s and... the way that one ended.
- Liberal Democratic Federation of Hong Kong: The party of the moneyed middle-class uneasy about the last few governments' more hard-handed policies, it has joined the DAB-Labour coalition in exchange for a great say on monetary policy, which has made some Labour people uneasy.
The Opposition: With a comfortable majority in the Professional Chamber, they can safely block anything the Government does.
- Civic Liberal Party: Not to be confused with the LDF, this is a conservative party of
real moneyed interests. The corporations dominating HK really do like the Civic Liberals, who regularly vote in their interest. This is why the Civic Liberals alone make up a great chunk of the Professional Chamber.
- Hong Kong Resurgence Order: Too much for even the DAB and allies, this new party has been making waves with its radical ideas of Hong Kong independence. Not even union with Liangguang, but full-on independence as the "Free State of Hong Kong" or whatever.
- Reform Club of Hong Kong: The traditional pro-democracy party albeit a pro-'colonial' one, it has gradually became eclipsed by DAB and others, and is now mostly significant only in the Professional Chamber due to a lot of appointments from its ranks once the democrats came to power.
- Labour Party of Hong Kong: Not to be confused with the
other Labour Party (which is distinguished as FTU-Labour when need be), this is a radical party that is tangentially connected to a series of bombings back in the 70s. No clue how they're not banned, probably behind-doors negotiation.
Banned Parties: Gee, it's almost as if being a colony isn't universally popular.
- Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang): One can't forget that when Sun Yat-sen declared the Republic as part of the Liangguang Revolution, HK was part of that Republic both in name and in reality. Even now, the KMT has some underground popularity. The government would try to repeal the ban, but they know it wouldn't pass the Professional Chamber where the Civic Liberals and appointed 'functional representatives' would vote it down.
- Revolutionary Marxist League: Trots? In Hong Kong? Apparently the Antarctican communist garnered some sympathy with some HKers back in the 80s and this was a part of the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong. Banned in the final years before democratisation.
- People's Liberation Association of Hong Kong: Another hard-left revolutionary organisation, it was primarily a 90s thing, a lot of its members ended up in either Labour party after 'moderating' a bit on the whole "revolution" aspect.
In Macau (the Free and Independent City of Macau)
The Commission: Macau is ran by business interests very much overtly, keen to keep taxes low, the casinos buzzing and the radicals out.
- The "Establishment Clique": For this group, it is very simple. Macau is a place to make money. Spending money is not making money. They are the ones who oppose anything that isn't "low tax for the rich, corrupt subsidies for corporations, strong casinos, and strong law enforcement".
- The "Libertarian Clique": They are the ones who disagree with the Establishment on the subsidies. Subsidies are not making money, and it's just playing favourites when the Commission should be a neutral representation of all business interests. Very popular with smaller businesses.
- The "Reformer Clique": The smallest of the three cliques, they are the ones who think some sort of capital confidence could be strengthened by giving the poors some welfare in addition to shovelling subsidies to corporations. They are fairly popular with some working-class businesses.
The Alliance for Change: A broad-tent anti-establishment movement that has been garnering a
lot of support with Macanese people. It is rumoured that out of the long list of banned parties in Macau, most of the active underground ones back the Alliance. It broadly demands democracy, and are doing a lot of peaceful protests that the Commission is torn on how to respond since going full mask-off would undermine capital confidence...
In Kouang-Tchéou-Wan (Guangzhouwan, the Province of Kouang-Tchéou-Wan (in the French Union))
The King: Well, François V is just one of the three kings of France, but he's the one that Guangzhouwan recognises, sooo... He lives primarily in Bhopal, but sometimes comes to Guangzhouwan. The reception seriously varies to his visits.
The Governor: Traditionally someone from Paris, the present Governor is the first one actually from the province, appointed by the President in a sop to the locals in an attempt to win them over after some growing nervousness over local troubles. It... hasn't quite worked.
The Provincial Assembly: Used to be completely consultative, but those days a vote from it tends to guide the Governor in signing something. Broadly dominated by 'French' parties because of very low turnout (and disenfranchisement) of Chinese voters.
- Socialist Party: The Guangzhouwan branch of the French PS, it is broadly one for a firm democratisation of the province and some of the more radical sorts (who haven't left for the communists) openly consider the idea of secession, which is technically illegal in France but...
- Union for Democracy: The broad centrist-ish liberal reformists, the main right-wing party for decades. They're very much in favour of private enterprise and all that jazz, and distrusts 'socialism' and the idea of Guangzhouwan seceding from France.
- National Party: A barely-hidden veneer for the old Kuomintang (which was of course banned), it is by far the most popular local party and regularly lobbies for Guangzhouwan to be reunited with wider China, including Liangguang. Firmly republican.
- Communist Party: A very strange party in where one can't really judge if it's a branch of the
French communists or a branch of the
pan-Chinese communists, it seems to have members who think both, and hence its stance on anything to do with constitutionalism is...
incoherent.
- Democratic Party: The Minchutang got into the game as well, but the UpD is far more effective at mobilising votes.
Banned Parties
- Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang): Currently masquerading as the 'National Party', France allows them to get away with it.
- Party of Communists of Guangzhouwan: A radical splitter off the Communists, it made waves for an attempted assassination on the King.
In Yunnan (the Islamic Sultanate of Yunnan)
The Sultan: As with all other sultans since the coup of the 1920s, the Sultan is a powerless figurehead, albeit one widely loved.
The Government: The military is still firmly in charge, but they have allowed a facade of 'democracy'.
- Federation for the Stability of Yunnan: The military party, it however does have pull of its own slightly distinct from the military. Think of it as more the
pro-military party, since the Prime Minister is ostensibly a civilian nowadays, even if he receives his marching orders from the Army. The reason it is a
Federation and not a party is because it's made out of a lot of ethnic parties with the formulaic name "United X Party for the Stability of Yunnan".
The Opposition: It is hard to be a Yunnanese democrat, really, when the government repeatedly bans or imprisons you.
-
Movement for a Democratic Yunnan: Currently
the democratic party, it has however been relatively tame in criticism of the government those days.
- Party for the Heavenly Way: The Taiping God Worshipper party, they are
tolerated at best.
- Yi Autonomous League: A splitter off the United Yi Party for the Stability of Yunnan, this is a fairly radical-ish party that calls for Yi autonomy out of Yunnan. The government is keeping great notes on them, anxious to ensure they do not draw votes away from the FSY's Yi clientele.