Skip to content

Party Management

Your political party is your primary tool for participating in Lawmaker. This guide covers how to create, customize, and manage your party effectively.

Creating a Party

To create a new party:

  1. Select a country to participate in
  2. Click "Create New Party"
  3. Fill in the party details
  4. Define your ideological positions
  5. Launch your party!

Party Information

Basic Details

  • Name - Your party's full name (e.g., "Progressive Democratic Alliance")
  • Abbreviation - Short form for displays (e.g., "PDA")
  • Color - Hex color code for charts and visualizations
  • Slogan - A memorable phrase (e.g., "Progress for All")
  • Description - Longer text explaining your party's goals and vision

Naming Your Party

Choose a name that reflects your ideology and appeals to voters. Generic names like "National Party" are less memorable than "Green Future Coalition" or "Free Market Alliance".

Defining Your Ideology

The most important part of creating your party is setting ideological positions. You'll define where your party stands on 8+ major issues:

The 8 Core Issues

Issue Left Position Right Position What It Means
Gender Equality Traditional gender roles Full gender equality Family structure, workplace equality, gender policy
Role of Religion Secular governance Religious influence Church-state separation, religious freedom vs. tradition
Environment Economic growth first Environmental protection Climate policy, regulation, green energy vs. industry
Individual Liberty Strong leadership Maximum freedom Government authority vs. personal autonomy
Military Diplomatic solutions Strong military Defense spending, intervention, peace vs. strength
Immigration Border security Open borders Immigration quotas, citizenship, cultural integration
Economy Wealth redistribution Free market Taxation, welfare, regulation vs. capitalism
Workers' Rights Business-friendly Worker protections Labor laws, unions, minimum wage

Additional Issues

  • Multiculturalism
  • Support for Young People
  • Law and Order
  • And more...

How to Set Positions

Each issue has a slider from -1 to +1:

  • -1.0 = Strongly left/progressive position
  • 0.0 = Centrist/neutral position
  • +1.0 = Strongly right/conservative position

Example Party Ideology

"Green Progressive Alliance"

  • Gender Equality: +0.9 (strong equality)
  • Role of Religion: -0.8 (secular state)
  • Environment: +1.0 (maximum protection)
  • Individual Liberty: +0.6 (personal freedom)
  • Military: -0.7 (diplomatic approach)
  • Immigration: +0.5 (welcoming)
  • Economy: +0.4 (moderate redistribution)
  • Workers' Rights: +0.8 (strong protections)

Party Pillars

Your ideological positions become your party's pillars - the core values you campaign on. These are visible to:

  • Other parties (to understand your positions)
  • The game's voter simulation (affects which voters support you)
  • Players researching the political landscape

Managing Your Party

Party Dashboard

Your dashboard displays:

  • Current seats in each legislature
  • Political Power (PP) available
  • Active proposals you need to vote on
  • Upcoming deadlines (elections, votes closing)
  • Recent activity in your country

Party Actions

With your party, you can:

  1. Vote on proposals - Shape legislation (free)
  2. Propose new laws - Submit legislation (30 PP)
  3. Recruit characters - Add activists to your team (10 PP)
  4. Commission polls - Survey electoral prospects (10 PP)
  5. Send messages - Communicate with other parties (free)
  6. Attempt cabinet formation - Form governments (free, requires seats)
  7. Call early elections - Trigger special elections (30 PP)

Party Growth

Gaining Seats

Your party gains seats through elections. Seat count is determined by:

  • Vote share - More votes = more seats (proportional system)
  • Voter preferences - Electors vote based on their values
  • Your voting record - Voters judge you by your legislative history
  • Consistency - Voting according to your ideology builds trust

Building Influence

Successful parties:

  • Vote consistently with their stated ideology
  • Build coalitions with like-minded parties
  • Recruit charismatic characters with high follower counts
  • Time their proposals strategically
  • Manage Political Power efficiently

Party Reputation

Your party builds a reputation through:

  • Legislative record - How you voted on every proposal
  • Laws enacted - Which laws you successfully passed
  • Government participation - Cabinet positions held
  • Longevity - Surviving multiple election cycles

Party Strategy

Ideological vs. Electoral Strategy

There are two main approaches:

Vote your values consistently

✓ Clear party identity ✓ Attracts ideologically aligned voters ✓ Builds trust and credibility ✗ May limit electoral appeal ✗ Could alienate centrist voters

Vote to maximize appeal

✓ Broader electoral base ✓ Can win centrist voters ✓ Flexible coalition building ✗ Inconsistent record ✗ May confuse voters ✗ Vulnerable to attacks on flip-flopping

Finding Balance

Most successful parties find a middle ground: stay true to core values while being flexible on less important issues.

Coalition Building

Since proportional representation rarely gives any party a majority:

  • Identify natural allies - Parties with similar ideologies
  • Communicate actively - Use the messaging system
  • Coordinate proposals - Support each other's legislation
  • Share government - Distribute cabinet positions fairly
  • Build trust - Honor agreements and vote as promised

Timing Your Proposals

Strategic timing matters:

  • Early in election cycle - Less risky, gives time for voters to forget
  • Mid-cycle - Normal time for routine proposals
  • Late in cycle - High-risk, highly visible, defines your campaign
  • After winning election - Mandate to implement your platform

Party Settings

Communication Preferences

Configure how you receive notifications:

  • Email alerts for new proposals
  • Election reminders
  • Message notifications
  • Vote deadline warnings

Privacy Settings

Control visibility of:

  • Your party's ideological positions (always visible)
  • Commissioned polls (public or private)
  • Internal party information

Multiple Parties

You can create multiple parties:

  • In different countries - Fully allowed, recommended for experienced players
  • In the same country - Generally not allowed or discouraged (check rules)

Each party is independent with its own:

  • Political Power pool
  • Seats and voting weight
  • Character roster
  • Legislative record

Party Dissolution

Parties can become inactive if:

  • The controlling player stops participating
  • The party loses all seats and remains inactive
  • The player chooses to abandon the party

Inactive Parties

Inactive parties may be removed from the game after extended periods of inactivity.

Tips for Party Success

Best Practices

  1. Define a clear ideology - Pick a lane and stick to it
  2. Vote consistently - Build a coherent legislative record
  3. Engage actively - Vote on every proposal
  4. Build relationships - Communicate with other parties
  5. Manage PP wisely - Don't waste Political Power on low-value actions
  6. Study voters - Commission polls to understand the electorate
  7. Recruit strategically - Choose characters that align with your brand
  8. Think long-term - Electoral success takes multiple cycles

Next Steps