National Union Party (Rainier)

The Lagovestian National Union Party (':Lagovestian Partito Unione Nazionale; LPUN''') was a Lagovestian political party that existed between 1898 to 1966. Founded by Mario Napolitano it held government four times (twice in the Italian Southern-Central African Colony and twice in the Republic of Lagovesti) and was the successor of the Autonomist movement led by Sergio Di Lagovesti. It generally followed, and  policies.

The LPUN was founded to further devolve powers to the Italian Southern-Central African Colony and eventually achieve independence from the. It also campaigned for a policy of racial discrimination and segregation ("National Racialism"; Nazionalerazzismo) which would favour whites overwhelmingly over blacks. The LPUN were first elected in 1902 with their founder Mario Napolitano becoming prime minister, where he successfully implemented Lagovestian nationalist policies allowing for the Lagovestian government to control economic and social aspects within the colony. The LPUN and its main rival, the Christian Party (PC), alternated between governments between 1896-1922. In 1922 when Mario Napolitano left the party to form the Lagovestian Fascist Party which subsequently created a, with the LPUN being banned as a party. In 1944 occupied Lagovesti and appointed Claudio Lombardi as Prime Minister where he reformed the LPUN.

In 1946 Lagovesti officially became an independent republic after a referendum sponsored by the LPUN successfully passed. Between 1946-59 Lagovesti had two presidents (Ludovico Pella and Vincenzo Rustichelli) and two prime ministers (Lombardi and Paolo Cuccarini) all of which were from the LPUN; the first non LPUN government was elected in 1959 being a coalition of the Radical Liberals, Christians and several smaller parties. In 1960 the LPUN dominated senate blocked a bill which would see racial equality implemented, leading the country into the Lagovestian Bush War as several black nationalist groups took up armed rebellion. The LPUN under Cuccarini subsequently came back into power where they tried unsuccessfully to crush the rebel movement - however in 1964 the largest city in the country, Oshakati, was taken by rebel forces causing Cuccarini to resign with party moderate Piero Zaccagnini taking power, where he subsequently negotiated a peace deal known as the Florence Agreement. Multi-racial elections where held in 1965 where they were won by the All-African Revolutionary Union (TURA) and the People's Liberation Movement of Cunenia (MLPC) resulting in MLPC leader Kafundanga Nzinga becoming president and TURA general secretary Oliviero Ithete prime minister - the LPUN became a as the white only vote was removed being deeply unpopular with black voters. Under the dictatorship of Ithere the LPUN were banned in 1966 on the grounds of racism.

Historical Context
The roots of the LPUN can be found in the Autonomista movement. Lagovesti was as the Italian Southern-Central African Colony in 1876 by Sergio Di Lagovesti, an explorer who claimed the land for Italy. In 1880 Di Lagovesti became the first Viceroy-Minister of Lagovesti as it gained within the, the only colony to do so. Di Lagovesti campaigned for and for the colonies autonomy from the Italian state. The so-called Autonomista were not a formal political party but rather a loose grouping of representatives who supported free trade, autonomism or both. In 1892 the, Imperialist faction took power, first led by Carlo Madrazo y Garreta and then by Fabrizio De Grassi. De Grassi consolidated the agrarian and monarchist factions of the Chamber of Representatives into one party, the Christian Party in 1896.

Formation
Following the creation of the Christian Party Di Grassi was able to dramatically strengthen his position in government and put forth a more idealogical government programme. This caused many Autonomists to attempt to form their own party which would be able to provide effective opposition to the Christian government. The first of these were the Independent Autonomist Party formed in 1897 that supported. However, the party suffered from several splits mostly on the issue on free trade which had started to become deeply hated by many Lagovestian conservatives. On the 4th October 1898 Mario Napolitano alongside the majority of the IAP formed the Lagovestian National Union Party which was explicitly against free trade. In the 1898 elections the LPUN won a majority of seats with Napolitano becoming the Viceroy Minister of Lagovesti.

Napolitano was a who advocated for a form of  known as Nazionalerazzismo (National Racialism). Nazionalerazzismo stipulated that the native black inhabitants of Lagovesti where because they lacked the cultural history of, specifically its. As such the first Napolitano government implemented a clear policy of with blacks and coloureds being denied voting and lands rights.