Colonial Party of Mars

The Colonial Party of Mars (CP) is the largest and ruling political party on the Earthen colony of Mars. Economically, the party represents market-inclined solutions and socially moderate positions. According to the party platform, the colonial government of Mars should not play an independent active role in Martian life. Instead, it must as closely as possible follow upon the choices of the Earthen government, due to Mars being a low-populated extension of Earth. It is opposed chiefly by the Progressive Republican Party, which favors independence for Mars at best, or more proactive governance with increased autonomy at least.

The party was founded in 2481, after Mars attained federal autonomy. The two leading civil society institutions in the Martian scene at that time, the Martian Association of Mining Houses and the Colonial Rights Association, merged to form the CP. It was adopted at the party's first general meeting that it intended to contest the Martian general election, 2483. A policy statement, which remains largely unchanged today, was also enacted. The Colonial Party contends that Mars has only been inhabited by humans for two generations, thus the planet remains a legitimate subject of Earth, sharing a generally common culture and market. Therefore it opposes any notion of planetary sovereignty and asserts that the federal system affords enough contextual autonomy to the colony. The party won the 2483 general election by a wide margin, taking 26 of the 30 seats in the Legislative Council, and has remained firmly in power since.

Federally, the Colonial Party is associated with the Patriotic Alliance (PA), which is the third largest party in the Earth Parliament. It is, however, independent onto itself with no legal obligation to the PA. It represents the generally conservative majority of Martian society. As of 2494, Friedrich Hesselmann was the Chairman of the Colonial Political Committee (CPC) and thus the party leader. Caroline McDonough, the current Executive Governor of Mars, is a Colonial Party member.