23 January 2023
Today, the Radical Party announced that it had reached a merger agreement with the Cork Party. The Radical Party, which was led by Port Phillip politician Nick Waro, was the most unpopular political party in the country. Only around 10% of registered voters had membership with the party, making it the smallest by size. The only office that the party held was the Governor of Port Phillip, held by party Chairman Waro. For the majority of its active history, the party and it's leader have been largely disconnected from Phillip's political environment.
The driving force behind this merger was an issue that the party had with its ability to launch a Presidential campaign. Under Phillip's constitution, political parties are required to put out at least one candidate for President in every General Election. In the 1st General Election, Nick Waro reluctantly declared his candidacy but only received a single vote. But in preparation for the upcoming 2nd General election, he announced that he was too out-of-touch with Phillip and its political climate to want to launch a public campaign. Because Governor Waro was the only member of his party eligible to run for President, he sought out a merger to avoid the unwanted candidacy. With the help of Minister Cooper Norfolk, Chairman Waro was able to reach an agreement with Cork Party Chairman Riley Cook. Cook immediately accepted his offer and the problem was solved.
Overall, this merger isn't expected to have any large ramifications on the 2nd General Election and Phillip's political climate as a whole.