Roumeli Unionist Party



The Roumeli Unionist Party, known as the RUP, is the third largest political party in Cattala based on seats in Parliament, but the only major party not to have a national presence. It became the third biggest party after the Nationalist schism in 2013.

Historically aligned with the Conservatives, the RUP was established in 1972 to represent Roumelese interests in the National Assembly, where the island felt it was under represented following the collapse of the Conservative government and left-wing dominance. It swept the island in the 1974 General Election and controlled all seven Senate seats for over 20 years. The Party lost control of the provincial government in 2011 to the Conservatives, who had previously been their coalition partner locally.

Ideologically, the party is in favour of greater devolution to the provinces and supports government investment in infrastructure projects like the Roumeli Gateway industry and transport hub as well as increases in policing, healthcare and education spending powers for provincial governments. The party leadership controversially supported the Varmini government in the 1980s, although almost exclusively for its privatisation policies and rejection of European integration.

Unlike its Conservative partners, who adopted strongly pro-renewable policies in the Secolo era, the Roumeli Unionists support the oil and gas sector. Their lobbying to the national government in 2012 was seen as pivotal for the signing of the Ionian Stream partnership with Hiigara, in which Roumeli will be home to the biggest oil and gas terminal in Cattala. Solar and offshore wind projects were primarily invested in by the national government, rather than Roumeli's RUP provincial government, until 2011.

Since the 2013 merger of the High Tories and Conservative Party, the Roumeli Unionists have been in favour of joining the Conservative Alliance as a regional associate. This was resisted by Agatha Varmini, who feared the High Tories would lose power in the association, and by Lord Secolo, who wanted to establish stability in the existing two-party merger first.