Grand Socialist Party

The Grand Socialist Party (Usheigepese: Xaibaixa kosialite yanao; XKY, GSP) is a major centre-left political party in Usheigep. Founded in 1929 as the National Socialist Party, it changed names in 1934 and held uninterrupted power in Usheigep from 1950 to 2002 (with the brief exception of the years 1965-1968), for a total of 49 years, before regaining power from 2010 to 2014.

Early history
The National Socialist Party was founded on February 25, 1929 by members of the Socialist Union, Revolutionary Liberal Party, and Usheigepese Workers' League, the largest left-wing parties at the time, which were disgruntled with Usheigep's corruption. They were also concerned with vote-splitting among the left-wing electorate. The NSP elected 8 representatives to the Taseyapal in its first electoral appearance in 1930. In 1934, it changed names to the Grand Socialist Party as some people confused 'National Socialist' with the far-right.

However, like most political parties of the Nasheri era, the GSP was sidelined and often raided by the military as the government expressed an apolitical and anti-partisan policy. As such, the GSP remained a minor political party until the end of WWII in 1945, when it emerged as the main left-wing political force in Usheigepese politics.

Dominance in Usheigepese politics
In 1950, GSP member Yasaqk Faxa Maraceno was elected president with 48.2% of the vote. His reforms to Usheigepese society and economy made him a popular president. The GSP also enjoyed support due to its affiliation with the Popular Confederation of Workers and Laborers, the largest trade union in Usheigep. As a result, every election up until 1974 was considered legitimate, with the GSP winning huge majorities in each, with Sipak Sanhieren’s victory in 1970 having the highest voting percentage for a candidate in election history (89.2%).

The Gbenung Strait Crisis of 1965-1967 caused unease towards left-wing ideologies. As a result, the GSP suffered. To stay in power, the GSP increasingly resorted to electoral fraud. The party also had connections with some of the richest people in Nesiondalsa, and they funded the GSP to stay in power.

After the crisis, two factions appeared in the GSP, the aging Maracenoists who wanted to continue Maraceno’s policies, and the young technocrats who saw communism as a danger and wanted to reform Usheigep’s socialist-market economy.

In 1974, François Agiere Dirasi was elected. He was the first of the technocratic (or "neoliberal") presidents, and he started the GSP’s move to the centre. In 1978, Kejaren Tuazon was elected, and he promised to reclaim Mbopaamba and Ekopanta. He started the Mbopanta conflicts in order to reclaim the outerlying islands of Usheigep. Tuazon’s government also attacked Ugbenung people in Usheigep, accusing them to be “Mbopanta supremacists”.

Decline and transition to mutli-party politics
Tuazon’s administration had become unpopular over the years. In 1986, he decided to run for a third term, something no one had done since Khosin Nasheri’s rule. The 1986 election would later be known as one of the most infamous elections. Lauzuardi won with 70.1% of the vote despite his main opponent, Daniel Kijwala Nesale, being extremely popular and leading early in the election. There were widespread protests in the country, resulting in a massacre in Pélissierville, and many fled Usheigep. The GSP was also condemned by the international community for invading Mbopanta in 1989.

Although Tuazon wanted to run in 1990, protests forced him to choose Valentin J. Kaparo instead. Kaparo infused neoliberalism with Maracenoism, which helped create stability and a decrease in factionalism in the GSP. However, the Usheigepese People's Democratic Army experienced a resurgence in the second half of his rule, and his violent response made the GSP barely hold onto power in the 1998 election.

Kesaren Navo Ainsworth was the president elected in 1998. He held talks with the UPDA and tried to peacefully end the conflict. Ainsworth was also known for accepting the GSP's loss in 2002, and peacefully handed power over.

Modern era
The GSP was still a stong force in Usheigepese politics. In 2006, they garnered 34% of the vote, for second place, and in 2010, they won, with Kesaren Navo Ainsworth again as president.

Ainsworth’s second term was mixed. In 2018, the GSP announced businessman and CEO of Naprane Technologies Kasad Faxa Naprane as their candidate. They suffered their worst defeat ever, losing more than half of their seats.

In 2021, Atagari Navo was elected as party head. He promised to end GSP’s support for neoliberalism and a return to their socialist roots.

In 2022, the GSP announced that they would go into a coalition with the Party of Social Democrats, Progressive Progress Party, Usheigep-Mbopanta Workers Alliance, and Ugbenung Citizens Association to contest the 2022 election. The coalition, known as the Democratic Socialist Front, gained 35% of the vote and in second place.