Deltarians of all social classes have joined the call for restoring the Czar
Until very recently, Deltaria would have been considered a stable democratic republic. There were, of course, many political tensions, and political debates often became heated, but nobody seemed to question the basic legitimacy of the Federal Republic or its liberal democratic constitution. However, appearances proved to be deceiving. With a long history of Czarist rule and an imperialist foreign policy, Deltaria was for a long time the "Evil Empire" of Terra, and it seems Deltarians have not forgotten their autocratic heritage. As the popularity of George Horatio Fain, Deltarian Commander-General during the Western Meria Crisis has shown, even after the establishment of the current republic, the people of Deltaria have looked to political strongmen for guidance and leadership. But the Deltarian political ruling class does not seem to share this fascination with strong leaders. For instance, Whig chairman Poteat's attempt to restore the Czar on the throne cost him his political career.
Nevertheless, many common Deltarians are still nostalgic for the days of the Empire, and are still committed to an authoritarian stile of politics. The recently disbanded Deltarian Blue Shirt Movement, a far-right populist party with fascist undertones, was the largest party in the National Forum at the height of its popularity, and many feared for the future of Deltarian democracy. While the party itself was banned, the success of the Blue Shirt movement has shown that Deltarians are not as committed to the Federal Republic as was once thought. Following in the footsteps of the DBSM, the resurging Czarist moment, coalescing around the Czarist Federation, may have enough popular support to challenge the status quo.
Reactionary Czarist League propaganda posters such as this one are a common sight on the streets of Deltaria's cities
A heterogenous and loosely organized movement, the Czarist Federation groups together four political parties and organizations, united by their common goal of returning the Czar on the throne in Čachtice. Apart from that goal, there is little that the Czarist parties have in common, each having different objectives and ideologies, and supported by different social groups. The National Bolshevik Party, the most leftist of the Czarist parties, has found a base of mass support among the workers, many of whom feel alienated by the centrist politics of the Right to Choose Party and the Interim National Democratic Congress. The Reactionary Czarist League, a far-right ultratraditionalist party, has fond its support among the middle class, the clergy, landowners, and rich peasants, while the Peasants' Union of Deltaria is supported by the poorer peasants, thus belonging to the far-left. Finally, the Czarist Soldiers is a political movement among the Deltarian Armed Forces, and has gained the support of the lower rank soldiers.
Whether the Czarist Federation will be successful in its goal of returning Deltaria to the age of the Czars, only time will tell. What is certain, however, is that the Czarist movement is on the rise, and the next elections might very well return a Czarist majority in the National Forum.
